MR. HIGGINBOTHAM！” Among other dreadful
details， the printed account described the mark of thecord round the dead man’s neck and stated the numberof thousand dollars of which he had been robbed； therewas much pathos， also， about the affliction of his niece，who had gone from one fainting-fit to another ever sinceher uncle was found hanging on the St. Michael’s peartree with his pockets inside out. The village poet likewisecommemorated the young lady’s grief in seventeenstanzas of a ballad. The selectmen held a meeting， and inconsideration of Mr. Higginbotham’s claims on the towndetermined to issue handbills offering a reward of fivehundred dollars for the apprehension of his murderers andthe recovery of the stolen property.
Meanwhile， the whole population of Parker’s Falls，consisting of shopkeepers， mistresses of boarding-houses，factory-girls， mill-men and schoolboys， rushed into thestreet and kept up such a terrible loquacity as more thancompensated for the silence of the cotton-machines，which refrained from their usual din out of respect tothe deceased. Had Mr. Higginbotham cared aboutposthumous renown， his untimely ghost would haveexulted in this tumult.
Our friend Dominicus in his vanity of heart forgothis intended precautions， and， mounting on the townpump，announced himself as the bearer of the authenticintelligence which had caused so wonderful a sensation.
He immediately became the great man of the moment，and had just begun a new edition of the narrative with avoice like a field-preacher when the mail-stage drove intothe village street. It had travelled all night， and must haveshifted horses at Kimballton at three in the morning.
“Now we shall hear all the particulars！” shouted thecrowd.
The coach rumbled up to the piazza of the tavernfollowed by a thousand people； for if any man had beenminding his own business till then， he now left it at sixesand sevens to hear the news. The pedler， foremost in therace， discovered two passengers， both of whom had beenstartled from a comfortable nap to find themselves in thecentre of a mob. Every man assailing them with separatequestions， all propounded at once， the couple were struckspeechless， though one was a lawyer and the other a younglady.
“Mr. Higginbotham！ Mr. Higginbotham！ Tell us theparticulars about old Mr. Higginbotham！” bawled themob. “What is the coroner’s verdict？ Are the murderersapprehended？ Is Mr. Higginbotham’s niece come out ofher fainting-fits？ Mr. Higginbotham！ Mr. Higginbotham！”
The coachman said not a word except to swear awfullyat the hostler for not bringing him a fresh team of horses.
The lawyer inside had generally his wits about him evenwhen asleep； the first thing he did after learning the causeof the excitement was to produce a large red pocketbook.
Meantime， Dominicus Pike， being an extremely politeyoung man， and also suspecting that a female tonguewould tell the story as glibly as a lawyer’s， had handed thelady out of the coach. She was a fine， smart girl， now wideawake and bright as a button， and had such a sweet， prettymouth that Dominicus would almost as lief have heard alove-tale from it as a tale of murder.
“Gentlemen and ladies，” said the lawyer to the shopkeepers，the mill-men and the factory-girls， “I can assure youthat some unaccountable mistake—or， more probably，a wilful falsehood maliciously contrived to injure Mr.
Higginbotham’s credit—has excited this singular uproar.
We passed through Kimballton at three o’clock thismorning， and most certainly should have been informedof the murder had any been perpetrated. But I haveproof nearly as strong as Mr. Higginbotham’s own oraltestimony in the negative. Here is a note relating to a suitof his in the Connecticut courts which was delivered mefrom that gentleman himself. I find it dated at ten o’clocklast evening.”
So saying， the lawyer， exhibited the date and signatureof the note， which irrefragably proved either that thisperverse Mr. Higginbotham was alive when he wroteit， or， as some deemed the more probable case of twodoubtful ones， that he was so absorbed in worldly businessas to continue to transact it even after his death. Butunexpected evidence was forthcoming. The young lady，after listening to the pedler’s explanation， merely seized amoment to smooth her gown and put her curls in order，and then appeared at the tavern door， making a modestsignal to be heard.
“Good people，” said she， “I am Mr. Higginbotham’sniece.”
A wondering murmur passed through the crowd onbeholding her so rosy and bright—that same unhappyniece whom they had supposed， on the authority of theParker’s FallsGazette， to be lying at death’s door in afainting-fit. But some shrewd fellows had doubted allalong whether a young lady would be quite so desperate atthe hanging of a rich old uncle.
“You see，” continued Miss Higginbotham， with a smile，“that this strange story is quite unfounded as to myself，and I believe I may affirm it to be equally so in regardto my dear uncle Higginbotham. He has the kindness togive me a home in his house， though I contribute to myown support by teaching a school. I left Kimballton thismorning to spend the vacation of commencement-weekwith a friend about five miles from Parker’s Falls. Mygenerous uncle， when he heard me on the stairs， calledme to his bedside and gave me two dollars and fifty centsto pay my stage-fare， and another dollar for my extraexpenses. He then laid his pocketbook under his pillow，shook hands with me， and advised me to take some biscuitin my bag instead of breakfasting on the road. I feelconfident， therefore， that I left my beloved relative alive，and trust that I shall find him so on my return.”
