Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1902-11-26

man upon his hands
Damn him." I'm glad of It'll" ex-
claimed Foster in thick hoarse
voice. HE has half killed mean
other minute of this Internal grip and
should have been choked."
This is the worst nights work we
have ever DONE" said Parker.
"The best if you have the money"
Foster replied.
Curse the money" Dick answered,
"it will be no good to us; we shall
never get free of this foul business"
Where's the bag?" was all Foster
said in reply.
"Herel" said Parker.
Foster clutched it, felt it, opened
it, uttered an exclamation OF delight,
followed up with a quick series of jul
bilant remarks.
mot get free?" he said, there is
enough here to free us forever. Not
get free-we'll be on the sea tomorrow
night unless you have other engage
ments. Everything Is settled. Once
at Whitby, we can put the sea between
us and Yorkshire, and, what is more,
between us and London. Are you
gamer"
When we have disposed of this"
said Dick, with a shudder, I'VE will
talk OF the next proceeding"
Dispose Of it," said Foster. What
do you mean?"
There is an ancient opening in the
ground, a drain, or conduit, just out
side the abbey, north of the aisle, we
can bury 1t there"
why bury it?" asked Foster.
THAT we may have the chance of
escape you dream Of"
Yes, you are right" said Foster,
"the horse will give the alarm. If the
body is not found for day or two our
retreat will be covered by the doubt
and delay"
Come, then" said Parker, and the
two men proceeded to lift the body.
The moon came out from behind a
scudding bank of clouds as If to bear
witness against the deed of blood; but
at the same moment 1t shone upon
the graceful figure Of Mary Lockwood
as the heroine Of the Star and Garter
hurried through the meadows to the
abbey--hurried not from fear, but in
order that she might pause in the IA
milliar ruin to think of Dick, and more
particularly to think of him upon the
very spot where last they had sat to-
gether, and he had urged her to accept
his proposals Of secret marriage.
AS Mary entered the wide aisle, g
shaft of moonlight pierced the gloom
and disappeared as flash of lightning
might have done. 1t startled her fol-
a moment; but hardly had she reached
the stone seat beneath the old elder
tree than the moonlight came stream.
ing in upon her with calm and steady
radiance. She took this for a goot
omen, which may be noted as evidence
of the utter unreliability of supersti
tious interpretations Of natural phe
nomena; for at that moment the awful
shadow of the murderers and theil
victim had been struck by that SAM
moonlight right across the abbey foot
path.
The next moment Mary was holding
her breath and creeping into the fur
thest shadows of the elder tree.
muttered curse had held her spell
bound, so strange, SO unexpected, 3,
ferocious was it. She turned to lool
in the direction from which 1t ha,
come.
Two dark figures carrying helples
burden met her startled gaze. Sh
wondered If this were some rude ties
of her courage, but this idea wa
quickly dispelled by the tremendou
, earnestness of the actors.
No two men could have played tn
part of bogies as these played.
, AS they approached her she saw tina
they labored with the weight of thei
CHASTITY load.
She saw the dead mans arms swim
to and fro, and the poor head NOV
, helplessly from side to side.
= AS the first rufflan bore his share {
the body, with his back towards he
the other stopped low and muttere
: curses not loud but deep.
The moon disappeared while tn
:. awful procession passed her hidin
+ PioSS, anu ~ SSSihSu " hci PiOSVi
sion of magnitude, so long did 1t az
o pear to be passing.
u Mary had never felt fear until the
e Her heart stood still And yet
II seemed to her as if her breath can
e and went with the noise of 20 peopl
h She clutched the elder tree with
S silent prayer of gratitude for the sour
Z, of the rustling ivy overhead, whiC
a seemed to assist in shielding her fro
l. observation.
$, The wind had stopped, as If to liste
e to the tale of blood; stopped dead,
II If 1t had never rustled an ivy lea
much lasa uprnOted an oak But III