The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-09-22

"Impossibe!" exclaimed Hester.
"If that is true, Nephew Harvey, the man
| shall never enter my house again." decided
Aunt Martha who was somewhat easily inhu
enced.
s'It is true" replied Harvey Bond, slowly
and cruelty. "In the morning | shall put the
case in the hands of the police"
"Brother," exclaimed Hester, sprnging to
her feet, her face as white as marble, "you
will break my heart if you do this thing. |
will go with you to Michigan or anywhere
else il you will not take any action in this
natter"
mo, Harvey" pleaded Aunt Martha begin
ming to weep, "dont do anything about it .
He has been just like s,n to me, only lit
| tie higher. Only think of it, Hester. Professor
Lyon common thief"
And Harvey Bond, with eyes viii h glitter
| ed with satisfaction, after much entreaty from
Hester, gave the promise that Professor Lyon
should not be moles!ed, provided Hester saw
him no more and would go to the pineries for
| the winter.
1--WE will spend the summer season in some
of the lake cities, if you like" he said to Hes
| ter, ''but during the winter must be at the
| head of my lumbermen; and indeed life is not
80 dull. for nearly every man has some wom-
| an relative there, and it is brothers privilege
| to provide home for his sister,
With pain at her heart which she felt
would never be entirely stilled. Hester went
with Harvey to the piLeries, where she was
installed as housekeeper in a little cottage
which had long needed mistress, and that
need, ifshe had only thought of it was the
selfish motive which had been at the bottom
| of Harvey Bonds antipathy to Professor Ly-
on.
| 1t was nearly in Move mber when the broth
er ant. sister reached The pineres, where the
bracing air, the singing trees and carpet of
dead pine needles under their feet all had
| their charms for Hester.
| Although the training of her former life, em
bracing her dramatic reading, was of course
| thing which she was expected to forget, often
when her brother was away gathering his
| lumbermen together for the winters work in
the forest she amused herself by going out un
der the fragrant pines and listening to their
music, and sometimes reciting as she walked
along.
| One day she had wandered farther than us
ual, when suddenly she was joined by two
large dogs, which trotted along sociably, yet
shyly, with great red tongues lollIng from be-
tween their white teeth.
Hester was not a cowardly girl, and she ex
tended a caressng hand toward one of the
ours; no stretch of imagination could have
them respectable canlnes.
| The larger of the two turned upon her with
| a snarl which frightened her and brought to
mind instantl piece which she had once
| studied, portrayng the rawlings of mailman
She fixed her eyes on the red-green snes of
| the animal and began 10 reciIe the piece in
| her most frenzied manner
The brute shrank back, his brush tightly
drawn down, and with his companion skunk
out of sight in the underbrush as she finished
with the blood -curdling shrek.
| "IVoe to the daughters and sons of men!
Woe to them all when am again.
I Amused at her success she laughingly pur
sued her way homeward, unmolesed now by
| either animals or men.
She said nothing to her brother Of the oc-
currence, fearing that he would blame her for
exhibiting her accomplishment even to the
brutes Of the forest.
Business was not to begin in real earnest in
| ~ nj, hnt
i,v pnt his axe over his shoulder, telling Hes
( .lh. i.- vas about to fell Il gi ialL hemlock
hirl she herself had visited, and which was
.o,l two miles from their cottage.
| 81 shall be back at noon," were his parting
words.
twelve he was not there, nor at one, nor at
two nor three, and then Hester decided to GO
and look for him herself.
She found him at the foot of tree, about
mile from their cottage, wither he had drag
yed himself. He he'd cut his foot badly and
had been obliged to sit down on account Of
weakness caused by loss of blood.
| "It is fortunate thing for me that you
came," he said. "You must go back at once
and get men TO carry me home"
She hastened to the umbermen's cabins,
but the men were away, and was nearly dark
before she could return to Harvey with two
| stout bearers and one of the !umbermen's
wives.
Just as they stepped INTO the opening the
darkness seemed to fall over them like man
tie, aud from far off in the WOODS came long,
low howl of burger and despair.
| "Wol ves!" said one of the men. "Wemust
hurry"
They turned the light of their lanterns upon
the moss where Harvey Bond had lain when
Hester left him. He was not there, but his
torn garments and the few blood stained bones
cleaning in the lantern light told of the fierce
fury of the carnivorous beasts that had attack
ed him.
"He sold his life dearly" said one of the
men. "See, here is !is axe, with the han
die broken, and here too, are the bones OF
a half doz en- wolves which he must have kill
ed be fore they overpowered him"
1t was al awful shock to Hester Bond. She
understood now the natme of the animals
that had joined her in The forest. But there
was something more The lumberman's wife
came to her, saying:
"See, here is his watch, that just picked up
She took it in her hand. 1t WAS the gold
watch with the diamond in the case which
Harvey Bond had accused Burt Lyon of steal
ing!
Everything was clear to Hester nov. She
made no revelation to any one, but after her
brothers remains were buried she return ed to
her Aunt Martha. One day she showed the
watch to her saying:
"See, Aunt Martha, here is the watch broth
or Harvey told us Burt Lyon had stolen.'
"He found it them" cried Aunt Martha, in
great relief.
The older lady. who had been like ice TO
Professor Lyon for some time, welcomed him
most heartily VIII II he called upon Hester,
| l.. a. ,,>x