Year: 1870




gowing away, she said: Now, Doctor,
why don't ye come and take my little
front reception-room, and put up sign
here? There amt no doctor anywhares
around this ncighborhood, and III board
ye very cheep jist to have yc in the house
on casion.


81 laughed at the old ladys PROPOSE
tion and told her that would think it
over by next day | did so and saw that
Mrs. Brambe's house was much superior
in appearance and location to the one I
inhabited. The result was, | struck
bargain with the old lady, and moved i'm
mediatcly to her domicile. hadn't been
there three days,when, one morning, Mrs.
Bramble who was very fond of gossiping
in my room. said, Doctor, can't help
thinking all the time about that poor cal
that was pisened upstairs. havn't had
that room opened since the morning af-
ter she died Seems to me as if.t might
be haunted


"les responded.


There were something strange, too.
about her; and that doctor-man that
come to see her SO much.


"'Ycsr = said again pricking up my
ears, and looking inquiringly at her


THAR was so much sneaking in and
out, and coming at all kinds of queer
times ; and then they'd quarrel, and when
he went away, she'd fret and cry so, that
shed be cen Almost sick.


Halo said to myself. here's
new shape to this matter. And then |
said to Mrs Bramhc, Where did Miss
Selby come from =?


- Well, that's the strangest thing of
all, doctor She never would tell where
she came from and the most that she
ever dropped was that she was from New
Hampshire but then her name never was
Sclby in this world


Bile 7?


"Bccau,e every bit OF her undcrclotheS
had another name rubbed ont on 'em
and one day there came a man here, and
asked for Miss GOODWIN, and when he
was told that no sich person lived here he
insisted and said he'd seed her come in
here Then when this was talked Of
at tca-tablc. before Miss Selby, she got
dreadful excited about it, though nobody
said word about her being the one that
had Just come in before the man asked for
Miss Goodwin.


"The old lady VA, making some reyel-
ation~ here that stirred my curiosity
but ! could not see how they could help
Charley's case, except that, if there was
anything mysterious between the dead
woman and the doctor, might sift it out
and use it to soften his evidence against
Charley, or, perhaps, force his interest to
help the poor boy. AIS fair in love and
war, and so took hold of the slender
clue to trace out who Miss Selby or Good
win might be. The last, thought, was
the true name, and, although it seemed
absurd to enter upon the search in such Il
way, concluded to write to every post
master in New Hampshire | framed Il
letter saying that there was something of
a'o"' Importance pending to family by
State, and requested each postmaster, if
the name existed in its locality, to please
send me list OF members OF the family
present and absent especially the latter,
and that, if the necessary information
proved to be elected through him, he
should be well rewarded.


This letter brought eleven responses.
one of which was from member of the
Goodwin family. into whose hands the
postmaster of the town of n had put
my letter. | had no sooner read this let
ter of Mrs. Sarah Goodwin, than cried
Eureka 2 The very tone Of it showed
mother seeking for her lost child, from
the expression she put upon my asking
for the names Of the absent She sought
daughter who had left her year before
and the description which | read to Mrs.
Bramblc, was recognized in momcnt.-
OF course, Mrs. Goodwin. must be sent
for. Her daughters effects were still in
the locked room, and they troubled poor
Mrs. Bramblc almost as badly as if they
had been a ghost therefore wrote to
Mrs. Goodwin that, il She would come to
Boston. | would give her intelligence of
her lost daughter 1t was a sad pilgrim.
aye To bring the mother on, but it was
better than TO have her child lost without
track, forever In u few days Mrs.
Goodwin arrived, and, in my room, told
her the sad fate of her child, and pleaded
with her to tell me all she knew of Brew
ster She did not know Brewster, had
never heard his name but after urgent
pleading, confessed that her daughter had
left home with a man named Selby, that
She had written to her declaring that she
was married to Selby, and this was the
last she had heard of her | described
the appearance of Sclby, and the mother
recognized him instantly. 1t was that of
Brewster.


Light seemed breaking on this affair
in new way. What if this Brewster,
who was legtimatcly married man had
found himself hampered with Miss Good
win, perhaps, illegally married to her,and
consequently had taken advantage of
Charley's mistake-for it was clear that
he had discovered it in time to save her
II he had tried or at least that was the
conclusion Sanford and had come to
This, indeed, was the defence we had de.
signed to offer on the trial, beginning in
medical evidence to support it, What if
this were so, and we could bring it against
Brewster on the trial, or, better still, get
HIM to abscond for fear of the revelation,
'Alls fair etc, as before said.


Mrs Goodwin went to the room of
the poor, dead girl, which was opened for
the first time since her death. There
was no mistake, Everything was recog-
nized and the poor, broken-hearted mo-
thcr was in agony. had sent for San
ford, and he had arrived, and was shown
directly to the room. Mrs. Bramble took
the mother away to comfort her, and
the lawyer and | discussed the situation.