CHAPTER 111. A GUEST AT THE MANOR.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 155, 22 May 1886, Page 6

CHAPTER 111. A GUEST AT THE MANOR.

The emotion at the handsome young stranger brside the form of his dead brother was touching in tho extreme. A hush fell upon the people crowded into the ecliool-houeo, and bronzed facss became pallid from eympath}*. Even the coroner, who had an idea that Bt)rnnes3 was the proper thing in co great an official as himself, was compelled to be natural. He 'took out bis handkerchief and quickly wiped his averted face. The jury, to a man, were affected in the came way. Even Dr. Berisford, usually co stately and pelf-possessed, was overcome, and the crowded room B warn before his tear-dimmed eyes. The Jooke was the only man in the room ■who appeared to retain perfect possession 9* all his faculties. j Laying his hands in a kindly way on the young stranger's shoulder, he asked : " What ia your name, my friend ?'' " Clarence Ashworth," was the reply. " And tbe dead man was your brother?'' t: Hewas. ' 41 We aie here, Mr Ashworth, to try and learn how your brother came to his sad end You may be able to tell us how he chanced to be in tbi< neighbourhood, and with this knowledge \ro may be able to get a clue to his imuiderer." The Jooke's remarks were so reasonable that the coroner saw their good sense at once, and decided to act on them. With an effort evident to all who saw him, Clarence Ash worth stood up, and paid : » --V" About my poor brother's dea'h I only know what I have heard since reaching Willowemocan hour ago. About his life 1 know everything, and I am ready to ansivc any question the coroner may put to me. The o-ironer administered the oath, and asked the n-ual preliminary questions. It appeared from the evidence of Clarence Ashworth that his brother, Frank, had recently returned from India, where for the five previous years ho had had charge of peveral lines of railroad built on 4 'the American system " by American engineer?. " My brother was my senior by six years, and up to the time of his going to India we were but seldom apart. Our home was with our widowed mother in Philadelphia. Two weeks ago my brother and myself started out on foot to make a tour of the Blue Mountains and the Catskills ; at the end of this week we were to have met our invalid mother at Saratoga. "Two days ago my brother left me at Cornwall, saying he was going on to Willowemoc; a blistered foot prevented my making the trip with him. " You ask me why he wished me to go to Willowemoc I answer, that while in India my brother heard a great deal about General Berisford, who was my mother's* .grand-uncle, and he wished to come out and see the manor, which had been the home of that strange man, as well as of our direct ancestor?. *' Hi 3 curiosity cost him his life. "Last night I learned that a man had been killed in the mountains near here, and I hastened on, to find my worst fears realised." Again the young man was overcome by hi 3 grief, and sobs b-oko the huch in the room. And so the identity of the murdered man was established, but the mystery sur rounding the manner of his taking off was deepened. " With the coroner's consent," said Dr. Berisford, " I will ask Mr Aeh worth a few question?." The coroner gave his consent, and the doctor turned to tho young man and asked : "Did your brother bring back from India bny native weapons ?%>? %> "xle sent home a great many weapon and curios at different times, and others are expected, 5 ' ?a»d Clarence Ashworth *• Have you seen there weapons ?'' " Some of them." " Do you recall ever having seeo a threeeiged dagger, such as is vuci by the Thug? of the Punjab ? ' "No, brt I have heard my brother describe such a weapon.' " Did he own one?" "Yes." " With rc m 3 such weapon this wound was made," said the doctor, pointing at the still exposed breast. "That may be," said Clarence Ashwcrth ; "but it oouid not have been done with my brother's weapon." " Why do you think to ?"' " I have three good reasons. In the fir<?t pace nry brother had no foe that would do this deed. He was incapable of thinking of suicide. And, lastly, tho weapon I speak of was shipped with other trophies in a Eailing vessed that lefo Calcutta after my brother pailed from there, and which is not ex pet-ted in New I'ork for six week*." ■' Tnen i--.. could not have been ycur brother's weapon, " said tho doctor. 'J hen, with a changed manner, he extended his band, and aided : ">s a kinsman, let me greet you, and at the sime time effer you all the hospitalities of Bemford Manor Those of our race miy always find a home there " The doctor led the young man through tho throng, leaving the jury to deliberate on tbeir verdict. Tha jury were sensible men, but with the evidenco before them they could only bring in this verdict : "We fi"d that Frank -Asbwoitb, late m i»>«i.t tl Phi'adelpbi*. was murdered i!ear the . -vi iage oc \\ il owcianc. on ths night of the 2l*t jis^.. by tome peison ir peisons to wa unKDOWD. *"litha Interest! of juMisn we r<!BD3ctfal]y racemmena to «be sheriff o h ! s coar>lr arri to i.U exctllanc.v ih i Gov«rtor of New York, that reward* ba offered of +uch evidenca as will lead to the roovic'.io j cf tbe party «r panics euilty of thia great crime." Dr Beriaford tjok C'arence Ashworlh to the Maror, and introduced him to Miriitn and Madame Barron, saying to tho former : *• Me Ashworth, my daughter, ia a kinsman ; so that our hearts as well as our bomeehould bo open to him in this the hour of his great affliction." The doctor further showed his profound interest by Fending off a messenger with two despatches to the nearest telegraph c station. One was to tbedead man's mot her, asking her to come on at once ; and the other was for an undertaker who lived in '.the town of Kingston, on the Hudson. It needed no claim of kinship to excite Mirxim'a sympathies for the handsome young stranger. She bad a morbid horror of death, and she shrank from any thought of violence as the eensitiTi plant ehrinks from a rude touch, ~ . Apart from this, ehe was possessed of great strength and force of character, and her moral courage was of the very highest order. / ; -.'.-." -' ' '.'"','; •->' Clarence Ashwofth never had a sister but if Miriam had occupied that relation *

