ns toward the girl, and to
advise with her in the event of her discovering that he was an unworthy
suitor for her hand.

Vinton lost no opportunity to advance his friendly footing in the
family, and frequently offered his services to Mrs. Andrews in the way
of performing trifling commissions for her, which he could execute while
on his way to and from his daily labor.

From Mary, Vinton learned that the family were in much distress
regarding a brother of Mrs. Andrews, but what it was she could not tell.

He also learned that this brother (who was none other than Newton
Edwards), and his wife had resided with the family for some time, but
that Mrs. Andrews was very unfriendly to the young woman, and scarcely
treated her with the respect which was due to her brother's wife. The
young lady was very unhappy, Mary said, and several times she had seen
her weeping bitterly in her room. Thus matters continued until on one
Saturday morning, but a short time previous to this, the brother came
home intoxicated, and abused his wife in a dreadful manner, and after
ordering her to return to her family, had left the house, and had not
been seen since.

"What has become of the young lady?" inquired Vinton, after he had
expressed his sympathy for her unfortunate condition.

"Oh, her brother came for her that very afternoon, and after expressing
his mind pretty freely to Mrs. Andrews, he took her to his home,
somewhere away from the city."

"Did her husband go away, too?" asked Vinton.

"Yes, he went about the same time, and has not been here since."

"Do the people in the house know where he is?" inquired Vinton.

"I don't think they do," answered the girl, "and they are very much
worried about him. There was a letter came from some one the other day,
and ever since that time Mrs. Andrews has been in great trouble. She
does not tell me anything about it, but I think it is about her
brother."

"That's very strange, isn't it?"

"Yes, and what is more so," answered the girl, "for several days past
there have been several men about the neighborhood who are strangers,
and Mrs. Andrews is very much frightened about it. She is afraid to go
out of the house, and seems almost afraid to move."

"Does she think they have anything to do with her?" asked Vinton,
surprisedly.

"Oh, I don't know about that; but it is a very unusual thing to have
strange men loitering about our neighborhood, and she feels very nervous
about it."

Vin