Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-08-03

story, as I heard it related, was very
pathetic, and ran thus:
His antecedents could never be
definitely traced. He first appeared
in the village as a friendless boy,
picked up in the streets of large
city homeless waif, and cared for
in a charitable institution until fam
lily was found to adopt him. He
proved to be of an active MUD, quick
to learn, and so fond of his books
that his foster parents decided to
give him a liberal education, and he
was fitted and sent to college. His
prospects were bright, and he grew
up respected and beloved, and gen.
eral favorite in the community.
In time he became very much at
tached to daughter of one Of the
wealthiest citizens in the place her
name was Louvan, and she recipro-
Gated his affection, and Hugh was
looked upon as having a very fiatter-
ing future open before him, and there
were no young men worthier than he
or more likely to have their highest
ambition realized.
One summer morning soon after
their engagement Louvan accepted
an invitation from her lover to enjoy
a ride in the saddle, an exercise of
which both were extremely fond and
knowing her to be expert and fear
less, he selected for her as we'll as
for himself high-spirited horse, and
they galloped away in the gayest of
humor. For mile or two they kept
each other close company, and then
Louvan, having playfully threatened
to run away from her escort, struck
her horse lightly and shot on ahead.
Pleased to indulge her caprice Hugh
suffered his horse to jog leisurely
along, expecting to see her stop On
gaining the top of hill some hum
dred rods ahead and watt for him to
overtake her; but instead of doing
so she increased her speed and began
to descend the other side of the slope
SO rapidly, that he too gathered up
his reins and dashed off in pursuit.
IL soon became evident, however,
that instead of feigning to run away
from her companion, according to
the dictates of her own sweet will,
Louvan had lost control of her horse,
and he was running away with her.
This discovery was an imperative
to Hugh to place himself at her side
at all hazards; but it amazed him TO
find that he FASTENED to no purpose,
and that his best efforts availed moth
ing to shorten the distance between
them, while she for whose safety he
now began to tremble, was dashing
on at perilous rate. Unable to
gain any ground, though hurrying at
the top of his speed, he shouted to
Louvan to stop, but she either did not
hear, or was unable to do SO.
Faster and faster sped the flying
horse to which the maiden now clung
desperately, and with unutterable an
guish Hugh saw him sway to one
side and then the other of the pre-
cipitous road, while powerless to ar
rest the mad beasts course, or avert
the danger that now seemed immi-
nent. Well might the farmer shud-
der as they paused in their work by
the roadside to watch the two riders
plunge past at such fearful rate
the poor girl with blanched face,
the saddle in grip of de-
spair, as she was whirled along so
madly, that an iron-nerved man who
had planted himself in the way in or
der to stop the horse, dared not risk |
the experiment, but sprang aside and |
let them pass; and Hugh, seeing
The peril of his friend, reckless of |
himself and urging on his painting
horse in the terrible chase for a life,
70 save which he would gladly have |
given his own.
But the terror was momentary, for
Louvan's horse began to stagger,
Ind in another instant cast himself
Ind his fair rider headlong beside
he road, where Death stood awaiting
or them both. Men who had wit
lessed the appalling sight hastened
o raise the mangled and lifeless form
# the beautiful young girl and it
vas tenderly borne back to her faith
RS house by rough but trembling
lands. But Hugh could not help
md could not follow; his own horse
lropped from sheer exhaustion, and
Gaping from his saddle, he pressed
lis hands to his eyes as if to shut out
moment the sickening spectacle,
hen with long and bitter groan
hat rent the air and made those
hudder who heard it, he fed away
0 the woods, his brain crazed and
eason gone. /
The wild fancies that possessed
i'm were more merciful to poor Hugh
han they who should have been his
riends in this terrible hour of need.
'inding their hopes disappointed and
heir pride crushed, his foster parents
Don consented to let him become a
ard to the town and find an asylum
t the pOor-house. But in the vaga-
es of his delirious thoughts the ter
bile scene which had deprived the
oor youth of reason was changed {
ito the semblance of myth, which {
,ok away the bald horror of the
pectacle and seemed to afford his
ark mind q nathptic iov He did | s