Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-11
whose long green tendrils fell here upon

1.-THE worst of this thing is it grows so
| fast, continued Mr.. Gibson, now get
ting out his pocket knife to cut the
| creeper. "Now if the veranda was
| Joined here, sir, you see, II would be a
great improvement-and III just meas
ure round the house to see how much it
| would take.
| He drew out his measure and began to
measure the wall of the house, bending
down for the purpose, while Erne stood
| idly watching him. Suddenly Erne saw
him looking fiXedly on the ground and
| feeling it with his hand.
"This ground has been disturbed quite
lately - he said presently. "Just look
here Major Erne-perhaps madame has
hidden away something here.
Then Erne went up to where he was
| standing, and also examined the ground
1t was leveled down as with spade, and
| the creeper had crept over it, but all the
same it was plain to a practiced eye that
| part of it-some six feet in length-hed
lately been disturbed, and had differ
| ent appearance to the rest.
I'll fetch the inspector to have a
| look at this place, [ think, said Mr..
Gibson. and he went into the house for
the purpose, but Erne stood still looking
| at the sun glinting on the newly turned
| soil.
CHAPTER XxXv.-THE BUILDERS FIND.
A few minutes later the inspector, Mr..
Gibson, and the two policemen appeared
| and instantly began examining the
ground with the keenest interest
'This soil has been dug up this
spring said the inspector; ''look, it
has none of the green mould which the
winters damp has left on the rest.
Well, Mr.. Gibson, we must dig up this
place with your leave?''
Certainly, you have my fullst
leave,' answered the builder.
They had not brought any spades, but
Mr.. Gibson pointed out what used to be
the Toulouse in his time, and there they
found two spades, one of which had q
good deal of soil clinging to it and was
rusty.
'This spade has been put away wet, -
said the inspector, looking at it. 'WeIl,
there s one apiece for yGu,' he added,
looking at the two policemen; "now,
my men, begin and dig away as fast as
you can. -
The policemen needed no second bidding.
They began to dig, and it was not hard
work. The soil had evidently recently
and Mr.. Gibson, stood round watching
them. Spadeful after spadeful they
threw up; deeper and deeper they went
down, until when about four feet below
the surface, one of the spanes suddenly
struck on a resisting substance.
"There's something here said one
of the policemen, and he moved the po-
sition of his spade slig htly, and the next
minute raised with IL mans booti
"By heaven 81 It's mani cried the
inspector. ''Look, there's the end of
the trouser-put down your spades, men
use your hands now-I believe that
we we found him!'
The policemen now began pushing
aside the soil with their hands, while
Erne, the inspector, and MIR. Gibson
eagerly assisted. There were a few
breathless moments, aud then a hand-a
human hand-soiled and crushed-ap-
peared, and the inspector, throwing
himself on the ground, oontrived to catch
hold of this, and pulled up an arm, and
u minute or two later one of the police
men caught another arm, and between
them from the mould-from his unhal-
lowed grave-they raised form, face.
Erne gave shocked exclamation as
his eyes fell on the features, which he
instantly recognized.
cit is Lord Gilmorel" he cried. ''He
has been murdered, and then buried
here
sis this Lord Gilmore?'' said the in
spector, turning eagerly to Erne. "You
knew him, did you not?"
eyes, this is Lord Gilmore an
swered Erne. looking steadily at the dis
figured man. But there was no mis-
taking the handsome features, the full
lips shaded by the thick brown NOUS
tache and the bright brown hair. Yes,
it was Gerald, Lord Gilmore, whose
brief life lay ended here, and in whose
half-open hazel eyes there still fingered
look of unutterable horror and pain,
through all the foulness of the damp and
clinging soil.
And the form-that bitter birthright
which had marred his life-wss also
plainly visible. He had been flung into
his grave unshrined and uncofined, in
haste and secrecy, but when they lifted
him out of it they could find no wound
on his person to account for his death.
He had, however, been robbed; at least
nothing of value remained, and his shirt
sleeves were open, rs though the studs
bad been torn out, and he had no money
whatever about him.
"'He has been lured here and muir
dered, 1 suppose, said the inspector,
''or murdered in the train and carried
here-at all events the foreign woman
who lived here had hand in his DEATH
"And to think such q horrible thing
should have happened in my house,
said Mr.. Gibson, whose rosy face had
grown pale.
"Poor fellow!' said Erne, and he
kneeled down and lifted one of the chill
soiled hands, and thought as he did so
of the day when they had gone together
TO Gateford manor house, and of Gill
more g merry, careless words when Miss
Clifford had given them the diamond
rings. "He was kind hearted and good
natured in the EXTREME he said aloud,
whoever did it, 1t Is shameful deed.'
cit was probably for his money, re-
marked the inspector. az wonder how
they killed himp But there will, of
course, have to be post-mortem, and
now 1 think we bad best carry him into
the house.
So they lifted him up and carried him
into the house, where he had sat so often
gazing into the dark eyes that had lured
him TO his death. And they laid him on
q couch, and Erne reverentlY covered
his face and drew down the blinds of the
room, for the sunlight seemed to make
the Egrim sight more weird, more