The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-11-24
The doctor looked at Mrs Preble with

his unspoken inquiry-"tbe anniversar
of our loss"
"Ah, yes" said the doctor. 81 re
m ember."
"Yes, it's another of those terribl
days." cried the banker, in q holloy
whisper. "Sit down, doctor, and l viii
tell you the whole story. l can thinl
of nothing else to-day, and am almos
wild with apprehension and anxiety
Sit down."
DR.. Hutton drew up chair and seat
ed himself, his face expressing tn,
double solicitude of q friend and phys
ician.
"You knew US fourteen years ago
DOCTOR" said Mr.. Preble. "We liveC
then where we do now, in q cottage OF
the site of this great mansion. There
were but the three of us-Helen and /
and our three-year old Jessie. And il
was fourteen years ago to-day that oul
little Jessie was stolen from u.s."
"Iremember it," said the doctor softly
"Yet might she not have been lost, Mr.
Preblef She went out to play in the
garden, if l remember rightly, and was
never seen by you again. She might
have strayed away"
$50 we thought for q whole year
Doctor" interrupted the banker. awe
never dreamed that she had been stolen
We searched everywhere for her, and
offered immense rewards for her re.
covery. / Iemployed detectives, but all
to no purpose. When esr little Jessie
ran down the steps into that flower
garden, and he pointed to the front oi
the house, "as if the earth had openee
and swallowed her up, we never saw
her again"
"She must have found the gate open
and wandered out" suggested DR.. Hut
ton. "She might have Strolled down tt
the waters and been drowned"
The banker fixed his burning eyes
upon the physicians face, and whisper
ed:
IL said We never saw the poor child
again. did not say we had not heard
of her. She was lost on the 9th OF
August, 1854. For year we thought
her dead. But on the anniversary OF
our less we received q witten message
concerning her."
"a message" cried DR.. Hutton, start
ing,
hand evidently disguised" said the
banker. Here it ISL
He produced diDgy scrap of paper
from drawer in the table, and held it
up to the view of the physician, who
read as follows:
E"AUGUsT 9, 1855. Jessie, hd, hd' Jessie"
DR.. Hutton looked, with puzzled air,
from the scrap of paper, which he turn
ed over and over, to the countenance OF
the banker.
81 can make nothing of this" he de-
clared. at is merely date, with the
name of your lost daughter. 1t tells me
nothing"
"Nor did il US, at first" said Mr.. Pre-
BILE. "Then that name and that date,
with the demon laugh connecting them,
set us to thinking, A whole year we
agonized over the dreadful problem, and
then we received another message,
which you shall see."
He thrust q second slip of paper,
identical in shape and appearance with
the first, before the gaze of DR.. Hutton,
who read it alOund:
"AUGUST9, 1S56. Your Jessie still lires"
The physician started, as if electrifi.
ed.
"Ah! this is something definite-some.
thing decisive, he muttered. at con.
WINGED you that your daughter was still
living
Eyes, DOCTOR" said Mr.. Preble, "and
every anniversary of that day has
brought us some message. The disap-
pearance of the child, mysterious as it
is, does not seem to me half SO strange
as that the villain who took her away
could contrive to communicate with us
every year since, and always on par
ticular day-the anniversary of that on
which she was stolen-withOut our be.
ing able to discover who he is. And n
still greater wonder to me is what can
be his motive. II seems incredible. II il
was stated in a novel many people
would not believe it. But truth is
stranger than felton,"
Mrs. Preble drew from her husbands
breast pocket his notebook, opened it
to the proper page, and presented it to
the physician.
DR.. Hutton adjusted his spcctacles,
glanced over the page, nd then slowly
read the group of entries aloud. The
entry the tirst year is as follow:
august 9, 1855. Jessie, la, hG
Jessie %
And the next year it is
august 9, 1856. Your Jessie sill
Tires ="
And the next
"AUGUsT9, 1857. She is in good hands,
And the next
"AUGUsT 9, 1853. She is pclIas erer r'
And the next
"AuGUsT 9, 1889. I sao her yester-
day ~
And the next
"AUGUsT 9, 1860. She's groring rap,
idly"
And the next
august 9, 1861. She continues to do
tceU :"
And the next
"AUGUsT 0, 1862. Pre- seen her again ~
And the next
"AUGUsr 9, 1863. She's becoming eO,
man :"
And the next
"AUGUsT ., 1864. Your child i' hir'
teen ~
And the next
"AUGUsT Q, 1865. She's lOrslier than
erer :"
And the next
"AuGUsT 9, 1866. She. really charm,
ing "
And last year it is
"AUGUsT 9, 1867. Ny re,rard Is al
hdndw
And what shall we get day!
The physician looked up and fixed
his thoughtful gaze upon the bereaved
husband and wife.
Glow did these messages come tC
yon y he demanded.
Invariably by post" replied Mr.. Pre-
bic. Usually to the house, but some
times to the officew ..r.
"And you have never seen theil
authorT ~
"Neverw
'"The last of them is dated, see,
year ago today
eyes, yes" faltered the banker, "anC
the time has come for another message
This is the 9th of August, le6sw
II see" said DR.. Hutton. "ABd thi
is the secret of your terrible excitement
You are expecting to rece i've to-day an
other Of these strange messages"