Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-08-02
THE ATHELSTONE;
VICTOR AND vANQUIsEEn
BIZ MARY CECIL HAY.

Harry her to it-as people don't carry Q |
pnnper, And after that, he took |
the motherless, homeless, and
worse than fatherless boy to home
-Which he made for him, and to love
and care which never after that failed
him. From that day to the night
heard the greater part of this story
after seeing the prisoner taken In hand
cuffs from his own cottage, with my
taunting words ringing in his ears-hia
home was the boys home ali he had
was shared with the child (shsred equal
", as two boys might have shaved with
each other), and in his great love and
kindliness he never let the boy know be
was not his own son, for fear he should
feel the obligation, and fancy that III
ho did for him was not naturally done
"Now, gentlemen, you understand
that all this while the boys father was
living. Never one penny has he al
lowed for his sons maintenance; all has
been paid out of the hard earnings OF the
uFiaoner. who, a. we heard to-day, has
been saving 10 pay g debt really owing
by this very man. II ! could but have
that tune back again, when tried e
make his life more miserable than II
was when did all I could to madden
him. only he was always too patient and
too forbeaxing to be mAddened by me
then should be content This Ii what
I know of the two men, my Lord and
gentlemen, and ] suppose tina when
they met they fought 1t would have
been hard to help it, should think, 70
membering all this, and Mr.. jeffrey
after all, is as likely to be alive As dead.
It was plain to see he was cunning
enough for anything. But il they did
fiRht, and the man who had the best
heart and tho strongest hand had
punished the coward at last, after years
and years OF injury, would that act BE-
murder7 Even If 1t would be called
granddaughter, the law isn't so honest
is"
No voice had silenced or even inter
rupted Dorcas. Even the utterly un.
professional part of her evidence fell
amidst total silence. The effect OF hel
words was keen and decisive, So earn.
estly and with such heartfelt regret had
she spoken dosing all thought Of what
the effect Of her words on others was
likely to be), that ID startled even her.
self when, out OF the silence, there arose
the low, sad aopnd Of . WomAn's sobs.
In little haste the counsel for the
prosecution began his Cross-e1amina.
ton. When this was over, Dorcas went
back to her place beside her little
grandson, and the eyes Of the prisoner
followed her with an untold Rladness in
them. Hia boy--his delicate, solitary
child-would not be hardly treated now,
he knew; would not lay down his head
in the darkness and wish that he might
never be called to raise il again. Oh.
this was good to know, after those bit
ter fears for the child, which he had
fought with through three long months
in prison
The case was almost closed. The
learned doctor, specially retained for the
defense, sddressed the jury, saying the
case he had to submit 70 them was this:
There really was no evidence TO sup
port the charge Of granddaughter. The
character Of the prisoner was unexcep"
tionable, and that of the deceased Qf he
must call him deceased, when there was
no actual proof of his deAth) very much
the reverse. He would leave 1t with
them 10 decide whether there was q case
for verdict of guilty. Much more than
this the doctor said, but in the same
strain; and then the Judge briefly
summed up the evidence, and the jury
retired.
One silent, almost breathless quarter
OF an hour in Oourt-hope and fear
holding their sway in hundreds of hearts,
and hanging their ensigns on hundreds
OF faces-and then the door was opened,
and the iurymen returned, one standing
forward and looking at the judge, An
utter silence, for the hearing of the YER
dict, In every corner Of the court.
"Not guilty."