e, and
over the craggy hillside and down the dark, rolling river echoed the loud,
shrill cry of, "Julia, Julia, oh, my child! Come back, come back! Why was
you left to break your old father's heart?" And to that wail of sorrow
only the moaning wind replied, and faster the waters of the Kentucky
rolled on.

They took the old man home, and long weary days went by, during which the
river near the landing was dragged again and again, and still no trace of
the missing girl was found. Then, as hope began to whisper that possibly
she was not dead, the papers far and near contained advertisements for
her, and by the side of that appeared another for a lunatic girl, who had
escaped from the asylum at Lexington.

Four weeks went by, and the waters of the Kentucky frowned angrily "in the
gray December light," making Uncle Joshua shudder whenever he chanced to
pass by, and thought perhaps his daughter lay sleeping in their cold
embrace. A gloomy drizzly day was settling into a dark rainy night, when
two young men, who, either for business or pleasure, had rowed across the
river some miles from Woodford Landing, started to return home. They had
stepped into their boat and were about pushing off when among some
driftwood which lay not far from the shore, they thought they descried a
female's garment floating on the water. The spot was soon reached, and to
their horror they discovered the body of a young girl, which, from its
appearance, must have been in the water some time. They had heard the
story of Julia, and readily concluded that the bloated, disfigured form
before them must have been she. Taking her to the nearest dwelling, they
dispatched a messenger for Mr. Middleton, who, now that his worst fears
were confirmed, seemed paralyzed with the shock.

"Oh, I cannot go!" said he, "I cannot. Is there no one to do it for me?"

Dr. Lacey, who chanced to be present, said, "For your sake, sir, and for
Fanny's, I will go."

"God bless you, George!" answered Mr. Middleton, and in a few moments Dr.
Lacey departed.

With a thrill of horror he looked upon the swollen, discolored face, round
which the long black hair clung, matted and slimy from being so long
saturated with water, and thought that this was once the beautiful Julia,
though now so fearfully changed that no one could possibly have recognized
her. Owing to the state which the body was in, Dr. Lacey thought proper to
produce a coffin before removing her home; consequently i