The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-01-15
And then she brought me the pic.

so good, so like that Of the Gideon Lee
[ knew, / felt sure that those who
stood before me, though they were
the children of the man who was hung,
were not the offspring of murderer.
And afterwards Gideon also spoke.
at is hard for us to bear" he said
---"hard to know that we must bear it
all our lives; but, if you only see the
truth---if only without proof you will
understand that we know no murder
was ever done by our dear fathers
hand---we, who have his pictured face
upon the wall, the letters written to
our mother, the words our mother
wrote, begging us to read them often
when she was dead, and never doubt
the man who, on his knees in The con-
demned cell, calling on God to witness
his last words, had sworn to the wife
who wouli have loved him even had
he, in some hasty moment, dealt a
fatal blow, that he knew nothing OF
Matthew Grey's death, and even
doubted that he was dead at all---if you
can believe with us, and not with those
who were his murderers, /, at least,
shall have lighter heart"
And put my hand into his. and
gave the other to Msdge, and said hon
estly:
"I do believe as you do, and al
ways will"
A pretty scandal there was through
the town when l began to go down
to the gray stone house to see my
friends. l knew IT, and fought it
bravely.
"Gideon Lee never killed any one, "
1 vowed aloud to those who chided
me. 81 will not ban his children for
the fault of others"
But there, in the village, were those
who had been at the trial, and eleven
of the jurymen, and the Judge and the
Sheriff aud the witnesses, and under
stone in the graveyard were the bones
that had been sworn to as Uncle
Matthew's, and in bleak, lonely spot
-ior they refused it burial in holy
ground-the coffin OF the man who
was hung and how dared /, baby
almost at the time, to judge for my
self?
knew they were right enough, but
l never faltered. / was as sure as
Madge was that her father never killed
Uncle Matthew.
They would not come to my home.
Indeed, grandfather would have had
the door closed in their faces. but
nothing could keep me from them.
And it was dangerous work for me,
too, rs began to know before long,
to sit so much by Gideon Lees side,
to hear his voice so often, to feel my
heart thrilling with loving pity for
him for which l have no words. He
was my wounded and despised knight,
this dear Gideon Lee, before had
known him three short months, and
would have given my life for him.
But he said no word of love to me,
nor to him.
We were sitting together one even
ing, when grandfather walked into
our midst and clutched me fercely
by the arm.
No need to repeat the words he ut
tered. The insults stung me as sharp
ly as they could Gideon Lees chill
dren. But he forbade me ever to
speak to them again, and took me
home with him.
The last glimpse l caught OF the
brother and sister showed them to me
standing hand-in.hand, their fingers
clutched tight, their teeth set, their
faces white with wrath, under the
bright moonlight. 1t was my last
glimpse for many years, for the day
after this we sailed for England.
Grandfather was an Englishman, and
it was partly to revisit his native land,
and partly to put the ocean between
the Lees and me, that he took the voy-
age. But he could not tear my heart
from them. loved them better than
any people l ever met; most OF all, l
loved Gideon.
But 1 never heard of him or from
him, nor could guess whether he lived
or died, remembered or forgot me,
for three long years.
At the end of that time my poor
grandfather died, and I, his heiress,
returned to my native land rich wo-
man and my own mistress. This codi-
Gil to his will had left me all:
81, Henry Grey, having cause to
fear that my beloved grandchild is
easily misled by artful persons, and is
not guileful enough to understand
their guile, do, for her own welfare,
add this pIoviso, that, should she ever
give her hand in marriage to the son
of the murderer of my son, Matthew
Grey, all claim upon the moneys and
estates above bequeathed her shall be
forfeited. and said property go, with
out reserve, to the Hospital of Saint
Martha and the church attached there
unto, to be used by the trustees OF
said church aud institution as they
see fit"
But, despite this codicil, I went
down into the valley in which Gideon
Lees homestead stood before 1 had
been at home a day. 1t was sunset
when 1 reached it, but the light did
not, as of yore, gild the panes of the
upper windows to sheets of FURNISHED
gold. Every shutter was closed, and
the house seemed to frown upon me.
The garden had run wild, the fields
lay desolate, the broken branches of
the orchard trees told of boyish depre-
dation. Strange cattle Rrazed in the
meadow, and Royer's kennel was empty.
1 went up to the old porch and found
there, wet with rain and tangled in
the dead relics of last years morning
Il Ia. I. Il. 4