Year: 1870

moCth small, and the lips, now parted
| by agony, were full and arched- The
1eyes, wide open and CLASSY, were blue
as the depths of the ocean, and cur
tanned by long lashes shade darker
than her glossy hair. The figure was
tall and delicately proportioned, the
feet small and exquisitively arched,
the hands white and slender, denotlng
good birth and freedom from manual
labor The clothing, now torn and
stained, was of fine material and the
discoforation of the neck, ears. fingers
and wrists-the pieces torn from the
bosom of the dress, and the pockets
turned outward-told that robbery
had been committed.


| At once deeply interested, the
stranger knelt down, brushed back
the tangled tresses, gazed sadly upon
the sweet pallid face, and examined
both pulse and heart for symptoms of
life. hoping against hope that spark
at leest might remain. But his intel
lectual and unusually sunny face
clouded, and he shook his head in
doubt. The marks upon the base of
the skull, caused apparently by heavy
blows from sharp stone, seemed suf-
fcient to have produced death alone !;
but, in addition to them, blood was
slowly oozing from, and congealing
upon several wounds, in one of which
a knife was sticking. His profession
had taught him skill as well as cool
ness, and with extreme tenderness and
delicacy, he made still closer exam
ination, and began preparations to
staunch the blood and dress the
wounds


"With this knife" he said giving
utterance to his thoughts as he drew,
out the weapon, 81 could even thus
kill all my enemies, make myself rich
aud T.


The sentence was never finished
Before it could be, a dozen men, who
had been watching and creeping near.
sprang out of the bushes, and pinion-
ed him beyond the power Of resist
ance. Taken beside the corpse, with
the blood dripping knife in his hand,
what could he say IN defence? The
situation he had foreseen had come
upon him, and he stood convicted, in
their eyes at least, murderer. The
appeal to their reason he saw at a
glance would be useless they were
not of the class that would look deep
er than the surface. His defense
must be made at another time and
place; and, in truth, he was thinking
more of the corpse of the murdered
girl than of his own situation, and,
drawing himself up proudly, he ask.
ed that she might be cared for.


"Whatever may be your purpose
with me-" he said, ''at least see il
there is not life remaining. Take
your hands off and let me see if my
skill can be of some avail. 1 am a
surgeon.


Scowling brows and clenehed fists
were the only answer he recelved.-
they paid not the slightest attention
to his words, except it might be to
grasp him even more firmly than be-
fore and hurry him before neigbor-
ing justice TO be examined and ex-
hibited as monster! 1t was even q
moro unpleasant situation than he had
anticipated, and the chances were
desperately against him; but he re-
tanned his GOODNESS and prepared to
make the best possible defense.


| The evidence was given with the
utmost bitterness honestly givea,
perhaps, but without the slightest
leaning toward the side of mercy,
and with the morbid desire on the
lpart Of the majority to see mar
hanged, for such thing had never
happened in that neighborhood.-
And what could he say to rebut the
fsworn statements of a dozen witness
es? What were his assertions against
the evidence of their own eyes and
his bloody hands and clothes.


But he had the satisfaction, if, in
deed, it could be called by that name,
to learn who the supposed victim
of his murderous knife was--to learn
that her name was Ethel Loring-
that she was comparatively stranger
upon visit to an old uncle who lived
near the scene of the tragedy-that
she was an orphan, and rich in her
own right-that she was known to
wear costly jewels, and carry with
her considerable sum of money (all
of which was missing), and that she
! had gone out to takeia walk alone,
and was found as described. These
facts, together with his having been
detected bending over the body, with
a knife in his hand, the out-of-the-way
place, the provocation for the deed
in pecuniary point of view, the al
most certainty of remaining undiscov-
cred, that he was poorly dressed, a
stranger, had been seen lurking in