The west shore., June 01, 1886, Page 193, Image 23

THE WEST SHORE.
103
had fled forever. When able to bear it, they told me all
how on being discovered that night in tho haunted
chamber, my lover had stabbed my father to the heart;
then, with my scnouloori foiw iu his arms, had tied
through the storm and darkness His pretended desire
to divine the mysteries of the haunted room was but to
obtain the treasure which Bbmnhow he surmised was
concealed there. His affection for me was likewise as
sumed for a purpose best known to himself. His mar
riage with me was a sham. During his abseiice from
me he associated with the vilest characters, and his dis
guises were rendered uecesaary to elude pursuit
" When my boy baby came, the love I had lavished
upon the guilty father I laviHhod now upon his child. I
olung to him fondly, as the only human object left me
worth loving, or worth living for. Disgraced as I was
my lover outlawed aud my father brought to his grave
through my disobedience-1 had no desire to roturn to
the scene of that midnight tragedy. I resolved to re
main concealed and unknown.
" When my boy had reached tho ago of two yoars,
dividual among our pooplo waa hardy enough to Inour
thorn.
A paragraph iu an Eulish newspaper rwently r.
called to me this almost forgotten episode. In a brief
notice of one of the aristooracy, the murder of an an.
oestor by his daughter's lover was incidentally referred
to. I tliereujxm wrote the gentleman, informing luiu
that for a special reason I desired the particulars of tho
tragedy. Ho promptly replied; aud from his letter
which wits a long one I take the the following:
" I regret that I cannot furnish you with any vori-
fled particulars of the occurrence itself. Tho victim was
the uncle of my grandfather. Ma had an only child a
daughter. Contrary to what has lawn oommonly au-
oed, the murderer was not her lover; he was the fami
ly coachman-an intemperate, brutal fellow of French
parentage At tho conclusion uf au evening drive Ms
master reprimanded him for Intoxication ami illsinlacii
him from his service. That night at a late hour the dis
graced and vengeful servant forced his way into Ills
mnutar'a liodrliRtiilmr. and stabbed him to the heart, Ma
one day a stranger snatched him up before my door and was apprehended in London some months later, and was
disappeared. I was distracted. In vain I searoheil the
neighborhood, and travelled long distances in search of
him: he was never again seen or heard of. I still toiled
on. cheered and sustained by the hopo that I might yet
discover my darling boy. After a time a letter in a
strance hand came to me, saying that in this part of
America I miriit find my child. All eagerness I came;
and after searching vainly the length and breadth of this
vallov. in despair I resolvod on ending my weary life in
the gloomy wildorness, far removed from the scene of
mv lover's crime, aud my own disgrace and sorrow.
" This, my friondB, is why in strict seclusion I have
soueht to conceal the causes of my present unhappiness,
and to banish from mind the memory of my past mis
fortunes. I have suffered long, and have Buffered much
convicted and banued. The daughter, aged seventeen
by nnmo Inex disappeared on Uie uight of tho tragedy.
It was clearly proved that aha had len alduoted - it
was supposed by her fathers murderer nut all eHorla
to discover her wherealioula were futile. Her fata was
never known. She was probably murdered, yet no trsco
of her, dead or alive, was ever discovered. Every In-
ducemeut, even to a commutation of sentence, was or.
fered the murderer before his execution to divulgn the
facta of her abduction; but not a word on the subject
could be got from him. This iu substance ia (lie story
as it has come down to uia. At the tune, all Luroe
was excited by tho tragic affair."
Mere were tho outlines of Aunt roily a story, in
certain particulars they disagreed, it ia true; Ilia names
rt U ivon to' her father and to hersel In tho narrativ. wer.
may bo-Hnd I sometimes think so-that my sufferings, not tlu-a given by my respondent. Hr over waa a
XTwe?o but a punishment intended by an all-wise tutor-not a man. h, - 'me
God for my youthful errors and weakness. Something both had suu.ikhi mo iai.,r ..... .... ,
-what it is I do not know-something tolls me that my -a daughter. ...
weaJyjoulyTsaLlt ended. If I could only seamy 1 -t once f " f'P
Vdie-but even that prayer is denied me. man user p , , " " t
n VI1UMHI HlBl S..O WM hid iiv..-.. -
rw rjrwl lmw lnno how Ions '
Here tho tale came to an abrupt conclusion, loward
tho last, tho characters were traced with an unsteady
hand Thia circumstance indicate! that tho last sen
or nenned about tho time tho fever seized her.
This manuscript legacy inspired a profound desiro to
discover Aunt Folly's son, and to convey to his mother s
i- s T7..in,l il.n inlwlliueiiee of her dentil. Hut
peopiu iu ijuu" - "
r !, fnrmer was ever found; and JttTs ad
a. tn v.rinti oublic f unetionnnee abroad elicited
.Hutrv rei.liea. Gradually theso unfruitful ef-
fort ceased, and all hope of tracing tho identity of our
i..- ii.W,r IttMine fainter as tho years swd on. Tho
.l ,1i.c,m of an ocean voyage, in thoae da) a
of slow tailing Teasels, wera considerable, aud no in
those now in possession of her fsther'a estates, the knowl-
elge of her fata can provoke no other reeling limn that
of gratification. Mer sou, wa must assume, ia dead. Mia
descendants, if any, could not, except iy a mere ciianoe,
establish a right to the family name and posset si.ii. It
is a curious case. I shall learn in a lew months, at
least, whether Aunt Fully waa really tho ahductiHl
heiress mentioned by hla lordship. Meanwhile, I give
tho facta to tho public Uy the presa of both countriee
we shall probably know ere long whether I nave at last
solved Aunt Folly'a riddle.
AuotT two thousand men ara at work on the north
'era extension of tha California Oregon railrvad.