Year: 1878

|
condolences amt, as general thing, so
hard to find. Well, as 1 said, found
him at last, working on farm, and he
a carpenter by trade. He was a good
| two hundred miles from Evans Corners.
and he'd got new name besides that.


He called himself Thompson, but he
couldn't Thompson me. I knew him
the minute put my eyes on him. He
was at supper with the man he was work.
ing for and the other farm hands, and L
stood and watched him through the
kitchen window some minutes. He'd
changed good deal, got thin and yell
low, and had a sort of hunted look in
his eyes, that settled his case for me
then and there. I never saw that look
in an innocent mans face.


The kitchen door stood open, and I
walked in without any ceremony, and
going directly up to him 1 laid my hand
on his shoulder.


A" How do you do, Mr.. Davis ?" said
1. You should have seen him. I've had
some experience with frightened men,
but can safely say with truth, that 1
| never saw one so scared as he was.
never in my life saw face turn so
white as his did. First he jumped up
and looked round as if he was going to
run, then he sat down again and set his
teeth hard. You see, he recognized me
and knew that 1 was detective.


"My name amt Davis" said he,
glowering at me with eyes like Goals. !"
don't know you, SIR"


Your name is Davis, and know
you if you don't know me-" answered
in low voice. "Who do you suppose
sent me here after you? ?"


His eyes almost jumped out of his
head, and his teeth would chatter in
spite of himself.


''Rose Wynne sent me-" ] went on;
''you know what for"


When L said that, the wretch fell on
his knees and fairly howled for mercy.


"I'll confess" he shrieked, "I killed
her, did. T'dsworn Sheldon shouldn't
have her, and 1 killed her to keep her
from marrying him. She said she'd
hunt me for it. She said she'd come out
of her grave to hang me, and she has
kept her vow."


1 took him back to Evans Corners
as fast as we could travel, and lodged
him in the prison there.


The trial came off in due time. There
wasn't one atom of evidence that he did
the deed, except his own confession to
me. He hadn't opened his lips to any
one since; and when he was called upon
to plead "Guilty, or not guilty." the vii
lian answered, "Not guilty." after all.


AS he said the words, there was o.
slight stir among the crowd behind him.
He looked round, and something he saw
there turned his face chalky.


He gave sort of gasp, staggered
upon his feet, and fairly screamed out
"Guilty I" and fell down in fit.


They carried him out writhing and
foaming at the mouth, and as they did
so, woman dressed in black came for
ward and threw back her vail. It was
Rose Wynne alive and standing before
us more beautiful than ever.


" He tried to kill me-" she said. "It
was not his fault that he did not sue
ceed. Ihad been engaged to marry Mr..
Sheldon a long time, but because my
father was opposed to him and favored
Mr.. Davis, we had kept the engagement
a secret from every one. had gone out
that night, by appointment, to meet my
promised husband, and as 1 was crossing
on the railroad bridge, over the river,
Andrew Davis came from the other side
and met me. He told me if 1 did not
promise to marry him then and there
he'd throw me over the bridge into the
water. 1 was always afraid of him; he
had such savage look in his eyes some
times, and knew him to be terribly
jealous of Mark Sheldon. But l would
not promise him anything of the kind.
1 could not believe he would really carry
out his threat, and 1 expected Mark
would come every minute. =,


"When he took hold of me, and 1 saw
he was in earnest, and really intended
to drown me, struggled with him, and
told him if he did harm me, I'd have
him hung for it, if had to come out of
my grave to do it. And also told him
1 was going to marry Mark Sheldon, and
that l had come out there to meet him.
For l thought perhaps it would scare
him if he thought Mark was anywhere
around. But he suddenly snatched my
shawl off me and wound it round my
head to keep my screams from being
heard, and the next moment he lifted me
in his arms and threw me over into the
river. He did not know that 1 was an
expert swimmer but before could free
myself from the folds of the shawl 1 had
gone under the water twice. The second
time l rose to the surface swan toward
the bank, but the current was SO swift 1
would inevitably have been drowned if
Mark had not come just then, in time to
save me. Davis had run away as fast
as he could, and he did not know that
he had failed in killing me, after all.
The shock was a dreadful one to me,
and my fear of Andy Davis was so
great that 1 begged Mark to hide me
from him, and from every one, and let
it be supposed that 1 was dead. So
then we were married, and went away
from this part of the country for several |
months, till we heard that Davis had |
gone away, when we returned. But 1 |
kept close, and let no one but my own |
folks know / Was aliva for Hyas datar-