Year: 1872

y
nble as it was Unforeseen. Jones
was with him in his Office, and they
had risen to come up here, when
Atwlek, extinguishing his lamp, and
turning suddenly, stepped out of the
window instead of the door, and
fell upon the rocks below. He was
dead man when Jones got down
to him.


"My God, how horrible


Twas at the scene of the catastro-
phe in a few moments. And there,
laid out already with the grim for
maities of death, I gazed upon the
dead body of my friend AEwick-
whom I had beheld but few hours
before In the perfection of health
a mangled, bloody corpse. lying still
on the pavement, with a crowd OF
people, like ghostly statues in the
twilight, gathered around it. Some
of tne men had already constructed
litter. I was requested, as knew
Mrs. Atwick, perhaps better than
any one in the village, to hasten on
before and break the hideous truth
to her as gently as I could. I
shrank hack appalled,. Demurring
and fearful, I should positively have
declined this painful duty of friend
ship, but for the temporary absence
of our rector and the necessity of
speedy action In some one. The
statement of great writer that there
is something not altogether unple4s-
ant to US In the misfortunes of our
dearest friends, is a rank ibet upon
even medium human nature. l
should not have been more distress
ed if Mary Atwick, the woman to
whom I was going on such an er-
rand, had been my own sister. And
yet my acquaintance with her was
very slight. She was anything bat
a popular woman; she had mingled
but little with the people of the vii
lage and had thus remained without
friends, while Atwick himself had
been a universal favorite. I had
visited his house on more social
terms than any one elsey I believe,
and though I had never found her
varying from cold and naughty re-
serve, 1 had every reason to believe
that Atwick was deVotedly attached
to her and his children. IF, howev-
er, I had known il to be Otherwise
if they had been to each other OBJ
jects CT Indifference, or sometimes
even of aversion, should I not still
have hesltatel to break the quiet Of
a household with tidings of such q
death to one of it's members2 Yet, 1
was SO stricken with dumb sort OF
amazement, that I had realized no
thing of my position, and had not a
thought OF what I was to say, even
when I found my hand upon the
gate of the yard-enclosure. All at
once, however, sense Of what ]
had come to do struck terror to my
soul, and the same shudder I had
experienced In my Office thrilled me
from head to foot. There were no
lights about the house as I went up
the gravel walk. But I thoughl
some one had come on the same er-
rand, as I saw the figure of a man
going up the steps before me. !
paused an instant on the threshold
of the portico, waiting for the figure,
with its back towards me, to lit the
knocksr to strike for admission,
when the door few open with a
sound, and the person entering re-
yealed to me, my God-the blood
stained failures of Fenton Atwick
himselfI


How, how" I cried, "have you
recovered sufficiently to get hers be-
fore me, and alone ?"


It moved toward the door of an
inner room, beckoning to me with Its
mutilated, bloody hand And q
voice that I should have known,
without the words, belonged to no.
thing mortal, said slowly: "I an
here in the spirit before you, Jerry
my body follows on apace. Over il
I have no further control; but "tbat
thou doest, do quickly" or poor Ma
rvs heart will be broken"


I was still looking when the figure
vanished, as I knew it would, and ]
was again alone in the moonlight
Wondering, amazed, everything buI
frightened, paused a moment II
dumbfounded beWilderment. There
was no stronger emotion in heart OF
mind than bitter, bitter sorrow lol
the woman upstairs, as I stepped
back and gave a long, loud rap upor
the door. A servant came to Iight
the lamp in the hall, and admitted
me. Mrs. Atwick came in a moment


Her face was whittier than the gowr
she wore as she looked at me.


"I was at my window upstairl


when I saw you come In at the gate


with DR.. ,AtWick beside you. Tel


me whtre he has gone"


1 tried to speak to her, but I could


not. Ny lips we're still sealed when


all at once, she went down on he


knees crying out that he was dead


She asked no confirmation from me o


the horrible truth that had come up


on her. 1 never saw any creature g


on as she did In my life, and I hop


In Gods mercy that I never may
When I spoke to her at last, sh
J rallied out at me to begone an
, leave her alone, for I had murdere'
himl" I think her mind had entire
: ly lost its balance. I knocked a
the door Of the next house and bad
, the woman go to her, for I could d
} nothing. They had taken her uF
stairs, when the heavy tramp Of th
men with the litter was heard with
7 out.


. che has shown no symptoms {
returning consciousness, I suppose


I said to Fleet.


] mrnnon;or,.-,.-uf I .honII thin