The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-11-11

night" She was standing IN the moon
light, her face filled with a native glad
ness in daring and adventure for loves
sake her hat in her hand, and her short,
dark hair blowing in the breeze, wild,
unkept, Irish, delicious. As they hap
PLY walked on together the inward
curves of her waist gave no support to
the arm that was around her. But then
the arm was strong and did not require
ii wish" she said, you'd put that
pipe or whatever it is you have in that
side pocket, over to your other side. IL
hurts
"Oh," he said, removing the obtruslve
article from his pocket, that's my old
revolver. brought it out because the
blacksmith's dog up the road here tried
to eat me the other night. am going
to give him dose of lead"
"Put it away | don't like revolvers.
Hank! There is somebody coming! Come
this way; quicll!" She pushed him in
under the shadow of great oak and be-
hind its huge trunk, where they stood
and peered up the road. In the bright
moonlight they saw man some distance
on coming toward them.
"Heavens!" she cried, Its Terrence
Maher. know his walk. Oh, my dar-
ling, we are lost. He will tell all, to
force me to the marriage; and here we
are, hemmed I'M Oh, what shall we do?"
All in moment Paul glanced at the
unscalable wall of the Mashquoteh estate
that rose beside them, then upward to
see if there were any low boughS on the
tree, then at the embankment across the
road, which was crowned with thick
set hedge. For Norah to run back down
the road in the moonlight would be mad
ness. Pauls face paled and straighten-
ed, and that look came into his eyes
which no man would want to see twice.
Not only the happiness, but more-the
honor of the woman he loved was in
peril. This thought made tiger of
him.
"Stay here" he said, "behind this
tree. On no account show yourself. l
will stop him. If we scutfle, watch your
chance to fly down the road. Recollect!
if get him down you are safe to run;
for he will not get up" Paurs tone was
sinister.
But stay" she said, clinging to him.
"There is no other road Tor MIN nearer
than Yonge Street"
Every we'll The world is ball. He
can 90 round the other side"
mo, no! Don't go. He is giant.
He will kill your
Paul tore away the hands that were
holding desperately to his coat front
His deep voice Missed through his clinch-
ed teeth as he said hurriedly: "He will
never get past the place where meet
him. Courage! Goodbye"
He sprang away and ran along the road
so as to meet his rival as far away as pos
sible from Norah. The girl remained
crouching behind the tree-fixed, rigid,
/ listening. She heard the men meet.
Then an alteration between them. The
voice of Paul rang out something about
''sneaking around her house at this time
of night" Evidently he was making
his own jealousy his excuse for stopping
Terence. She heard: Damn you, clear
off, or I'll kill your Then blow was
struck. Heavens! how itsounded in the
still night air. She could not see them
because of tree boughs that intercepted
her view; but she knew that the men
had clinched because of the scuff1ing
and cultural sounds that came through
clinched teeth. Then came silence
dread silence. One of those men was
being choked.
Which OF the two?
As she glded through the shadows to-
wards the place where the awful quiet
seemed worse than any sound, she had
but little resemblance TO her usual self
The girl with the soft eyes and rounded
curves was now Judith, Jael, with
limbs strained, yet supple, like tigress
And in her long hand was woman
weapon-a long pair of house scissors
gripped so that she could stab with one
of the blades. If Paul were being killed
~ I. 80, IS IA,
know what it was that came through his
back and pierced his heart. She was
irving to keep out of sight and come
upon them stealthily and rapidly, wher
pistol shot rang terror into her heart.
Terror; but not for herself. Priests
alone could do that. Terror for Paul
Now she sprang along the centre of the
road. She saw Paul come dashing to
ward her. "Run! rum" he cried, Ter
ence is dead!'
Och! where was the world sinking to-
She felt herself falling. A carriage came
along. Somebody sprang out and rush
ed toward her, anI then she knew moth
ing more.
Most of the foregoing is my brief. Be
yond the evidence of the trial l got {
much fuller account from Norah herself
and feel that what my imagination has
added is in every way correct.
She told the priest what she knew, bu
as the time approached for trial she re
fused to give her evidence; so the Grown
had it postponed for three months. Dur
ing all this time, lawyers, parents
friends, relations, knowing what she
could tell, had gOaded her on TOWARD
giving her evidence. Her trouble
was that she knew Paul had killed Ter
ence, and this knowledge undermined
her resolution and gave the solicitor
great additional power.
The first witnesses called were the
three gentlemen who had arrived in thu
carriage at the scene of the murder
They had found the prisoner near thu
corpse in a somewhat daZed condition
They had thought it their duty to hanC
him over to the police. He had not re
sisted. They had warned him that any
admission he made would be useC
against him. He had said nothing. Oh
being asked where his pistol was. he hat
taken from his pocket the revolver nov
shown in court, three cartridges o
which had been discharged.
The marks on the road and on tn
clothes of deceased and prisoner showed
signs of terrible struggle having takel
place. The doctors and others swOT
that when found the face of the corps
had an asphyxiated look. From this ant
from marks of fingers that had grippet
the throat they would have thought tin
man had been chOked to death had
i II