The weekly messenger., 1889-10-12

added: ''SlID my mIlh up my ar,!l.
II shall not hurt your hands - he
asked with tender anxiety.
She laughed and shook her head.
Then very gently he moved her muff,
and uncovering her hands started back
in Mortified astOnishment. The small
white rists were manacled together with
n pair OF iron handcuils.
"GoOd heavens. what does this
mean :" he exclaimed.
Press the spring you see there and L
will tell Won.
He press, d the spring and the hand
cuffs dropped off i'll her lap.
Late last evening Il was leaving II
friends house | was arrested. The last
train to London was gone. | was taken
TO an inn and confined there. This
morning the policeman put those things
on my wrists and led me to TIE railway
station. In the carriage where you
found me the policeman fe, asleep;
when we stopped ut the station | saw
my chance to escape, and thanks to
your help am here"
"But why were you arrested = asked
Hinton.
"Oh, I'caunot tell you tlist," she re-
piled, covering her face with her hands,
mot yet-later on, if l may hope to
gain your friendship and confidence, L
may unburden my heart of its secret.
But look i'll my face"-she uncovered
it, and laying her hand on Hinton S
arm, offered her charming face to his
examination. ''Look, and tell me if
You can find there the sign of a crime
that should be punished with this
shame"
Hinton looked in that face and vowed
he saw there nothing but suffering, love
and innocence.
My gushing young friend had got as
far as this in his narrative, when the
hall porter ushered into our sanctum
my old friend Kennel, a ciear-headed,
far-sighted lawyer.
'Now, you Young fellows" he began
brusquely, I've come to get you out
of n mess if | can. i must know all
about the affair in which You figured
this morning. I'll hear your account
tirst''-he addressed me.
| told him my story as have written
it here. His first question surprised
me.
''Can you bring anyon forward to
prove that You got into the train at
Chorley, and not at Stevenham."
After taxing our recollection to the
full, Hinton and L came to the conclu-
sion that We could not find a witness to
prove this. The station master had
closed the ticket box the moment after
giving Hinton his change. The door
leading on to the platform was locked
when we reached it. At Chorley we
bad not gone through the booking office.
The guards van was in the front of the
train; the porters were on the platform,
and We were not seen till the moment
when we were helping the lady to de-
scend.
Kennel looked grave
'Now, give me your account, Mr..
said he.
Hinton went over the facts again,
stopping where he had stopped before.
''DO You know where the young lady
is now" asked Kennel.
''Yes, but l must decline to tell you
until l know your re Ison for asking"
''My reason for asking. That's sim
pie enough. l wish to save you young
fellows from the consequences of a GRIM
inal prose ution ?"
We gasped, "What crime has been
"Murder :"
''Murder - We echoed aghast.
"The handkerchief that lay beside
the dead man is found 10 have been sat
urated with chloroform.
'GOod heavens, Kennel, do YOU think
we carry chlorofoym about with us -
''You are medical students"
Hinton and looked at each other in
blank bewilderment.
"Of course, you don't believe the
young lady committed the murder"
Kennel said, addressing Hinton.
''How on earth is such n thing posi-
BILE. She had her wrists handcutfed and
a null on her hands"
$50 much the worse for YOU. The
man is murdered, and the responsibility
lies upon y,u two young men and that
young woman. OF course, believe in
your innocence, but that counts for moth !
ing. Your fate will be decided by a
Jury, and not by me. Now, what is the |
evidence that will be laid before them2
One of You is found in a third class car
rage with the dead man, and gives up a
first cass ticket from slovenian, the !
station at which the police got into the
rain with his prisoner. The other
voung man gets the young woman out
'f the train at Chorley, pays her fare
md whisks her out of the way in n fiy.
4 handkerchief saturated with chloro
orm is found beside the dead man, and |
.ou two are medical students, What is
'he presumption: That you, seeing this
attractive young woman put into third /
lass carriage by a policeman at Steven