The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-27

the same time, until the facts before
| them were satisfactorily explained, JUS
| tice to all parties, required that the pri-
| soner be kept in custody. He had no
doubt Mr.. Higgins would make him very
comfortable. Still stealing was stealing,
and the law was bound to take action ac'
| cording TO the evidence brought before IL.
Then said the unlucky Tom, with
| fash in his eyes, eli you was to tell how
| you got your money, maybe you'd be
| going to goal for stealing stead of mel"
That settled the question of bail; the
magistrate said he thought ii would be
| best to let Mr.. Higgins retain charge OF
| the prisoner for the present In fact
everybody except Tom was more or less
afraid OF Lawyer Corvin, and really II
| was difficult 10 see how Tom could be
| otherwise than guilty.
Accordingly the worthy constable con-
| veyed Tom TO the village lookup, which
was a room in the disused water-mill be-
| low the falls. Fenbrook was a law-abid-
ing community, and the lookup was
empty three hundred and fifty days in
the year; but this night IL happened to
contain another boy, young tramp,
who had been caught a while before IN
somebody's hen house, and who was
awaiting transference 10 the house OF cor.
rection in the neighborirg town.
II was an error OF judgment on Mr..
Higgins part to put the two boys to-
gether. One boy Is slippery enough hnt
there issno place that two hoys, working
together, cannot get out OF. IL may be
that Mr.. Higgins thought OF this, but
chose not to act upon the knowledge
But as people afterward said, II he
meant to give Tom q chance, he only sue.
ceeded in fixing his doom.
The next morning when the constab BILE
opened the door to give his prisoners
their breakfast, he found a hole in the
roof hardly big enough for cat to get
through, but no boys. H4
The tramp whom nobody was concern
ed about seems to have got clear f;why
could ne not have been drowned instead
of Tom? 1t is TO be feared that Nancy In
the anguish OF her heart, asked the Lord
OF heaven and earth that question.
The body almost unrecognizable save
by the clothes, was found ten days later.
The boy had tried to swim the river
probably intending to get down to the
sea coast, and perhaps ship as a cabin boy
in some outward bound vessel. 1t was
the spring OF the year, and late food
had swollen the stream and carried eway
the bridge. Tom was stout swimmer;
but floating tree may have overwhelmed
him; al any rate he was gone.
The whole village turned out for the
funeral. They felt, somehow, res ponsible
for poor Toms death. Lawyer Corvin was
there, too, looking properly down cast.
tear-stained face and fixed her eyes,
which always were 40 kindly, upon him,
he turned pale and got behind the others,
and slipped away He could not meet
that LOOK; and yet what had he done that
anybody in his place could have helped
doing?
Nancy and little Nellie lived alone in
the old house, and things went Ill with
them. But at last when Nellie was about
eleven years old, . mysterious event hap
pened.
CHAPTER ".
swell, now. Mr.. Morford, i don't Jest
ike you should talk that way,n said
Nancy TO her visitor the next morning,
ITS real mir Gle and real mir'cles is
like religion-1 think they be. So don't
like you should poke fun at il. You city
folks don't never want To be serious Of
you can help IL, know but there tits. |
IL dropped right down out of Heaven,
through our chimney. an Jest at the |
very time we needed il the worst, too.
and then there was my poor brother |
Mats voice a-sayin' he'd sent II pur-
pose TO pay OF Mr.. Corvin, and free the |
mortgage. An that's what I'm a-goin' TO |
do the first minute Mr.. Corvin calls here |
this day an my sakesl won't that man |
jest be surprised guess he won't b lieye |
where we got 1t, no more'n you do-may |
be less. -
Mr.. Moriord, It should be said, was the
young man with the patent electrical in
vention, who was making the rounds OF |
the neighborhood TO get subscribers to
MS stock. When he had knocked at the
door that morning Nancy had supposed
II must be Corvin, come Tor his mortgage
money, and opened TO him with her rosy
face dimpling with pleasant anticipation.
Explanations had ensued. Mr. M,rford
had introduced his business, and had
soon created so pleasant an impression
that the conversation became-easy. Nancy
was far too full Of her miracle, and far too
unversed I'm worldly caution TO Withhold
the story, though Mr.. Morford wore CITY
clothes. and had a rather saiirical express
sion about the corners OF his mouth oc-
still there was somet htpu