Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-01-09

| ST. yet gratefully cool after the exhaust
| .ns neat that has gone before: the SIN
SHINING In the cloudless heavens. bright
iiueo olrds singing in the leafy branches
an nature fiuttering and trembling he,
lealn the caressing touches in the am
| bient air. 'no all
| IL was the 7th of November. Jane
| never forgot the date, though the thought
| nao crossed her mind several times DIR
lug the morning how uneventful the DAYS
| me WEI, eacn resembling the other in it's
| dullness. AS
Nearly week had passed since the
lneatrlcals, and she had seen nothing of
Eolo4ei Frlnsep. Though the weather
been a shower of rain in the evening.
! The clock had just struck four on that
especial afternoon Of that date, when she
heard footsteps in the veranda. It was
the hour Stephen Prinsep had generally
CHOSEN for his visits, when they were en-
| gageo; and she thought it might be the
| Colonel now But when few moments
passed and no servant came to announce
MIN, she opened the sitting-room door
ana went into the hall. No one was
there, but almost Immediately Mrs. Knox
| came out or the quartermaster's writing
room looking flushed and put out
native came running from the adj
joining compound belonging to a house
which, on account of the reputation it
mad gained for unhealthiness, was unoc-
cupled, and now formed a convenient
short cut to the parade ground.
Looking up with casual interest, Mrs.
hnoX's attention was arrested by his
terrified expression, and she stopped
| short in her complaints
| What is it, she asked, sharply.
| The man, respectable-looking servant
of the Mussulman caste, was for some
time unintelligible by reason Of his fright,
and could only fold his hands and i'm
| plore pardon for the fault he declared he
had not committed. It was only after
an impatient cross-examination that Mrs.
Knox elected the fact that "Sahib" was
! lying dead some few yards away.
| More likely tipsy," was her cOntemptu-
Gus observation.
| 1t took them some minutes to reach the
spot indicated, and then when they came
within a few yards of it, Mrs. Knox
hurried on, to spare her daughter what
might be an unnecessary shock. But as
| she came up and saw who it was she
| forgot every consideration in her own
| horror. The first glance had assured her
that the servants supposition was cor
rect-the man was indeed dead; and as
she had swiftly scrutinized his features
another truth was borne upon her, that
! he had not died by his own hand. She
could not repress scream.
cit is Jacob Lynn-murderedv' she
cried, and turning, was just in time to
catch her daughter in her arms or she
would have fallen to the ground.
Mother, say he is not dead! 1t can't
be true! He is ill, hurt; but not that-not
thatv
Against her firm conviction Mrs. Knox
knelt down, and laid her hand upon his
heart, his pulse, and even upon his fore
head, from which the blood was trickling
slowly down. He was warm still, and for
a moment she thought he was alive. She
raised his head upon her knee, and sent
the native for water in the almost forlorn
hope that it might be of use.
For the first time Jane acknowledged
the good looks which to every one else
had been always patent; and looked upon
him with pity that though in nowise akin
to love, was yet so tender that the tears
came yelling into her eyes as she thought
of his lost opportunities and possibilities
of good.
Whose hand was it that had struck him
down? The question fell upon her minds
ear so clearly that involuntarily she
turned to see if any one had spoken.
They were alone still, her mother and
she. with all that remained of the man
to whom she had been engaged, and to
whom she had been SO dear He would
never yex her more! She wished she had
been less impatient of that love which
she had never valued. Now that it had
vanished from her life, she felt it as a
loss. Yet only week before she dread
ed his very presence, and begged Stephen
Prinsep's aid in delivering her from his
attentions.
81 will get rid of him somehow, never
fear" he had assured her.
Was it possible that in that lay the
answer to the question which was trou-
bling her? Had he taken these terrible
means of removing Jacob Lynn from her
nath forever? Oh, heaven forbid!
Mrs. Knox laid the head of the hand
some hussar gently on the ground again
and rose to her feet.
ssIt is no good, Jenny-he is dead!
And as she spoke some troopers from
the barracks came running up. Full OF
conjecture as to the cause of his death,
| thew surrounded him at once, and as
| +hov did so. sudden remembrance
strnck Jane that, before their feet had
ohl;terated it. there had been the mark
If . boot SO distinctly printed on the
soft sandy soil that triangular cut in
The sole had been clearly visible. There
were no such marks on the boots of Jacob
The only clew lay in James keeping,
and it seemed to her as though the foot
nrint had been seen by her alone-that
sba who had been the indirect cause of
b;s daath. might be also its ayenger.
/ T,,r+ of inquiry was convened by
+,,a Co,onel. but nothing transpired at it
har-o,d the fact that the murdered man
had once been engaged to marry the
nnortarmaster's daughter. This lent to
A. affair an adventurous interest, and
n,hl;c curiosity was proportionately dis
appointed when it was decided sed that h ito to
evidence would be needlessiy distressing