The morning news., 1897-04-18

heard the truth, spoken by lips that feared
no listener and put the matter plainly.
To repeat what Mily said avails not.
The girl had weighed gold on the one hand
| against man on the other. Now the
man had won. Now she told him so, and
explained that forced to speak before
| dying woman on the previous night. she
had lied through terror. Dick only she
loved Dick must fight her battle for her
and protect her against the sure wrath
| of the Beast.
lie consented to do so; John Macklehose
heard their lips meet, and his fingers grip
| ped over the dry, dead furze whereon he
! lay, so that the thorns sank into his
hands, bringing blood, and Milly decreed
| that Dick and she must not be seen walk
ing home together. She bid her sweetheart
go first.
"Maybe you'd best see him this night,
afore he's time to tell it," said Mily. I'd
sleep better if / thought he knowed. Put
it as you will; say what you deem right,
but doan't ee let him come no more to
me- I'm that frightened when l thinks
what he'll do that I'm most feared to go
| back-long at ALL
"I'l see him tonight. He's just man
| for sure. You was frighted into il along
of the old woman dyin'. He'll understand
| if put it So"
Milly felt she would be happier If Dick
returned to Polglaze before her. AT the
/
and the sun already threw slant beams
across the moors before he did so.
Then, ten minutes after he had gone,
somet thing stirred in the furze, the dead
bracken fell away and strange thing
| clad in black with long arms, bull mead
and face puckered with passion, rose
| and looked over the granite between the
furzes. Milly saw it. and started. and
| grew ash-grey She tried to scream, but
| the hand that grips mans throat in
| nightmare was upon her, and she could
make no sound Then the black figure
wriggled over the stone like a snake,
| passed between the stems of the gorse
| and approached her.
John, John, forgive me-" she said, at
| last, lifting up her hands TO him.
| His brow was all furrowed like an ape S I;
| his hands shook: his words tumbled over
each other, and there was a sound like
the growl of an angry animal in his voice
| as he spoke.
| Forgive you? Never. You've lied to
the dyin'-lied to her as can never know
the black truth. A cursed outcast of God
you be-a blot that shan't stain earth
no longer-that shan't break never an
other heart but mine"
Dick Richards, nearly three parts of a
mile on his road home. hear strange
sound borne on the wind and turned The
| west was barred with crimson, and the
moors glowed in the dying light Away
| by the old mine a ragged, ruined chimney
| reared its head aloft in the midst of the
| desolate waste And, as he listened,
second scream. faint and far away but
clear, came to his ear again. With sud
| den sense of evil at his heart the man
turned in his tracks and galloped back.
| But when he reached the Lovers Stoue'
breathless, the place was deserted and ST.
lent Milly had vanisheS-aud left no sign.
VA GOLDEN NEST.
Neither Dick Richards nor any other
man ever saw Milly Pritchard again alive.
She did not go home, and her lover,
| though he tramped the moor till the moon
rose, and came back from Polglaze again
later with lanterns and dozen willing
| hands to help the search, could find not
so much as glove or teather from her
| hat to guide his steps.
Dick told what there was to tell at the
police station, and a detective came down
| from Truro four and twenty hours later,
| but his inquiries proved nothing. An Of
| fetal investigation was held at the little
| schoolroom, and two justices Of the peace
made suggestions, and cross-examined old
| Pritchard and the fisherman.
John Macklehose's name cropped up In
the matter, but him they could hardly APP
| proach that morning because he was bury
| ing his mother. Two sensations in a
| month were unusual at Polgiaze, but now
the sudden disappearance Of the local
| beauty following thus hard upon the death
of widow Macklehose formed matter for
| much discussion. For many days the
boys of the neighborhood spent all their
| time on the moors, wandering amid the de-
| serted mine working, and searching many
wild acres of heather and gorse for a
trace of the missing girl; but nothing re-
| warded their search Milly had c.ean
| vanished, leaving mystery that promised
| to take it's place amongst those arcana Of
| human concerns only to be unlocked on
| doomsday.
Dick was a broken man. The matter
went near turning his hair grey but those
who supposed that Milly had not decided
| between the two strings to her bow when
she disappeared were amazed to find how
calm and callous John Macklehose was
| upon the subject. He never discussed the
! matter, and showed such aversion to II
that voices raised high in the mystery
| sank in his bar parlOr when he entered.
| Dick had spoken with him the day after
| Milly's disappearance, while yet all
thought she must return to her home, or,
at worst, be found again. And he had
| told his rival the story of a scene already
familiar to him. But the Beast heard 1t
all again patiently and then spoke.
II am sorry for thee and for myself.
But I'd have you know this. She've
| courted the worst the Lord can bring on
her The Lord uses all manner of strange
| weapons, but his will be often done,
though maybe blndly, by them as know
not what they do. M.lly--spoke words
to my dyin' mother. She said how she
loved none but me, and called the AL
mighty to witness It. And she went back
on It, Dick Richards, and thereby lied to
one as was at the point of death. And
you know what falls on them that as lies
to the dyin I'm sorry for you, but the
| Lord don't take no account OF men"
''If she's dead, who'd have done her 10
| death? Who'd have raised finger against
she?' asked the other, and Macklehose
shook his head.
1.-THE Lord knows" he answered.
You're ard. John; cruel ard on her."
mot so, Dick Richards. I'm telling you
the truth. 'Tis the truth that's ard not
me. ia give my life for her tomorrow
II Z would bring her back to you. but It
can't be-"
No man ever suspected John Mackelhose
of crime. Old prtchard only knew that the
inn keeper was aware Of the contemplate
ted meeting between Milly ana Dick at
the Lovers Stone" but he attached no
importance 20 the fact and AZ he had
done so, would not have hinted at Il. He