Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-02-21
CHAPTER Iv.-(Continuedl

ms mere pend be as good as any
other, said Grips, though himself
AFRAID OF it. What ails you, girl? What
nath allied you, ever since out of Ok
lord town you come? Is it jail thou
pc coming home to? Oxford turns the
head of thee"
Now, Yak. you know better than that
l would liefer be at Beckley any day.
But l have been that frightened since
l passed this road on Tuesday night,
fthat scarce morsel could l eat or drink,
and never sleep for dreaming"
frightened, child! You make me
creep by talking So There, wait till
we be in our own lane-can't spare the
time now to speak of it,
oh, but Zi.k. if you please you must
4 nave had it on my mind so long. And
l Kept 1t for You, till we got to the place,
mat you might go and see to It,"
Ihey mad stopped with the off wheel
Oh the cart within few yards of the gap
IN the hedge, where Esther began her
search that night. She knew tae place
at glance. although in the snow ii
looked so different, and she ran to the
gap and peeped as if she expected to see
ut all again.
IN all the beauty of fair earth, few
thlngs are more beautiful than snow on
clustering ivy leaves. Wednesdays fall
mad been shaken off; for even in the
coolest weather, jealous winds and evap-
ioratlon soon clear foliage of snow. But
a little powdery shed of flakes had come
at noon that very day. like the fitting OF
a fairy; and every delicate star shone
lcrlsply in its cupped or pillowed rest
The girl was afraid to shake leaf. be
cause she had her best bonnet on; there
lore she drew back and called the reluc-
tant Zachary to gaze.
Mort but a sight of snow said he;
1t hath almost filed old quarry up.
Harse have rested, and so have we.
Shan't be home by candle light. Wugg
then, Dobbin Wugg then, wilt az"
Stop, brother, stop. Don't be in such
a hurry. Something must tell you now,
that | have been feared to tell anybody
else. 1t was so dreadfuIly terrible. Do
you see anything in the snow down
IthereY'
As l am a sinner, there be something
moving. Jump up into the cart. girl. /
shall never get round with my things to-
night"
There is something there, Yak, that
a L
body OF woman there"
No romantics. No romantics! the
carrier answered as he turned away; but
his cheeks beneath q weeks growth of
heard turned as white as the snow in the
buckthorn. No living man might scare
him-but woman, and dead one
Come, Yak" cried Esther, having
seen much worse than she was likely
,of hn a rn
mantics,' Yak. Come here and l 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 I'M
trodden and drifted snow. She took him
as far as a corner, whence the nook of
the quarry was visible; and there with
trembling fingers pointed to a vast billow
of pure white, piled by the driving east
wind over the grave, as she thought, of
the murdered one.
Enough" he said, having heard her
tale, and becoming at once a man again
in the face of something real my dear,
what fright thou must have had! How
couldst thou have kept it all this time?
would not tell thee our news at home, for
fear of tarrifying thee in the cold. Hath
no one to Oxford told theeY'
"Told me what? Oh, Yak. dear Yak,
am so frightened, 1 can hardly stand"
'Then run, girl, run. We must go
home, fast as ever we can, for consta-
ble."
He took her to the cart, and, reckless
of Dobbin's indignation, dashed him up
the hill, and made him trot the whole
length of RecElev Lame than fbrau, a
sack over his loins, and left his Christ
mas parcels in the frost and snow, while
he hurried to Squire Oglander.