Year: 1861




her way as / was in mine, and was in de-
spair at the child's disappearance, was
bent or consulting a wise woman resid
ing in our neghborhood, supposed to have
the power Of reading the DEGREES of fate
by spirit rapping. accompanied hel
most reluctantly, but preferred being pres
ent lest the sybil should infuse any sus.
picion of my crime into her mind. On
my wife's asking the question, "Where
is the boy" the ans wer returned by the
rapping was found to spell out the words
With his mother" Ny wife was deep
! ly affected and was ready to sink into
the ground though | clustered and said
the woman talked nonsense. With his
mother Ay, it had double signifca-
ton to my ears-with his mother in
Heaven and in the bosom of his mother
earth. Repeated experiments and APP
peals to the spirit still brought back those
dreaded words and began to think the
woman knew more than she pretended
to, and had seen me bury the corpse on
that fatal night


A few days after, comrade of mine
who served abroad came to visit me IN
exPectedly with a friend of his whom I
had never seen before. could not, how
ever, resolve to loose sight of the grass
plot, and as it was a summers evening,
told the servant to bring out bottle Of
wine into the garden. then placed my
own chair over the grave, and thus, feel
ing sure it could not be tampered with,
endeayored to make myself easy and en-
joy my glass. My comrade expressed
the hope that my wife was well andswas
not keeping her room, and that she had
not been driven away by their appear
anca.


was obliged to stammer out in reply
the story of the chill's disappearance
The soldier who was q stranger to ne
did not look me in the face, but kept his
eyes fixed on the ground all the while l
was talking, which caused me the great
est uneasiness. I rancied he suspected the
truth. asked him abruptly whether he
thought-but l broke down without fin
ishing the sentence.


Whether I think the child has been
murdered = said he with a mild look.
"Oh, no! what could any man gain by
numbering poor innocent child?"


I could lave told him what a man
gained by such a deed, for no one knew
better than ] did but remained silent,
though l shivered as il had the ague.


Seeing the state of excitement was
in, they endeavored to comfort me with
the hope that the child might yet be found,
when We suddenly heard deep howl,
and a couple Of large dogs leaped over
the wall into the garden.


Bloodhounds ~ exclaimed my guests.


They need not have told me, for though
l had never in my life happened to see
any dogs of tbs kind, instinctively felt
that they must be bloodhounds, and but
too well knew what attracted them; ]
felt like one already condemned to death,
and grasped the sides of the chair CON
vulsively, though neither moved or
spoke word.


They are the true breed" observed
the stranger, "and have probably been
let loose on trial, and have escaped their
keepers"


And as he and his friend turned their
heads, they saw the dogs smelling the
ground and running round and round like
mad, without noticing us, and uttering
prolonged howl, and then again laying
their muzzles close to the earth as if to get
on the right scent. Presently, instead of
turning round so large a circle, they
seemed to concentrate all their efforts on
one point, which they snuffed diligently
still, in doing which they approached my
chair, when they set up a more frigh,ful
howl than before, attempting at the same
time to tear away its legs which preyen-
ted their getting at the ground beneath.


They evidently scent the game"
cried my guest.


"Tha.s impossible" ericdI.


For Heavss,s sake, said The one /
knew, get up or .sey'u tear you to
pieces"


" let them" returned !. ~ not stir
from this spot"


"The dogs must not be allowed to bite
people to death. Let's hew them down,
said he,


"There's some horrible secret lurking
under all this" said the stranger, draw
ing his sword, "in the name of the law,