The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-02-17

| ron, nei Ve Gu sue Weel poison tnrce
year agonc?"
"li, the name of our presbyters don't
taunt me So.
| ''Yc are willing to forget your sins.
Others cannot thought yc wad have
learned more sense"
| but Mr. Duncan. Is he still in Dunn.
mersbra'?"
"No. His home is in Heaven moo,
where the good go. 1t was Heaven.
ward speed to him when the news
about you reached him from the court. y
Here, then, on the thr, hold of my
lovers old home. learned that l had
been the cause of his early doath. Tear.
ing my hair, and not knowing whittier
to direct my feet, lamentc, that had
entered upon the track OF loveless
liberty.
The sound Of the pipes came skirling
up the hillside. The pibrolh and the
highland reel captivatcd me but when
| "Auld Lang Syne' came sled tears
rapidly. The music died away rs twelve
o'clock and dinner time near.d, so 1
mounted higher and higher, wi, hout the
| excelsior banner to perform my mid
day devotion before some snow altar.
A friendly robin accompanied me on
my walk, piping a kind of childish well
come. But in my native place, as saw
by just passing through it, how un-
welcome | was! Boys pointed me out
girls whispered, old men snarled, the
local patriarch and pedagogue both
moralized. Miss Mounsell would not so
much as lift up her eyes; everybody
spurned me. l was now making up
my mind to go right away as soon as
possible. Taking off my thin, thread
bare gloves, tore up some roots from
beneath the snow, and elsewhere |
found some frozen hips and haws be-
longing to last autumn, which, how
ever were still edible. l ate my veg
etablcs with relish, and they helped
to keep me alive and warm.
Suddenly heard smart little foot
steps coming up behind me over
the crisp snow. On turning round |
saw a pretty maiden-an Eva, or
little Miss Sunshine-who could have
seen no more than six winters. With
a merry voice she thus accosted me:
Are you going up Ben Mochiel,
lady?"
No, dear, not to-day. / am too tired
already, and am not Il quarter of the
way up Ben Mochiel yet
You look very tired and
not SO well, think. Please may
know your name?"
'lt is Robina Cameron" answered.
80, how strange. l heard my papa
D.
day. and he thinks you are the wicked
est lady anywhere; but | don't. My
name is Oracle Deed -Dicconson and |
play The Blue Bells of Scotland on
TIE piano, but was born in England,
and so was papa
Perhaps he would be displeased If
he were to find You with me-"
Every likely he would. But l wish
you would tell me before 1 go why
they sent you to prison.
81 will tell you a true tale, Oracle.
Three years since to-day, when
only just eighteen years old, | was put
into dark and lonely prison. Three
months before that Dummersbra'
lady had suddenly and mysteriously
died. She was my own stepsister,
Neirnie Cameron, and she had last. been
seen in my company among the rowan
trees of Coodie haugh. We had never
been great friends since she fell in love
with my lover Duncan cish, who
did not really admire her at all. That
same night she was found dead in
Coodie haugh, and traces of prussic acid
were on the grass close beside her head
There was overwhelming evidence of
my having poisoned my stepsister in
spasm of jealousy, or a fit of temporary
insanity. | had scarcely presence of
mind to stand up before judge and jury
and tell them ] was innocent They
called me guilty OF crime. and com
mitted me to prison for three years. If
had not been a young girl perhaps
they might have had me hanged. ]
only came out of prison to-day"
Poor Miss Cameron, | don't think
you ought to have been where naughty
men are put"
why. Gracie?'
because | love your face, and be-
cause you would not climb up here
nearer to heaven if you had done
wrong. and-and because found this
blue ribbon.
1t was pleasant to kiss somebody
again, and have Il living companion by
my side with the sweetest little lips
But the sight of the blue ribbon sent
chill through the marrow of my bones.
knew the exact shade and size of it
il had been worn by my stcpsister, the
wrotchcd Nairnie, at the very time she
professed to be engaging Duncan's at
tcntions. | looked at it intensely. 1t
was not only faded. but somebody had
taken the vast trouble to perforate IA
string of capital letters on it. These
were as follows:
Ode + E u d d EIHDT.
In all fourteen letters, mostly DIS and
E's Had they been perforated wan
tonly III that ribbon? or were they sig
niiicant Gf read aright) OF some curse
on the late owner of it? or did they
give some cryptographic clew 10 Nairnie
Camcron's real murderer?
Guess what that meansr exclaimed
Oracle, half with fear and half with
heroical pride.
tried to please her by guessing, but
only made several ridiculous mistakes.
For ten minutes the letters foated in "a
jumbled little mass before my eyes.
At last felt sure they had no meaning
at ali. Then | felt that they told
4 /.