Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-12

Early i'm the afternoon he stood a
| the door of that West-end ludgint
house where Robert Greyluck hat
lived. and loved, and quarrclcd will
his fair wife Iris. He rang the bell
and Martha. the dishrvelcd maid-"f'
all work, answered il.
Il wish to see Mrs. Robert Grey
lock-" said the messenger.
"Oh. lur'." cried Martha, startint
nervously back, she amt here, sir
she's gonc-they'rc all gone. the whole
| family-and two months rent due fol
the room and the landlady as mad a!
a yard full of cats"
"Whither has Mrs. Greylock gomez
demanded the messenger
Il knows no more than the dead!'
answered Martha, mildly. she wen
off one night a week ago in a carriage
with a gentleman that used to send hel
flowers and things, and we haven't seer
or heard of her since"
The lawyers face grew preternatu-
rally grave.
"Ah, And where is the child?"
The simple query threw Martha into
strange panic.
Don't ask me-" she cried. incOher-
entity. Il had nothing to do with it
I'm alters blamed for everything that
happens in this house. from the chin
neys that smoke us blind to the folks
that run off with their rent not paid
The child? oh, lor', what am | saying
The mother took il, in course"
There was a secret on the girls
mind Not moments peace had she
known in the last week. On that ia
tai night when she had been set 10
watch the Greylock baby, and, re-
creant to her trust had fallen asleep
by its bed, Martha on the stroke OF
eleven. awoke to find the cradle empty
and her charge gone-gone. with not
the smallest clue to the mode of rs
departure.
The house was still as death, plainl.'
its inmates were asleep In great ter
searching everywhere for the missing
infant, then out upon the landings ana
all about the house she went, listening
for some sound of it. but in vain. The
sick child was gOne-stOlen, abducted
CONSERVATION overwhelmed her. Would
she he held anSwerable for its safety?
Would she be called upon to produce
it at any cost? And failing to do this
what would her punishment Defines,
Imprisonment or hanging? Martha
was timid and cowardly. To shield
herself, by fair means or foul, was her
first instinct. But how could she face
the mother on the return of the latter
from the play? Time passed, and
Sylphide did not return. The night
wore on, yet she came not. Then a
thought struck the stupid brain of the
maid. Perhaps il was Mrs. Greylock
herself who has taken the child-ln-
deed. now that she considered the mat
ter. nothing could be palmer. No other
person could have entered the chamber
successfully, and made off with the
little thing i'm darkness and secrecy
So, next morning, when it was noised
about the house that the Grcylock fam
ilv had disappeared. and when the
landlady and the other dodgers began
To question Martha about the infant
her story was ready.
"A
declared, and it was sleeping sound
and | was a-lraning back in my chalr
with eyes closed. but not doing. Oh
no, wide awake, when in comes Mrs
GreyIock, all in a fluttcr, from the play,
and she Just snatchcs up her baby ana
throws her shawl around il, and goes
ont, and | so daZcd | couldn't say a
word. and. anyway, it wasn't my bus
mess To stop her, for the child was
her own property"
10 this little fabrication Martha had
ever since adhered 50 tcnaciously that
she now began to believe it herself
And when this Blackport lawyer stood
on the lodging house threshold and
overwhelmed her with questions, after
the first guilty panic, Martha told her
lie again.
"I.or' sir. Mrs. Greylock took the
baby away the night she went off for
good. She had quarr"led with her hus-
band that day-a right down battle the
two had-and after the play she came
back for her baby. and carried it, the
Lord only knows where! Twas sick
I watched with it myself. and the doc
tor said it couldn't live"
call your mistress, girl" cried the
lawyer. Il must hear tn" whole "i
this story
(To be Continued)