Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-04-12

my profession. as my eyes fell upon the
scene. woman was kneeling beside the
for woas sake Woud haTe
very soul: Her great, brown eyes. were lifted
to my face; the creamy complexion had
hair had come unfastened and fell in wavy
mass over her shoulders the slight form was
bowed with grief, and in her eyes. fixed upon
my face, was mute look of horror, horror
unutterable, horror too deep for words.
came to the side of the PROSTATE body.
and STOPPING, began to examine the wound.
There was no hope of saving him. He was
rectly through his heart and he had died
instantly. In falling his watch, being in
his pocket on the side upon which he fell.
had been broken. And as / turned the body
over the white, cold face was uplifted to the
glimmering stars which studded the sky
had pointed to quarter past six when the
works had ceased to revolye, and the mechan,
1t was now nearly nine. Mechanically,
noted these facts, jotting them down in my
gether by the light of growing bull's-eye
lantern.
Silence, deep, unearthly silence, as
stopped once more over that which had been
point Of Interest in the case. Silence only
as Esme crouched upon the sand beside the
dead man, her face hidden in her hands.
My heart grew numb and cold as watched
her. She must have loved him dearly. All,
well had said in my madness two hours
ago that | could make any sacrifice for her
sake to win her love- yet sometimes even
My brain was dizzy, and grew faint My
temples thfobbed madly felt as If IL was
nearest coroner, and we must not remove the
body until hasty inquest should be held:
| stood there faint and trembling; a mufied
and half paralyzed: All at once, far away,
SO it seemed a voice reached my ears; and
new arrival upon the scene.
Slowly his words reached my brain and
stole to my understanding.
Yes sir sure's shootin' r. came can, the an
faculties. I pulled myself together and list
ened to what he had to say.
Eyes, sir, l can sweart to it, the man
was repeating in a scared sort of voice, with
a frightened glance at the dead body II
over to Dead Mans Point to meet Mr.. Paul
Ernscliffe The man said he had business
M let him MI have nt the Boat twas skin Called
the Ellen, and l seen him pull out from
shore and head toward Dead Mans Point at
minutes row over here from my place. About
half-past six he came back lookin' pale and
all broke up Il asked him od # he seen 1oo MI
mad enough to bite a ten-penny nail in two;
and he said to mind my own business that
Ernsciffe was villain and deserved to be
shot. There certainly hard feelin's be-
tween the two, sir; and-and-the man amt
got the best reputation in these parts. Name,
sir? Yes sir-Steve-S Wardour, fish
erman by trade. I'll tell you all about 1T,
is, too. Well, I've been a-thinkin' that this
Mr.. Ernscliffe was a-comin' there too fire.
quent of late-to the Wardours' cottage,
store by him in short, sir, she loved him to
distraction. Oh, it's cruel in man, gen.
tleman like Mr.. Ernscliffe, to trife with an
innocent girl. Whatever there was between
them, l don't know, sir" the man went ON
''but 1 know little Ruby Wardour has left
home, and nobody seems to know where the
child has gone. She's only seventeen, and as
pretty flower.
it; and l think that's the mission he had
with Mr.. Ernscliffe If all that l suspicion
is true, then the world is well rid of a man
like Ernscliffe
s'But / thought, soon as 1 heard of his
about the hard feelin's Steve had for the dead
man. He'd be arrested anyway, and l want
to say that l think he had just cause and
provocation to punish this man. And Mr.;
Steve, and treated him with contempt And
one thing certain: If Steve Wardour did kill
this man, he only done what any other father
any way-ah! here comes the coroner"
The new arrival, a tall, solemn looking in
dividual, dismounted from his horse and
slowly approached the spot where the body
and an impromptu inquest. prepared to take
place. I drew Colonel Lyell aside.
Colonel" l said quickly, ''you had better
remove your daughter This is no fit scene