Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-12-16
CHAPTER TX.

L w udb- w ID II. IpSdh, SAA.
commands Mrs. Brand, her face grow
| ing pale with nervous expectation.
'Oh, MANI that l should live to see
this day, Oh, poor. dear Miss Greyi
| Her as / was fond of Her as never said
a word unl1ind to mortal soul. To see
her now, and to think that only yester-
| day.
''What do you mean, girl?'' cries Mrs.
Brand, ringing the bell frantically.
HGood heavens What has happened to
| Miss Grey?''
ooh, to only look at her, ma nj
thought I'd have dropped at her feet
when I pushed the door back never
| knowing why it was so hard to open and
! she lying against it, with her poor
! head''--
1.-THE woman will drive me mad!'' cries
| Mrs Brand in a choked tone, and, hurry
ing past her, made her way to Millicent's
| bedroom.
Already two or three servants have
| gathered there. The door is open, and
| they are STOPPING over something lying
| on the floor almost Immediately beyond
| the threshold.
Mrs. Brand with little cry, and pale
| and trembling, rushes forward, the SER
| wants part involuntarily, and there lying
| upon the ground, to all appearance life
less, lies Millicent. Her head is thrown
| backward and one hand is tightly
| clinched.
''She is fainting. 1t is only faintl''
| cried Mrs Brand, with an anguish in her
| tone that bellies the meaning of her words.
| ''What are you all standing idle there
| for?'' turning upon the terrified women.
HAS no one thought of sending for
| doctor?"
She is down on her knees now beside
| the pale still form, and has raised the
cold head on her arm
| Eyes, mann; James has gone for a
DOCTOR" sobs the housemaid nervously.
''Help me to lift her Sol OH be gen
| tie, grill Thereon her bed. Pull up
| the blinds-what are they down for at
| this hour?-one would think she was
| deadt'
She says this vehemently, with a sort
| of defiance. But the awful word is too
much for her-it has hardly passed her
| lips when her fictitious anger gives way,
| she bursts into tears and, falling on her
| knees beside the bed she stretches out
| her arms to the unconscious body.
''Ohl my child My pretty girl! What
| is it? What has happened to you? Obi
| Millicent, speak to me!'
The doctor entering at this moment,
| she calms herself by supreme effort, for
| in truth the poor woman is terribly I'M
| nerved-nO smallest suspicion OF tragedy
| having ever come near her before, in all
| her calm, easy, luxurious life.
| ''H'mi ha,'' says DR.. Thesby, shifting
| about him suspiciously as he walks
| lightly to the bedside and stoops over Mil
licent. 'sYoung lady been playing
pranks with chloroform?''
''On, no! impossible" eXclaims Mrs.
| Brand "Indeed, hardly think there is
| any in the house. Certainly none that is
| not under lock and key in my own room"
| Nevertheless, there is chloroform
| here or has been," says the doctor, sniff
/ fing again. He has been examining Mill
cent while speaking, and now calls for
1 certain things to be brought him by the
| attending servants. Seeing Mrs. Brands
distress, he turns kindly to her. II can't
| quite make it out yet, but pray compose
| yourself, my dear madame. Your niece
| is by no means beyond the power OF man
| YETI
| And, indeed, at the expiration of half
| an hour or so Millicent is so far recov-
| cred as to be able to smile upon them,
| and whisper word or two to her aunt.
| ''No whispering, l think-no con-
| fidences just YETI says DR.. Thesby, rub
| bling his hands. Though I agree with
you my dear lady, that no time should
be lost about seeing into this-er-truly
| extraordinary affair. What dye say, my
good woman turning sharply to one of
the maids.
GA handkerchief, Ell? Picked up by
you? Lying on Miss Grey's face-or
partly so? Ell? eh? Think what you are
saying now, my good girl, as 1 dare say
you will have to repeat it pretty often
later on
Yes. The girl had picked it up when
first she stopped over Miss Grey. 1t
was not exactly on her face, but looked
as if it had slipped off it.
The doctor, folding it neatly, puts it il
his breast pocket. Important evidence,
madame. If you will permit me- vii
take charge of it. Heavily saturatec,
with chloroform, l should say, from the
| strength of the aroma that still clings to
| it
''Let me see it, says Millicent sud
| denly, in a voice so much stronger and
with such excitement on her pale face
that the doctor thinks it better to accede
to her request, while still entreating her
| to BE calm,-be calm! and above all
things to be calm!'
tAs it." said Millicent afterward to
Nadine, ''any one could be expected to
be calm who had just escaped being muir
dered, and had had the finest sapphires
| in Enlgand stolen from herr
The handkerchief is a large, coarse,
common one, white in color, and of such
a texture as might be used by a respect
| able artisan on holiday making.
s'It is clew,'' says the doctor trium
| phantly; but Millicent, though she could
not have put her conviction into words
| feels that it will never help to bring the
real offender to justice.
s'But what brought the man here
that is what I want to know?" demands
Mrs. Brand, with a little spreading Of
her hands, when the doctor has called
some hours later to find his patient ha:
been sleeping quietly during his absence
| and has only reused to consciousness
| again upon his entrance.
mot a word have let her speak-no
word, - says Mrs. Brand, with very par
donable pride, considering the extent O
| her curiosity.
''Well I must speak now,'' murmur
| Millicent, still very feebly, but with
| decided increase of strength that TIL
| doctor finds very satisfactory.
| ''Why, we shall have her downstair
in no tine,'' declares he jOvially.
Then Millicent launches into q descrip
| ton of the man who had thrown hand
| kerchief over her face and left her t.
| live or die, as chance dictated, while b
, | made good his escape 1t is this infor
| nation that calls forth from Mrs BranC
the question as to what brought him int
| her house at all that unseemly midnigh
) | hour.
) 'Ah! auntiel" says the girl, looking
: | at her out of her cushioned arm chair
with great pathetic eyes that have grow
| greater because of the regretful tear
5 | that are filling them. ''Do you no
know? Do you not guess? When yol
= opened my hand, and the sapphire locke
l dropped out, did you guess nothing then?
''No, child-no.''
'tThat locket is a gift to me- -
e GA gift? / know that" impatiently
ga gift from your Ucnle Timothy, wit
: all the rest of those very beautiful
r stones. A magnificent gift, truly
a ''No!-a gift from the man who ha
s stolen all those unrivaled stones!'
''Stolenr' Mrs. Brand falls back in he
/, chair, and gazes at Millicent with hol
b ror stricken eyes
e ''Whatl Gonel Those priceless saI
n phiresl'' ;ries DR.. Thesby, who is an oil
) friend of Mrs. Brands, and had bee
: shown the sun.ptuous gift of Timoth
e Boyle when first presented to Miss Grey
e ''Ah!' says Millicent, laughing hystel
a ically, ''the burglar evidently did nc
s think them, as you do, priceless. n
doubt he is already pricing thenl-is al
: ranging how to break them up and Sc
J. DEMONSTRATING up-my-lovely -necl
| lot hoo,11 ifI,I'- haipn eft