Year: 1872

CHAPTER III.


A couple of days passed by, and terrible
run1or flew throw the quiet neighborhood,
startling the tranquil population from their
dreamy life of repose, ordinarily so seldom
broken by incidents calculated to arouse them
from their torpor.


1t was the third day after the events men
toned in the last chapter, that a cavalcade of
ten or fifteen horsemen dismounted before the
door of Galloway's residence, brought thither
by rumor that the wife of the unfortunate
man had mysteriously disappeared and had
no where been heard Of Foremost among
them was Captain Player, who, with face
unusually grave and serious, entered the
house, accompanied by two others of the older
neighbors, and presented himself before the
bereaved husband who met them with face
that exhibited terrible emotion.


Few words were spoken-only enough to
ascertain that some fearful mystery hung over
the fate of the mistress of the mansion. Its
master, in answer to few brief questions, in
formed them that nothing had been heard of
her since the morning of her sudden and mys-
terious disappearance. He added that, with
the aid of one or two faithful domestics, he
had sought for trace of the missing woman in
the woods and fields around, without finding
anything to throw any light upon the mystery.


As he sat with sympathizing neighbors
gathered around him, all eager to render all
the aid in their power to find some clue to his
missing wife, he was deeply agitated, as was
but natural, and answered all their enquiries
with broken and unsteady voice, as though
the mere effort of speaking cost him pain.
The interview was distressing to himself, and
even to those who had come to offer him their
sympathy and aid. After hearing his brief
story, Captain Player, on behalf of his friends
and neighbors, informed him that, hearing Of
his afliction, they had come to offer him their
services in prosecuting the search for his
wife and ventured to console him by express
ing "a hope, which he himself scarcely dared
to cherish, that their search might result in
an issue more favorable to their wishes than
present appearances might warrant them in
entertaining.


Galloway informed them that he had made
careful search of every spot within half
mile of the dwelling. To the rear of the house
was plat of fifteen or twenty acres of en-
closed wood land, embracing the spring-house
and the head of a small stream, where at first
he supposed the body of his wife might be
found if any fatal accident had befallen her /;
and this tract, he informed them, had under
gone so thorough a search, that it was useless
to waste time in prosecuting any further in
vestigation there. The party separated into
groups, each having definite district assign
ed it, and, in case of the discovery of any
trace Of the missing woman, signal was
agreed upon by which the whole party were
to be called together to follow up the clue


Such an event-so sudden, so unaccounta-
BILE, and so mysterious, as the disappearance
of retiring and modest woman, of the most
respectable connections, and that, too, in one
of the most orderly and quiet communities of
the country, was we'll calculated to excite
wonder and painful astonishment. As hour
after hour passed by, the news few from house
to house, and the number of those engaged
in prosecuting the search was increased by
fresh accessions from the surrounding country.
When dusk fell, after an unavailing search.
more than fifty horsemen were assembled to
compare notes and to deliberate on their plans
for the following day. They separated with
detected spirits, and each one carried home,
in his sad and desponding face, news of the
ill.success of the days search.


On the morrow, more than one hundred
men met at the head of the lane in front OF
the house, to consult together and renew the
search. The character of the missing woman
was so fair and spotless, that no one dared to
hint-in fact, no one even ventured to enter
tain an unspoken suspicion that her disap-
pearance was connected with any criminal
misconduct on her part. One fear, deepening
into conviction, had seized upon the hearts of
all. Men uttered it aloud, and dark shadow
rested on their brows as they gave utterance
to the fearful thought, that she had been made
away with by violence, and that naught better
was now to be hoped for than to discover the
lifeless body, and find some clue that might
bring home the guilt of his crime to the pitt
less murderer. 1t became consuming pas
sion with those sad, stern-faced men, to bring
the body to light, and to track out the MUIR
derer, whatever arts he might employ to cover
up the proofs of his guilt and to lead suspi'
cion astray.


The missing woman was so good, so gentle,
and so universally esteemed, that it was diff
cult to divine any other motive for her MUIR
der than the frantic desire of hiding the afro
cious crime of violation, by deed of blc~1,
on one so gentle that even fend might have
shuddered at its perpetration. How they
pitied the suffering husband when this terrible
thought of adouble crime-both too horrible
to contemplate-crept into their minds and
grew up to formidable conviction! They
could now understand why it was that his
voice faltered and he shuddered in the pres
ence of friends, and why his eye had in it ar
expression of secret terror, weighing like 6
nightmare upon his shuddering soul Hi'
frionds and neiohhors were tOuched with the