Year: 1868

female community had gone i'll. Coughs
colds, nervous diseases, feyers, and disorder


ed ilYers was the rule, and not the exception


DIR. Wylie was kept riding for the greate


part OF the time, and the principal wonde


was when the poor fellow contrived to obtai,
any sleep. He was an immense favorite
with the ladies, both old and young. Ht
had such sad eyes when his countenance wa.
at rest that they were sure he must have
some secret trouble-and there is no sureI
method for man to make himself interest
ing than to give people the impression thai
he Is bearing in silence some great sorrow.


Though polite and courteous to all, DIR.
Wyiie was not long in making his selection,
and 1t did infinite credit to his good taste.


Lucy Waibridge was by far the sweetest
girl in Dashford. She was about twenty
hive years OF age-an orphan and an heress,
and resided with her uncle, Squire Hilman.
at the Hall. And Squire Hillman's wife
was obllgIngly taken sick of slow fever,
| which gave the Doctor an excellent excuse
for tying his roam horse, every day, to the
great elm In front of the Squires.
| We are not writing a love story, so we
will pass over the courtship. For once the
course OF true love seemed to run smooth.
There were no obstacles to surmount-both
parties were OF an age to maryland there
were no friends to rsise objections


1t was in July that Dr. Wylie came to
Dashford, aud his wedding day was set for
the 18th of March


1t came all too soon, Lucy thought, for
| surely nothing could be more delightful thar
the charmed lifs they were leading. She
almost feared marriage might break the
sweet enchantment.


The day was clear and cloudless, altogeth
unlike the days March usually gives us, and
in the morning the first bluebird sang gaily
in the old elm, which reached its branches
almost in at Lucy's window Dr. Wylie
| M ade all his business calls-for the sick
must be attended to-and on his way to his
hotel, he stopped at the Hail. in defiance of
all etiquette, to kiss Lucy and bid her keep
up her courage. He ate his supper with
Mrs. Stark at six-and then went to his
room to dress. The ceremony was To take
place at eight, and as soon as she could leave
the china to Kate, Mrs Stark crept to the
parlor and sat down by the window to get a
glimpse of the Doctor when he came down
in his wedding garments. For three whole
hours she sat there, but he did not appear,
and at last she was reluctantly forced to the
conclusion that he had got dressed and gone
III 10 h. -, Il, 4, T.
did not injure the china, which had de-
scended to her from her grandmother, and
which was highly prize as an old heir loom


The old tall clock struck nine slowly and
deliberately, and just as the last stroke fell
one Of Squire Hliman's servants came rid
ing over in great haste. Dame Stark ran
out, sure tn at some one was dying, and the
Doctor was wanted, forgetting all about the
wedding for the moment.


Good land !" cried she-''whos 5 took
now 2"


Nobody" said the man; nobody is
took, except Miss Lucy which was going to
be married to him, and he never came, and
she's took with the highstrikes, the worst
kind And the Squire he S swearing like
mad, and ne member Of the church, marin,
and d speaker in meeting. and vowing he'll
cowhide him within an inch of his life. And
the mistress, she sent me of to see what the
matter was, and bring him, whether or mol
She says folks ought to know enough not to
be took sick on the night which is the Doc
tor wedding night, and thai my own opin-
ion, marm.'


Good land ~ cried Dame Stark. $50
be hain't gone to be married? Well,
couldn' think how he managed to git out
without my seeing of him Mayhsp the
poor gentleman has fell asleep-he's broke
of his rest so o'nights it would be no won
der. Here, Jim, you run up to DIR. Wylie's
room, and tell him that it's time for him to
90 and be married !"


The shock headed hostler crept off up the
stairs, and five minutes afterward he came
rushing back, his face pale as death, his eyes
starting from their sockets, and his huge
frame trembling in every limb.


He's dead as door nailn' he cried,
land laying sopped in his own blood ~


The servant from the Hall. Mrs. Stark,
the landlord, and couple of loungers, all
rushed up to the chamber, and found that
Jim words were too true.


DR.. Wylie was lying on the floor on his
face, having evidently been stabbed in the
back while sitting in chair before the mir
ror. Trace of the murderer there was none,
except that on the sill of the open window
behind the dead man, there was the print
of two bloody fingers Underneath the win
dow, which was only about nine feet from
ground, was thick bed of sage, which had
been covered up from the winters cold by
hemlock boughs to the depth of some feet,
and if the murderer had escaped by the
window the hemlock gave no footprints.


The news spread like wildfre and reached
the Hall even before the servant could re-
turn to communicate it. Poor Lucy was
carried to her room in delirium; and Squire,
who was also the Coroner, set forth for the
Red Mug to attend the inquest which had
been called.


The inouest, like most other investigations