The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-22

MI ttAs feA-f1t
 1 He had learned that the ring and | the locket stolen by the old hag, had l been recovered by the matron of the place. who had since married Rumble. | By bribing the precious couple he had | obtained the trinkets and had dropped | them into the river.
 "So the only proofs of the boys iden- tity lie at the bottom of the river" said | he.
 As he went on, said Nancy. he became | quite violent. Indeed, he had some sort of a fit. He said something about will, and cried: Though suppose I | have his money safe enough now. want to assure 1t even under my fa- | thers will. I want him driven through every Jail in town"
 Then, said Nancy. he said how | strange 1t was that Oliver should be | where he was, and how much Miss Rose | Maylie would give if she knew who her l two-iegged spaniel was. l Nancy made Rose promise that she would keep her secret and use the in- l formation only to save Oliver, Tt would be hanging for them that have stood by me. bad as they are. Swear | that you will not betray them, and I l will walk London Bridge on Sunday | night between il and midnight if am alive, and tell you more. must go
  Refusing all Roses offers of aid. she | fed as she had come. Rose did not know in what direction | to turn for advice, when lucky chance came in. MT. BFowniow returned to London and Oliver spied him while he and Rose were driving next day. She sought him inlmediatiy and told ham the whole story Mir. Brownlow seemed strangely. excited by the tale. ! When Sunday night came he accompas nied Rose to Londoa Bridge. Nancy was there. and told them that she could not stay long. as she was sus' pected already.
 she said ''if you wtff swear to me to let the others go."
 Has Monks" said Mir Brownlow. "a broad. red mark on his neck like burn or scald?"
 The girl looked at him in astonish- ment and said, Yes" Mir. Brownlow said no more, but his agitation waa evident.
 when he had obtained all the details that Rose in her inexperience had not thought of asking. and finding Nancy resolute in her determination not to leave Bill Sikes. they left her, aftel begging her to consider their offer and promising that thy would furnish her and her companion Q safe asylum in
 
 Three hours afterward the house. breaker and Fagin sat In the Field Lane house listening to the report of one of their number who had followed Nancy and, concealed behind but tress, bad heard enough snatehes of the conversation to learn that treach- cry was in the wind
 when the thief had finished, Sikes, who had listened till then' in deadly silence, ieaped up and shouted: "Helfs fPs!- Let me out!'
 Fagin seized him by the arm. Don't De violent, Bill,P whined he. T mean not too violent for safetyF' But his own evil face was so distorted by rage and hatred and fear that it spoke ma lignant murder in every line. Without looking to right or left, Sikes hurried to his own home. Open ing the door softly, he stepped into room and drew back the curtain of bed. The girl was lying on IT, half | dressed.
 Get upl" said he.
 Grasping her by the throat. he dragged her to the floor, holding one heavy hand on her mouth.
 "Bill. Bill" gasped she. 'T-I-won't scream or cry--not once--tell me what I've doneH
 =. You You, devil" sI',., said he' ...gQp. were ! Then spare my life for the love of Heaven. as I spared yours!" said she. "Oh! think of all I gave up this very night for you I have been true to you, on my guilty soul, havew The housebreaker swung his arm l twice and brought down his pistol with mighty force on the upturned face. She staggered and fell. Raising her self to her kneesl she lifted hor bleed- ing face and held out both hands to- | ward him.
 It was a ghastly figure to look upon. The murderer retreated, snatched c heavy club and struck at her madly. With his back to the door he stood still and glared at the body. After a while there was a moan and a faint motion of the hand. With horror add ed to rage, he struck and struck again. Then he seized his dog by the collar and ran from the room. In the next few hours he wandered over miles and miles of ground. Now he fingered without reason, then rush. ed on without reason, hiding from ev- | cry eye, fearing to think, unable to | formulate a course. His first clear thought was that the dog would lead to his Identification when the hand | bills came out
 He walked to the brink of a pool, knottlng a heavy stone into his scarf as he went. Then he called to the an- | imal.
 The beast, which had been close at his heels all day. wagged his tail and retreated, paused a moment and then scurried away at his utmost speed. Late that night, in a tumbledown | house on the Thames sat Toby Crackit and three others of Fagin's band whis- pering over the light of a candle. When they came and took Fagin," said one of the party. "Bolter that had spied on poor Nancy, told enough to hang Fagin as an accessory before the fact He's going to turn queens evil dence and deliver us all. damn him! The officers had to fight like devils or the people would have torn Fagin away and killed him then and there. He was down once, but they made a