Year: 1859

Dr. Vernon sought relief in a more urgent de-
yotlon To his books than ever; and forgetting
his narrow escape, he was soon engaged in an
other affair. For | may as we'll inform the
reader here that, in spite of the evidence of
Miss Efien, the skeleton before mentioned was
no other than that Of the said Catherine Quigley.
the body of which person might have been found
by the constable on his nrst search, had he
thought of hitting up some loose boards OF the
stable hoOr and digging down into the earth
below, and the little toe OF which would have
been found to be. as Miss Ellen described it. "a
Kind of bunch, or thick projection; but on
opening 1t perfect bone would have come to
light, with the sinews contracted, the skin
shTiyelled, and Indications that the owner had
long lost all control over it She might very
naturally have supposed that she had lost it.
Some three months after the trial pauper.
with very remarkably formed head. who had
Tor some time been affiict ted with disease. appa-
-entiy of the brain. which caused him to stagger
somewhat, but not exactly If he had 81.
NItus : dance, fell down in the street and died.
and was inferred in the POtter's-licld division
OF the burial ground. That night behold our
hero hablted in an old pair of corduroys. with
II smock-fr0ck. and. in the midst ui II pouring
rain. digging down at the head Of the pauper's
grave.


Such graves are not very deep and he soon
strikes the coffin. and then with u chiScl in
serted between the head- board and the side he
opens place for his crOw-bar. and easily prizes
out the end of the coffin. for such cOffins do not
usually have superfuity of nails. Passing in
a rope with s!ip-knot at the end, he manages
to encircle the neck. and draws out the head
oI the corpse. The shoulders are too broad to
follow; but. determined not to lose his labor
he takes out a knife and with some effort man.
ages to separate the head from the body To
wrap il in an old canvass bay To fill M and
smooth on the grave, IL the work of few min
uteS He hurries home, puts ON his dry clothes
and goes to work to unravel the mystery of
that dead mans brain; and finds a remarkable
bony projection on the inside of the skull. such
rs Will make ii u curious addition to his ana
tomIcal museum. lie must preserve il. that
certain


II was still raining when he had finished his
Investigations. and rather than again venture
out IN the rain 10 the place OF cpncealment i'm
the stable, he locked ii up in closet and re-
tired to bed, where, after his fdtiguing night
lie WAS soon wrapped in sound sleep, and did
not wake until - late the following murnin
that he arrived at the tavern after breakfast
was finished. AZ he returned he saw Mis-.
Nathalie emerge from her uncle's house with
calash and morning dress, and walk slowly to-
ward him. He prepared to bow but ~ she
passed she turned her head away. and said in
II low tone:


Don't speak to me . but if you've head in
your office get rid Of it, that's all ~


He turned to look ut her but she stepped
into store, and appeared to be absorbed in
making purchasers. That's all o." A second
warning! Could ii be that they had discovered
what had been done the night before 1t was
clear that some one was watching him. but
equally clear that an angel was protecting him


The event proved that the warning WA we'll
founded. for hardly had he transferred the heud
to place of cOncealment before he was visited
by his old acquaintances, the constable and jus
tice, who ransacked his office in every part and
then proceeded to the stable. look ed behind the
wood pile. under the hay y-mow, in the horse
trough and the buggy. In the loft was small
cutter sleigh turned up on an end. which. from
that circumstance. and the apparent exposure
of the seat. with the top open they neglected
10 examine very carefully, although they
turned ii down.


They went away as wise rs they came and
soon after they had gone, Vernon, with quiet
chuckle. went up to that cutter. and felt for
that mangled head under the straw packed
into the seat where he had placed it, not hav-
ing time to bury it under the stable. o. he pro-
posed to do. Now that the search was over he
thought that il was as safe here a. anywhere
and concluded to leave it there until night
when he could dig grave for it without inter
ruptiOn.