ship. to him sho could not have been moro considcrato at this time. A despatch came bsck from Saratoga, saying that Mrs Ash worth had been s^ prostrated, by the death of hor eon that it would be itnpoesiblo f«>r her to come on. Clarence, ut Dr. Berisford's puggeetion sent his mother a telegram, asking her if sha would consent to F ank's buiial - for tho present, at least in the Berisford vault at Willowtmoc A reply came back, leavirg Clarence troo to act in tho mattor, and he decided to accept tho doctor's off^r. Clarence stayed at Willowemoe for nearly a week after this, and when tho time came frr him to go to his afllicted mother, Miriam saii : " I havo heard that p ople with the Beusford blood in their veins are ever reserved to tho world, but informal among themselves ; so, if ym d) not object, I j-ha.ll drop the 'Mr A?h*orth,' and call you 'Cousin Clarenca." "Giving mo the privilege of calling yon 'Cousin Miriam?' ho taid with a pleased light in Ins Hn© grey eyes. *' That, surely ; and you will grant me another favour. Give thia letter to your mother. It asks her to come to Willowemoe as soon as she is able to travel Jn this house her own maternal grand mother wa c born, go that there will bs a double rtason for making her welcome," said Mirium, a? she handed him a letter. "And may I come w.tb my mother "?" he a?ked. "Come whenever you will," was the reply, "and you will iind a welcomo This I say for myself, and I am sure my father will pay as mnr'i for himself, if he hn* r.ot. done co already " Miriam gave him her hand and loo'ver 1 into his handsome fare with fm exprees ; on of such guileless candor a* thrilled him. He galliiitly rassd her hind to his lip 4 and wlrspered : "God keep you till w-j meet again " The doctor rcinfo'c d his d-uighler'? h - vitation, and Clarence A.- h worth lefr Bon-»-ford Manor, promising to return before the summer wen* by*. Not an hour .-if cr the r?eparfure o! Clarenca A.-hworih to Saratoga, a younit i man, accompanied by a coloured servant, drove up in a side b iv waggon to the only tavern in the village. "Come to visit the manor nyain, Mr Ben son ?" asked the landlord, as he .appeared to taka the horses. "T;ikeeare of my team, my man, and I learn tint curiosity often takes the form of impudence," sitd Shiiloy Benson, as he whipped the dsst from his feet in the tavern door. " All right, fir," said the good-natured landlord, adding, a s lie led the horses away: '• But you'd ought to've been here a few days sooner." "Indeed • paid Shit ley Benson, pretendinp to conceal a forced yawn. " Yes, indeedy Oh ! t tell you Willowe moc'd wakin' uo. There aint been such carryin's on about hero not since Ma'i Anthony Wayne marched through here for Stony Point " Shirley Benson did rot apf©ar to hear He went to a room whither the valet had taken his valise, and soon re-appeared on the street dre;?ed in a becoming suit. He was a well-built young fellow, with sandy hair, a red moustache, and rather n sinister expies?ion on his face, which looked pale in spots in contract with the very daik freckles. There was that in bi=» bearing that indicated "the man of the world" — which generally means a man not ignorant of life's giddier side. To the sJudent of physiognomy the impression would havo hcen unavoidable that Shirley Benson's wealth was greater than hia breeding, and that where he was permitted to have his own way at all. he would hive his own wny a crrat deal. He went up the hill to Beri=>forri Manor, nodding coldly in resp->n?e to the salutation? of the cordial villagers whom he passed on the way.