Year: 1879

BY this time he had made known briefly to officials
that missing who had been IN the carriage
with him, and one or two Of them followed him IN his
quest Presently he realized pretty well where he had
been thrown he all but identified the spot Then he
scrambled through the hrdge and there on the opposite
side the slopng bank Of ditch he behed lying quite
still, her dark, unmistakabie form


He ran forward and bending over her and looking down
non the marble nptrnea face saw at glance that there
was nothing dangerous about her nowthose terrible eyes
were closed forever Except for sight wound on one
temple whence a little blood had hickled, and the dis
torted but now rgidly closed hand which had been
lately at his throat she looked calm and unniured
If she was merely sleeping while death had restored tor
brief period much of that beauty the traces of which
struck him when her veil first lifted.


One of the surgeons here came hurrying mp in answer
10 a summons.


last Why, she must have been in the train how on
earth did she manage il n


.Who is She inquired Jack, earnestly, with arrange
return of the old nexplicable sensation. Who is she?
You appear TO know her. Pray tell me.


oh one Of inmates She got away yesterday morn
ing, no one knows how, y was the answer,


q You are from Longmoor, then. How long has she
been there /? What is her name?


Oh she has been there upward OF twenty years, be-
ieye long before my time "


'And her name /?


Upon my word, at this moment ! can hardly, went
on the doctor mechanically passing his fingers one OF
the puseless wrists before him, and with calm hesita
ton which contrsted strongly with Jacks earnest i'm
uetuoiis manner 81 can hardly remember. | think she
was committed for the murder of her little girl. 1t
was very sad case, know. Alb her name have it,
went the doctor, suddenly, her name was Paiant-





Jack sprang from the kneelng posture in which he
as If he had been shot, Why, that was his own dead
mothers name But pshaw what OF that Well, twas
rather startling coincidence that all Aye, but was
il all? Indeed,


The inouest led to revelation. That inquiry fully
nained what had been the of the influence which
the weird pale face and strange presence had upon my
friend.


The strong but subtle link which time or absence can
quite sunder existing between mother and son bad made
itself felt the instant those face face for the
unhappy woman was lndeed no otheI lhah Jack > own
mother!


He had never been told in fact it had been carefully
kept from him. Why the risk of cloudng for life that
bright and happy emperament9 lie was only four years
old when the dreadful business happened hence he had
scarcely known mothers careshe lost to him, to
the world as completely il she had died Nay, death
would have been mercy by comparison and gen
el4ly assumed that she dead only few intimate
friends knew the truth.


The poor adys mind had given way suddenly after the
birth of child which did not live Within week the
had been prevented from committing tllghtul out
rage upon little boy my poor friend Jack and
strant having been put upon her in time for her
maady had hardly been suspected SO unlocked for was
its appearance-she consummated her deadly propensity
upon her eldest child girl fifteen years OF killed
her, in word she lay asleep,


And here, after a lapse of twenty years, the climax
and end of the tragedy dreadful anything that had
gone before The order for release when brought
with much suffering Ito all but one had the order
for captivity. No wonder that Jack altered man


have never seen smile his face though trus
that time with its healing influence, may at last softer
the blow.