Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-06-17
CHAPTER XIV.

Birley remained that night at the cot
tage When / left to return to my
lodgings I was surprised. even for the
moment terrified to see lights across
W ShG htT Knew Was the temporary grave
Of Mr.. Lacroix. In the moving lights
I presently saw figures; / heard sounds,
too-the sounds as of pickaxe.
'"They are breaking into the grave
I exclaimed to myself, and resolved
would go and see.
I hurriedly picked my way round to
the place. About the fallen Wall-the
gigantic tomb-slab Of Lacroix, which a
brawny pickman, naked to the waist,
was hewing at-there stood, in silent,
stolid expectation, a crowd of thirty or
forty men and lads, with two or three
women with shawls over their heads.
Many of the men were in the colored
garb Of the chemical works.
"Pick on that spot where you see the
green" called to the newer; / had
hastily come to the conclusion that
since I could not hinder the operations
/ ought to help.
When I said this they all turned and
looked at me.
"You know summat about this, do not
yo, parson?" asked one.
Something" said /.
I'm thinking, Mr.. Unwin," said an
old man, whom I recognized as the
father of the man to whose deathbed [
had been summoned months before;
I'm thinking this that you've shown
tonight in tn pictures is tn same
business as my lad raved about
SO my connection with the pictures
had been discovered.
In silence the newer picked the bricks
loose, pausing now and then to let a
comrade throw the debris aside. Soon
space was cleared. and he began
carefully to pick into and loosen the
soil A shovel was brought into requl-
sition, and the earth and rubbish were
thrown aside. And all the while the
old ventilating cowl overhead kept
grinding stiffiy and slowly about, with
painful, long-drawn means, as ii 1t
were oppressed with the spirit Of the
scene.
1--WE struck ON summat!" exclaimed
the newer, pausing abruptly and speak
ing in hurried whisper.
Several hands were now tearing at
the soil, and fearfully sounding it.
''I feel a clout," whispered one man,
and he began to tug at it.
"Ah.'' j exclaimed in alarm, ''yOu
mustn't disturb then-not tonight, at
leastv'
YEA, parson," said the man, "but we
mum. We mum see which on us 1t is
he's done for like this. There's jim
Riley gone missing, and Job Kershaw.'
There was no suspicion, then, that
the remains were those Of their own
master! What could / do? Had /
broken my promise to Fraulein Haas?
Was I helping even now to make pub
| lie Steinhardt's crime? Was | not
standing by asserting while terrible
vengeance was threatened on the for
eigner in the deep, slow Lancashire
speech? I felt helpless in the crisis;
I permitted myself to be borne along
whittier it might carry me-
| In a very few minutes the canvas
| packages. dropping almost to pieces.
were out on the ground and laid In
silence on a hand-barrow. In silence
the improvised bier was taken up be-
tween two men, and as it was carried
away attended by the lanterns, the
crowd, as by instinct, formed in pro-
cession behind / was surprised to find
myself in front of this strange funeral
procession and close to the bier. Thus
in silence we marched away from the
ruined mill through the tortuOus and
| treacherous ways which led to the vii
lage