The Slaithwaite Guardian and Colne Valley News. — 1900-12-28 (Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, England)

CHAPTER XXIV. "SHE IS DEAD TO ALL."  "My little Nina, nly sweet pupil, a murderess! No, no, never ! I cannot believe it. That woman spoke falsely," MI s. Fielding cried, turning her w bite, horror-struck face upon her husband.  She held in bet hand the paper with the paragraph relating to the mnrder at Selwyn Heights. Her face was white ivith terror, and her voice shook she uttered her vehement disclaimer to the doctor.  " The case looks very dark against her," he said gravely, as he took the paper from her hand, ;tiol again ran his eyes hurriedly over it. It wasz the morning after Nina had run away from the care of her hind friends, and the daily paper had brought the news of the tragical occurrence at Selwyn Heights. They had wondered much what had happened to Nina to drive her from her home in despair, and now they held the key to the mystery. Love and jealousy bad been at the bottom of it as they axe at the bottom of most of the tragedies of life. I m ill never believe that my sweet Nina is guilty of the murder," Mrs. Fielding cried, loyally. The deed was committed after she went away that night—l will go and show her this paper. I know she will be able to vindicate I iersel f. "  ! "She rose hurriedly from the breakfast table and was leaving the room, but her husband intercepted her. "No, deer," he said, " you must not do so. The consequence of such a procedure in my patient's weak state would be most disastrous. If your faith in your friend's innocence is so strong prove your loyally by destroying that paper and never breathing to her one word of what you know." Idrs. Fielding gazed at him in mute dismay for it moment, and then she threw the paper into the fire, saying simply : "I believe in Nina's innocence just as firmly as I do in tilod and the angels, and I 'trill do just as you say. I will never let her know that I have heard the things that bad and wicked people are saying about her." " That will be best," he said, and in their pity and tenderness over the stricken young wife they kept their knowledge to themselves, and Nina remained blindlyignorant of the terrible accusation mid the awful peril that remained suspended like a sword over her head.  The next day the Fielding's morning paper chronicled the attempted suicide of Nina at the drug-store. They read it with dismay. She is now deed to her lineliand and to all the world should she choose to remain so," the good physician said, gi avely, to his wife. For Doctor Fielding had again become the instrument selected by novidence to snatch the wretched and despot ate young creature from a reehless, self-sought death. When Nina had stolen from his door in the storm and darkness of the preceding night he had been on the opposite side of the street about returning from his pi ofessional veil, and having his eyes fixed en the tiny, little cottage which lie called home he beheld a sight that momentarily thrilled him will' alat la and dread. The front door hind opened suddenly, mud the bright light from the entry lamp bad streamed out into the night. The bleat' glare !created the slender graceful form of Nina poised on the threshold a Moment, and in the next instant the whole scene was blotted omit by darhuess as she slammed the door behind her and hurried into the street.  " Great heaven. Fdte hos eFeaped, i 1 ho ill mahe another attempt, at self destruction," Doctor Fielding, ejaculated, hoarsely, and he dashed across the street in dectperate pursuit. "I can oveitate her in a moment," Itc thought confidently  But in this he ris mistaken. Fol. Nina had the start of him, and iii the second place he could searcely preserve his footing on Ihe pavement which was like a sheet of ice with the sleet find snow that had been steadily coining down all day and freezing as it. fell. Making hi,s: best efforts to Oka a swift transit over terta firma he found that he was not gain. hg in the least aml that lie could scarcely keep the flitt hg figure in sight as it huiried OD beneath the glare of the gaslight s. When she was limo than a block ahead of him he saw her disappear into the drug-store whose rildtly coloured lights streamed out athwart the gloomy darkness of the night. He instantly divined her terrible purpose, and o ith horror-I hriiled pulses, redoubled his efforts to overtake her. Though his feet threatened to fly from beneath him every moment, he fairly flew over the pavement. He was almost abreast with the drug-stme when Nina re appeared in the lurid light of the door-way, drained the phisl of laudanum to the last drop, and flashed out and on through the darknoss,  He gave a s'ingle -dow-n-a7ar-11 glance at the phial lying label npward, with the btnring skull and cross-bones and the black letters laudanum, then he rushed after her in desperate pursuit. She, poor. child, fainting with the horror of obot she had done, aml -believing that death would overtake her in a for moments, had slipped into a seamier] alley-way, and crouched down in a heap, waiting despairingly for the end %I ith a murmured prayer on her trembling lips  " Dear papa, dear mamma, and dear Lord, pardon me for n hat I have done And so Doctor Fielding found her. There was no time to be losi , and he uttered no word, raised no alarm. He bad a small VIIEC a medicine and instruments in his pocket. He set to work then and there t.o relieve his rut( km of the deadly drug lio hod swallowed. The intense cold seas a help rather than a hindrance to his eMtrts, and in a short time lie was sucP,v-'-1. She was dumb and passive in his bar t,„ that fate was too strong for her.  _ No one passed, no one ever dreamed tha in I hat narrow alley-way on that wild March night, Death had been cheated of his prey, and presently Doct or Fielding drew N ina's hand t hrough his arm and led her quietly home again almost before his wife had missed her.