The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-06


 But In Sir Edmunds heart, in the stead of pity. only a fierce resentment burned. The smell of cooking which greeleu ms nostrfls told him at once what had peen the end of the hare. A bloody knife upon the table. the skin. completed the cna'n
 The man, who had been stopping over his cooking pot on the rude stone neartn had strengthened himself as the kh,ght ente~ed. ard, making clumsy obesiance; now looked at him ruefully, tongue-ued
 "So," said the knight In a harsh. angry voice. tis as I had expected. You. Thomas Goodwin. are the man who steals dare wager. stays my deer I have watched every move in your knevisn iawbreaking, and. by my trotn' you small
 "Your honor.-reckon were tempted. killed de hare, 'tis true: hut I bean't poacher by natur,, as some be. we starve: de wife be sick an wakely. A man must live. can not get work, an dis bitter weather do try us sorely. l can not see my wife an babe die for lack of vfctual What be man to doE
 Do" roared the knight angrily Why, take that hare out of the pot dogs with-and come with me to the manor. I'll teach thee, knave, to steal nose"
 T won't part with de food. asking your honor's pardon, an that's flat"
 Sir Edmund uttered a fierce oath strode to the hearth. kicked the pot over with his boot and furiously trampled the piece of half cooked flesh into the fire and ashes.
 In a sudden impulse of frenzy Goodwin snatched up the long knife from the ta- ble; the knights back was toward him. With all the energy of his huge frame and the frantic hatred of despair and passion he drove the weapon deep be- tween the ribs of his enemy and de- stroyer.
 A gasp or two. convuisive struggle of the limbs and chest. and in a few sec- onds the knight of the shire lay there as much clay as the walls of the hut around him.
 The man and woman looked at one an- other with eyes in which sickening horror and the birth of haunting fear strug- gled for the mastery.
 "What-what shall us do?" he gasped.
 The woman, pale and trembling as she was, had the readier wit Her instinct of self-preservation was the stronger.
 Put him under the bed,' she said. "tiil nightfall. and clean that knife."
 Goodwin did as he was bid. shuddering at his fell task. tidied up the cottage. then opened his door, and looked out.
 Once. indeed. shArp knock came at the door. head was thrust inside and a blue-faced forester inquired: Hath
  Goodwin answered Nay" and the man passed hastily on. It was fearsome moment. but nothing came of it.
 That evening Thomas Goodwin. fast waist. and carrying on his back ghastly. burden. staggered through the forest, and, after incredible exertion reached huge oak tree deep in the woods more than a mile away.
 The oak he had known since boyhood. when. to his vast delight, he had found at the crown of the massive bole a great cavernous hollow. He reached the tree, fastened a running moose under the arm pits of the now stiff corpse and then. with the free end of his stout rope in his grip climbed from branch to branch, until he had reached his resting place.
 Then. with the exertion of all his mighty strength. slowly, slowly he drew the grisly burden toward him. The mans iron sinews stretched and cracked, yet the task was achieved, the rope loosened from the heavy corpse and then the body of Sir Edmund Wing vanished finally from the eyes of the world. With a dull, crashing thud it reached the bottom of the hollow tree.
 Sir Edmund Wings murder was never discovered. The countryside was search the snow and the oak tree effectually baffled every effort of the searchers.
 It was believed that during that wild tempest the knight had lost his way. and either fallen into the neighboring river or perished in a snowdrift in some deep bottom or pit The search was in time abandoned, and the wonder of the knights disappearance faded presently into a mere memory.
 More than 200 years later, when the old oak tree finally routed to pieces and some bones were discovered in it's recesses, the Wing family had died out. the estate had passed into other hands, and the mystery had been forgotten. The shock of that dreadful day and night killed Goodwins wife, who died and was buried a fortnight later. The man and his child lived on; their descendants still make their homes within sight of the pleasant South Downs. And 1t is a curious fact that In that family hare is looked upon as pois- onous or unwholesome food; to this day not a man or woman of the blood will partake it.