The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-26
PRIZE pETEcTW E STORIES, No. IA.

and the sharp faced man had another set
on the angle of the desk beside him.
Philip Standsfeld stood between his
guards as pale as death. Said the little
man TO him: "What have you 10 say,
Philip Standsfeld, why you should not be
committed to stand your trial for the un-
natural murder of your father?"
~ charge John Bell, minister with the
fact, ''said he, dowily holding TO his for
mer folly.
fully, sucking at a pen, for he was not
accustomed, as / think, to hear minister
so spoken OF, "ye mean Mr.. John Bell,
minister of Morton-take care how you
speak OF him. ~
And that was my first intimation that
i was in fact a minister with settled
charge. IL was my Lord Advocate OF
Darymple who spoke.
81 charge him with the murder!" said
Philip Standsfield sullenly.
"Enough OF this" said the advocate,
"I charge you, Philip Standsfeld, with
cruel parricide, and these two women
here -
With wave OF his hand he caused the
guard to bring in the wretched women
who had danced at the midnight burial.
Now they stood weeping and wrlnging
their hands, calling on heaven TO witness
their innocence,
81 call you not guilty as this desperate
man 10 ", nhlu the duNOthbts bhi
will prove the extent of your guilt out OF
the mouth of your innocent children, and
II ye confess your punishment snail De
light"
Then in that kirk of Norman there was
a scene TO wiring tears from hears OF stone.
The candles burned dim and low. The
light OF morning came struggling in,
making the white wrapping sheets and
mort-cloths very CHASTITY, the chirurgion's s
horrid implements lying uncleansed upon
them. The two women never ceased 10
wall and cry, but in the black bitterness
of his evil heart Philip Standsfield stood
silent with his hands gripped on every
side by the armed men of the guard.
i wondered greatly what they awaited
as the light came clearer and clearer. For
/ was shivering and every one save the
little hawk -nosed man in the rercentor's s
desk was blue with cold. But as for him,
he made himself new point to his pen
and did IL carefully.
Then after we had waited long there
were brought into the kirk two children
in there night habits, looking tearfully
afraid. Nor could / imagine for what
cause they were brought out of their warm
beds at that time of night. But at the
first Cliff OF them as they came through
the doors, the women cast their hands
upward and cried out as in an agony:
"Cruel, cruel, " they said, "to make our
BARNS bear witness against us"
Then the sharp-faced man took the
BARNS in hand. being boy and girl,
questioning them none so unkindly, but
rather asked that has suchlike of his own
and kenned the Tilt OF their talk. So the
little James Thomson told how that his
father and mother came home after being
gone long season. They went to bed
and began to talk together, he lying mean
time across the foot. They told how that
Philip Stansfield had done the deed, de-
claring that he should now be laird OF all
before the morrow s morn, and that then
he ride in their skirts that had been ill
TO him, and how he had promised them
great rewards for helping him to cast the
body into the water so that ii might ap'
pear that his father had been drowned.
So the lad spoke, and when his father
and mother reproached him he kneeled
down IN the kirk there and besought
them with tears running down his face to
confess, but, being hardened, they would
not for all his asking.
1t was slill more piteous when little
Anna Mark, that was daughter to the
| i'll woman, Janet Johnston,a BARN OF but
nine years or thereby, with yellow hair
| and much OF II running everywAy down
her back, came forward. Being so little
they had, perforce, to give her footstool
| to stand upon.
But all She could say was "Dinna hurt
my minnie, Draw man, dinna hurt my
| minnie!'
For 1t is strange thing that though
| the woman was such an i'll wretch, she
| had not been i'll to the BARN. But the
| child loved her and that greatly. And
| Dalrymple looked upon Anna Mark and
| said, "No, no, little lass, your mothers
| life shall not be hurt because of you. But
| IL ye will tell what your mother said when
she came home that night she was out