The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1900-02-17

y = Liver PILLS
and Tom catches the outlines Of Rubys
willowy figure as it approaches the pile of
cross-ties behind which he is hiding. She
comes on down the old by-way, and just
before she steps opposite to him, Tom walks
out in front. Ruby utters startled sob,
oh, Tom, how you did brighten men' The
tiend did not utter a single word, but
reached out his left hand and grasped
Ruby's right, and pulling the unsuspecting
girl close up to him, raised the other
hand up from his side and pushed the cold
muzzle OF pistol against Ruby's swan,
like throat. 4 sharp whip-like crack OF
the pistol echoed far up the cart road.
Then it was that pretty Ruby knew that
Tom Hayes meant to murder her for taking
the drive with Will Macley, after having
refused him. ooh, oh, please Tom, don't,
| will never do it again y she exclaimed.
Crack, crack rang out two more reports and
she dropped from the grasp of her cruel
murderer to the cart road OF the forest with
three bullet holes in her head and neck
from each Of which her rich life blood was
fast ebbing out. A hoy of about Is years
OF age was passing the white gate when
the first shot was fired, and coming up to
the gate, and peering through, he had wit
messed the whole terrible drama. The boy
ran to Ruhy's home and gave the alarm
which soon spread, ard in Il short time the
inhabitants of the neighborhood were pass.
ing through the old white gate to the
scene of blood therein. The beautiful girl
lay in the center of the cart road gasping
her last, with her lily-white hands extend.
ed as though still piteously pleading with
the fiend for her young life. Her raven
black hair, like silken garment, was
around her. When the young girls
parents came and beheld their only child
80 cruelty murdered, the scene was heart
rending in the extreme. The murderer
had sneaked away under cover of darkness
but he had not gone very far, for he merely
skunk off Just up the cart road about two
hundred yards to a knoll, where he could
see the lights of the lanterns as they were
being hurried to and fro by the people
And nothing prevented him from hearing
the awful threats which the incensed mob
was making against him at the place of
murder just below. They soon carried the
body Of the murdered girl to her home and
searching party went in quest of the
murderer. and more than one set Of pillow
lines were with the searchers. But they
never once dreamed that the wretch was
watching them from the knoll so near the
place OF the tragedy, and the searchers soon
gave up the search for the night, to resume
it the next morning. All night did the
love-crazed murderer pace the lonely knoll
Just above the white gate in the forest.
Anon he would walk to the scene OF the
tragedy, then return to the hilltop. Some
time in the night he must have retilled the
chamber Of his pistol, which he had emp
tied i'll taking Ruby's life for the
sequel proved such TO have been the case.
All through the long, chilly night
the lonely pace lie kept up. At last
he stopped, and gazed long toward the
eastern horizon. Night was near its death,
and already the first faint streaks of dawn
illumined the heavens far to the east and
the stars were burnt out in the pale blue
air." There was rustlng among the
leaves of the forest as the early waking
breeze stirred them to life. All night the
hoary frost had been busily engaged in
manting the gloomy forest, for at this
iuncture the gray covering is perceptible.
Oh, see, his hand reaches for his revolver.
He pushes the muZzle against his tenn
Pile; a flash, a whip-like crack and the
double murderer is sprawling on the frosty
knoll. At last it comes slowly, sweetly.
The gray deepens into rose, the sun filings
abroad its young and chilly beams upon
the earth. 1t is the opening of glorious
morn. How often have we noticed in our
hours Of direst grief how it is then nature
chooses to deck herself in all her fairest
and best, as though 70 mock us with the
very gayety and splendor of her charms.
At the Wards how dreary home the Sob
bling of the broken-hearted father and the
frantic weeping of the bereaved mother,
were pathetic in the extreme.
When the orb of day was peeping well
over the weird white gate and all the open
spaces in the forest were flooded with gold
en- sunshine, then it was that the high
sheriff and his posse arrived at the terrible
scene, and the footprints of the murderer
which he left in the frosty cart road when
he made his last visit to the pile OF ties at
early dawn, were visible. Two or more of
the posse ran up the byway and filed in
to the knoll, and soon call was heard
from the knoll, ''Here he is sheriff, but he
is dead" The official and his posse has.