The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-15
CHAPTER II.


and bent, went out to meet him.
CHAPTER H.
Beside her dead in the eastern room
sat Elizabeth Earring. white and
rigid figure, holding the dead man S
helpless hal.d. An, love! how
potent is thy power max
ing even the cold and pallid face
of death seem dear and beautiful!
Ever and anon she stopped little and
kissed the pale one gone so far from
her into the dark sleep, moaning with
ineffable love and sorrow. Then she
sat long time while the dawn began
its rosy work along the east. With a
low twittering that ran among the APP
ple-trees the darkness began to lift,
and the great glimmering back of the
world heaved slowly into sight. A
vast bank of ashes seemed stretched
athwart the east and stirred softly as
from an under wind. Not unlike a
surf of foaming amber streaked with
pink and silver. or like a vast cloud
heaving upward through a measureless
vineyard, it came, crushing the grapes
against the sky, and drenching the
eastern heaven with indiscribable glory.
And the long liquescent beams falling
through the window lit up the white
sleeper's face as with some new, ethereal
life, and frightened among his yell
low curls like faint aureole. Sadly
the woman lifted up her head. and
seeing Hettie standing by her with the
child, and all the glinting fields below
and the rich sky and the kindled Wis
age of the softly sleeping dead, she
caught the grooming baby to her and
gave her first tears to the unspeakabIy
bitter time.
An examination had disclosed no
evidence of violence save one great
bruise over the dead mans heart, but
the large sum OF money which Ivyl
Snaer averred that he had paid him was
gone. To substantiate his statement
lvyl Snaer produced the deed which
John Earring had given him, also the
foreman of Snaer's lands stated that
he had seen Earling enter Ivyls house
and afterward ride away again. So
when the dawn first sent its gray ar
rows among the willows that feathered
the edge OF the wood, men were strain
ing their eyes upon the spot where the
strong man had fallen. There seemed
some traces of struggle, or
that the horse had fallen throw
ing his rider, but neither could
be clearly determined. Near
the fatal place little stream like mott
Ell glass came leaping down into the
valley through leafy notch in the hill |
side. and some small loose stones were |
scattered about, green with a slight
moss, and damp from the humid earth |
and summer-long shade, but these were
undlsturbed save where they had found |
him. Perhaps the mortal hurt had |
come of falling on one of these! if so,
why had he been riied of the goldp !
Something resembling a human foot
print was discovered in the soft and |
messy soil at the streams edge, but if |
it were that, the foot had evidently |
been unbooted. Then old Jade, look |
ng narrowly among the trees, found a
strange circling abrasion in the bark of |
one OF them; these were the only traces,
The battling hints, that rewarded the
scrutiny of score of curious, earnest |
Eyes. Then the horse was brought,
,ut this ono dumb witness reared and
rembled and refused to pass the
,laee Of mysterious horror.
With wide eyes and nostrils dis
ended, the fine beast that bore
Iohn Earring to his death, when urged
lpon the fatal spot, snorted and
'lunged with terror and dragged his
ttendant from the wood. Many at |