The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-29


 1 whim he had on instnctive distrust and aversion with the circumstances sur rounding his fathers disappearance sent a thrill of conviction through him for which he could not account, even to him | self.
 1 The people of Knaresborough had known Aram from his youth up, were | proud of his scholarship and praised his l character. The clergyman of the place. Mr Summers reluctantly admitted that 1 in the minds of some who had been pres ent at the sercret examination of Aram after Clarkes disappearance doubt had 1 fingered as to the inner character of the scholar. and then Walter told him all he knew and all he suspected, as well as his reasons for wishing to clear up the mys- | tery of the disappearance of the sup posed Clarke, the clergyman confided to him, though with apparent reluctance. | that an old woman with whom Aram had ] lodged, dssipated old creature. had of | late sometimes hinted in her cups that | she could tell strange things If she would about Clarkes disappearance. Once the | clergyman said she had boasted that the | life of Aram was in her power. | "Fatsler of mercy exclaimed Walter: "and did inquiry sleep on words which called for the liveliest eXaminaton?' Had the suspected person been any other Walter would have pursued his in- vestigation with the same thoroughness, but the fact that that person was Eugene Aram awakened in him a sort of frenzy in the prosecution of his task. It was not that Aram had robbed him of the love of Madeline-that was long past. But the scholars nature was so antipathic to his own his dislike of and his curious shrink ing from the man had been so great from the first that he felt himself the predes- tined destroyer of a field as well as the avenger of his father.
 The clergyman and Walter visited the old haG and fortunately, found her sober Skillfully the curate drew her to speak of her former lodger. Aye" she said at last Eugene Aram-I could hang him If I liked"
 "Pooh!" replied the clergyman, you only say that to appear wise. If you really have any story to tell will give you five golden guineas to tell 1t. There. You have no story. I thought so'
 Enticed by the sight of the gold and pidued by the curate's doubt of her hay ing any story worth telling, the old wom- an became voluble. And the gist of her l story was this On the night of Clarke s disappearance he had visited Aram In company with Houseman; and after stay | ing a while in Arams room all three l had gone out together. Toward morning l Houseman and Aram returned and went l again to the students room, where they 1 lighted a fire and burned something, as | the old woman saw by peeking through l the keyhole. When she visited the room l In Aram's absence later in the day, She l saw that all the ashes had been removed l from the fireplace. She then examined l the rubbish heap in the back yard and found there pieces of clothing partly 1 burned, and among them handkerchief l with bloodstains on it which she had seen l Houseman wear
 1 She showed the partly burned handker- | chief toy Houseman who threatened het with death if she breathed word O what she knew. And now, Mir. Sum mers." she concluded, q feels more eask- l like in my mind than l have for a long 1 time I would have told before. but was afraid of Houseman. It was think | ing of this secret that drove me to drink | and made me lose the good character l l had before"
 l We will go to a magistrate at once, said the curate, as he and Walter left the old womans house. As they left the ! town on their way to the magistrate s they saw a crowd of people collected at a spot known as Thistle Hill What is the cause of that crowd?" asked the curate of a peasant who was hurrying by q don't know. sir; but they say that Jem Winnings digging for stone in the limeklln, have dug up big wooden chest with a body in it
 As Walter and the curate followed the peasant to the crowd they say a bleach ed skeleton, which had been taken from the box, lying on the ground. Its l Clarke's bones" said some one, and im- mediately the murmur spread through the crowd. "Yes, it is Clarke's bones.a
 Walter looked up and saw standing op- noslte him Houseman, contemplating the | skeleton with glaring eyes. The high ] waynan's child had Just died and, crazed with grief he had left the house and wandered into the fields. He was un- nerved unnamed. hopeless and tremb- ling
 "CIarke's?" exclaimed Houseman. stoop- l ing down and picking up a thigh bone | .Uai ha, They are no more Clarke s than mine"
 "Behold!" cried Walter in a voice that rang from cliff to plain. 'behold the mur- derer!" And he seized Houseman with a giants grasp.
 Twenty people threw themselves on th' half crazed Houseman who looked blank ly at them at first and then said: 'i tell ye these are not clarkes bones
 t'VVhere do they le?" shouted Walter
 Dale. confused, bewildered. the man turned a ghastIy face to Walter and then pasaed out: "Search St. Roberts cave
 fin the turn at the entrance. But dle
 not do it. I swear I did not do 1t. Twas l Eugene Aram WHO slruch the Pi'N.
 70 God. thy hand has directed me hlther? exclaimed Walter.
 It was the night before the day se' for The marriage of Aram and Madeline when Squire Lester and Walter, accom- panied by officers of the law, came sud denly into Aram's study in ms lonely
 house.
 .Oh. my dear friend" said the squire | "here is some terrible mistake Whef Walter vehemently accused Aram of th' murder of Clarke, he answered haughtily
 What was Clarke 10 thee?'
 "He was the uncle of your anianced
 bride-my father-Georffrey Lester Wal
 ter answered.
 Arara never faltered. He stoutly de nied all knowledge of the crime imputed
 to him. gave a true history of the crime'
 of Houseman and asked if the word ol
 su Il a man should stand against that ol
 n man of such blameless life as his had been They took Aram prisoner tc York, where. also Houseman was lodged in jail Madeline was prostrated by th'
 blow, but never for moment faltered 1T
 her belief in the innocence Of her lover
 Squire Lester, too stood manfully bS
 his friend and refused to believe tht
 story of Houseman
 Months passed before Aram was brough
 to trial. the family meantime taking 2
 house near York. so that they migh
 visit and console the prisoner. Walter''
 position was most trying. Only Ellinoi
 seemed not to cons Ter him as the cause
 of all their misfortunes-the bringer o
 unfounded charges against his cousin
 betrothed. The young man stayed in Yorl Lt Fa, flsr ar.4i 4ifat