The Monticellonian., 1916-07-27

the spot, so strong was the spell of un canniness. Then she discovered that the bell must be in the belfry of the old granary Employed to call in the farm hands in the olden days, why had fl sounded now?
 She could see the slats in the belfry yitrate, in fact the whole structure shook visibly The denuded doorway of the granary below showed no dan gling rope. Her senses curdled. Then she bent her ear keenly, awake to a new manifestation.
 Help"
 The word was faint and mufled IL surely came from the belfry or its near vicinity. It was repeated
 Then a moan, low, pitiful, despair ing. and then all was still.
 T mustn't be superstitous-I will be brave r. Constance told herself, but her tone quavered Yet she approached the granary. The bell and the voice were no longer in evidence Had 1t been all a Superstitious delusion? She crossed to where some stairs ran up to the second floor She mounted them till her eyes were level with the upper flooring
 There is d rope" uttered Constance. She could see it dangling amid a heap of wreckage piled up in the center of the loft floor The heap seemed to move. A moan issued from the heap.
 "Oh, surely somebody is there !" panted Constance It looks as though someone climbing into the belfry had brought down q part of it upon him self. He may be dying under all that Wreekage. Courage duty! she whis- pered to herself and approached the motley pile
 Constance lifted board after board from the heap. She quivered as q hu- man arm Was revealed. Gently she pulled aside heavy timber. She thrilled. Beneath, apparently uncon- scious, lay Il bruised form. In a flash she recognized the face It was that of the young man whose portrait she had seen in the deserted lsouse
 Albion Russell opened his eyes. He stared askance Ut her He managed to sit up. She aided as he strove to move the debris from his lower limbs
 "I fells he said faintly. "or rather the lower part of the belfry broke with me"
 Constance helped him down the stairs He moved limpingly. but the color came back into his face grad ually.
 ..f have to thank you all the days of my life" he said T feel still weak-if 1 could get to the nearest house"
 Our own decided Constance promptly. He was the son of the man her father regarded as his deadllest enemy, but humanity, interest, pity moved her to signal resolution.
 T must rest" he finally said. and he sank to fallen tree by the wayside. whom is fl l must thank?' And Con stance told him her name. She noted q glad eager light come into his eyes.
 How fortunate !! It is destiny" !" he cried. and awakened new emotion seemed to impart strength. She sat spellbound as he narrated to her the secret of his presence.
 His father was an escaped convict. Discovered by a treacherous acquaint- anee. he had fled the country on brief notice and had sent for his wife and son to join him. They found him in a strange dazed condition, caused by a fall on shipboard. He had died only month since. Once only, in flash of coherency. he had remembered the thirty thousand dollars he had hidden in the old belfry.
 So Albion Russell had come to find the money. It was now in his posses sion and restitution of his share was made to Robert Merrill that night.
 And then the mother came back to the old home. And Constance consoled her loneliness. The crime for which John Russell had suffered was proved to have been nothing worse than ac- quaintanceShip with the real culprit. Love and peace came to the troubled mother and son at last. and Constance shared these mutual blessings