Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1905-02-11
CHAPTER fv.-(Continuet)

uutn uUeu yOu, over SluCe Out VI oN-
ford town you Gomez Is II a Jail thou
be coming home tot Oxford turns the
head Of thee"
Snow, Yak, you know better than that.
] would liefer be at Beckley any day.
But l have been that frightened since
] passed this road on Tuesday night.
that scarce a morsel could eat or drink.
and never sleep for dreaming
Enlightened. child! You make me
csesp BY talking so. There. wait till
we BE- In our own lane-cap't spare the
time now to speak Of It,"
"Oh. but Zn'., IL you please. you must.
I have had It on my mind so long. And
that you might go and see to it,
They had stopped with the of wheel
Of the cart within a few yards of the gap
In the hedge. where Esther began her
search that night. She knew the place
Mt a glance. although In the snow 1t
looked so different. and she ran to the
gap and peeped as IL she expected to see
Il all again.
In all the beauty Of fair earth. few
things are more beautiful than snow on
clustering ivy leaves. Wednesdays fall
had been shaken off: for even In the
Grafton soon clear foliage Of snow. But
Q little powdery shed Of fakes had come
at noon that very day, like the fitting OF
q fa.ry; and Osssy delicate star shone
cftaSa1 IA its cupped or pillowed rest
The girl was afraid to shake a leaf. be.
cause she had her best bonnet on; there
fore ske drew back and called the rsluc-
tant Zachary to case.
"Nnpt hVN q at~hH a0n~ " nA1d h0.
sk hath almost filled old quarry up.
Harse have rested, and % have We.
ehan't be home BY candle light. Wuss
then, Dobbin. Wugg then. wilt ar
stop, brother, stop. Don't be In such
. hurry. Something must tell you now.
that have been feared to tell anybody
else. Il was 40 dreadfully terrible. Do
you see anything In the snow down
thersr'
AS am q sinner. there be something
moving. Jump up into the cart, girl. !
shall never get round with my things to.
'There IL something there. Yak. that
will never move again. There 10 the dead
body Of q woman there"
mo romantics! No romantics!' the
carrier answered a. he turned away; but
his checks beneath q weeks growth OF
heard turned a. white a. the snow In the
buckthorn. No living man might scare
him-but woman, and dead one
"Come. Zak," cried Esther, having
seen much worse than she was likely
now to see: you cannot be afraid Of 'ro.
mantics.' Yak. Come here aud I will
show thee"
Driven by shame and curiosity, the
valiant Cripps came back to her, and
even allowed himself to be led a little
way through the gap into the deep un'
trodden and drifted snow. She took him
a. far a. corner. whence the nook oi
the quarry was visible: and there with
trembling fingers pointed to vast billow
Of pure white. piled by the driving east
wind over the grave, rs she thought. Of
the murdered one.
Enough" he said. having heard he'
tale. and becoming at once man again
In the face Of something real; my dear
what right thou must have had! How
coulist thou have kept It all this time?
would not tell thee our news ut home, fol
fear Of tarrifying thee In the cold. Hath
20 one to Oxford told theei'
"TOld me what? Oh. Yak. dear Yak
am so frightened. can hardly stand.
"Then run. girl. run. We must q,
home, fast as ever we can. for consta
blc."
He took her to the cart. and. reckless,
Of Dobbin's Indignation, dashed him ~
the hill, and made him trot the Who'll,
length Of Beckley Lane, then threw Z
sack over his loins. and left his Christ
Nss parcels In the frost and snow, while
be hurried to Squire Oglander.
CHAPTER v.
Worth Oglander sat In his old oal
chair. weary, and very low Of heart, bu
not altogether broken down. He hat
DOT been In he'd since last Monday night
and had slept, II at all. In the saddle
or Oh the roof Of the Henley coach. Fol
miles he had secured the country road
until his three horses quite broke down
with the weather so much against them
and all the bran to be got In the vii
lage was made away with In mashes.
His daughter. his only child, In whom
oil the rest Of his old life lived and loved
was gone and lost; not even leavinl
knowledge Of where she lay, or suret!
OF q better meeting. His faith In Coz
waa ssas and firm; for on the whole b,
was a pious man. although no great pro
fessor; and II It had pleased the Lor,
to take his only Joy from his old age
be could have tried to bear II.
But thus to lose her. without goodbye
without even knowing how the loss be
fell, and with the deep misery Of doubt
Ing whnt she might herself have done
only a chilly Stole, or remarkabl,
warm Christian, could have borne II witt
resignation. The Squire was neither o.
these; but only simple, kind and Low
ing hearted gentleman; with many fault
and among them habit Of expecting tn,
Lord to favor him perpetually. Aud O.
this he could not quit himself, In tn,
deepest tribulation; but still expected
all things to be tempered to his happi
ness, according to his own ideas Of wha
happiness should be.
And now. In the dusk Of this cold day
Squire Oglander sat gazing from tn,
window of his dining room; with his heat
fallen back, and his wnlte chin up, ant
hard-wOrn hands clasped languidly. Hi
heavy eyes dwelled on the dreary snow
that buried his daughters handiwOrl
the dwarf plants not to be traced, ant
the tall ones only as soft hillocks, lik,
the tufts In great white Counterpart
And more and more, a. the twilight deep
ened and the curves Of white grew dim
he kept repeating below his voice. "He
winding sheet, her winding sheet; ant
her pretty eyes wide open, perhaps!'
snow. sir. II you please. you must
you must" cried Mary Hookham, hi
best maid, trotting In with her thumbs