Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-11-23

from tne injustice anu Wlck6uDe5s Ol
earth to the goodness and mercy Of Hea-
ven r.
The banker gave low, sobbing sigh.
II cannot look up, Helen," he an
swered, with passionate tremor in his
voice" only down, down at the grave
that is opening before me "
Mrs. Preble continued to stroke his
forehead softly, while she lifted her pale
face to the sunlight streaming into the
apartment
Look up, Morton-slways look up I"
she again epjoined upon the invalid.
During all these fourteen years of
agony, have not once doubted either the
goodness or the justice of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn; for they
shall be comforted.' / believe that we
shall yet rejoice more keenly than we
have mourned, and that we shall come to
glorious day ofjoy beyond all this long
night of sorrowT' ua
The face of the invalid lighted up with
an answering glow, and be murmured:
Glorious faith My wife, you are
indeed blessed comforter Perhspi,
after all. you are right"
A knock resounded on side-door at
this juncture, and the next moment Dr..
HUTTON, the family physician, for whom
Mrs. Preble had sent, entered the room.
He was an old man, portly in figure,
with white hair and beard, but with a
fresh and ruddy complexion, a pair of
shrewd blue eyes, and with an exuberant
boyishness of manner that sat well upon
him. BE had kind heart and clear
head. He approached the sofa, after
greeting the husband and wife, and lifted
the thin restless hand of the invalid, feel
ing his pulse.
"Qaite high fever" he said, after a
briet pause Worrying again, eb, Mr..
Preble2 You are wearing yourself cut.
Medicine will dc. you no good so long as
your mind is in its present condition. l
must give you an opiate-"
mot now, DOCTOR" interposed the
banker. Icsnnot-must not-sleep to-
day need to be bread awake now, for
/ cannot tell at any moment what the
next may bring forth. am looking for
the elimination of all my years of an-
guish-for the crowning agony of the
whole. Perhaps even now Alb, what
was that p ra A....
He started up wildly, and then, as the
sound that had disturbed him was not
repeated, he sank back again on his
cushions, psllid and painting.
The doctor looked at Mrs. Preble with
an anxious, questioning glance.
at is the anniversary" she replied to
his unspoken inquiry" the anniversary
of our loss"
"Ah, yes" said the doctor. II re-
mem her"
"Yes, it's another of those terrible
days." cried the banker, in a hollow
whisper "Sit down, doctor, and will
tell yoV the whole story. can think of
nothing else to-day, and am almost wild
with apprehension and anxiety. Sit
down."
DR.. Hutton drew up chair and seated
himself, his face. expressing the double
solictude of friend and physician.
"You knew US fourteen years ago,
DOCTOR" said Mr. Preble. 1--WE lived
then where we do now, in cottage on
the site of this great mansion. There
were but the three of us--Helen and l,
and our three,year old Jessie. And it
was fourteen years ago to-day that our
little Jessie was stolen from us"
"I remember it," said the doctor
softly. yet might she not have been
lost, Mr.. Preble2 She went out to play
in the garden, if ! remember rightly, and
was never seen by you again. She might
have strsyed away
$50 we thought for whole year, doc
tor" interrupted the banker. 1--WE never
dreamed that she had been stolen. We
searched everywhere for her, and offered
immense rewards for her recovery. /
employed detectives, but all to no p1r-
pose. When our little Jessie ran down
the steps into that fower-garden," and be
pointed to the front Of the house, "ss if
the earth had opened and swallowed her
up, we never saw her again.
"She must have found the gate opeE,
aud wandered out" suggested DR.. Hut
ton. "She might have stroled down to
the waters aud drowned.
The banker fixed his burning eyes upon
the physicians face, aud whispered
81 said we never saw the poor child
again. l did not say We had not heard of
her She was Loaf on the 9Th of August,
1854. For year We thought her dead.
Bat on the anniversary of our loss we re-
ceived q written message concerning
her"
"a message" cried DR.. Hutton,
starting.
"a mere scFawl--s single line 10 a
hand evidently disguised" said the
banker Here il is."
BE produced q dingy scrap of paper
from drawer in the table, and held it
up to the view of the physician, who
read as follows:
August O. 1sS5. .lessie. Ia. hal Jessie"
Dr.. Hutton looked, with puzzled air,
from the scrap Of paper, which be turned
over and over, 10 the countensnce OF the
banker.
81 can make. nothing of this" he de-
olared, at is merely a date, with the
name Of your lost daughter. 1t tells me
nothing"
"Nor did Il Us, at frsi," said Mr..
Preble Then that name and that cate,
with the demon laugh connecting them,
set US 10 thinking. A whole year We ag-
oniEsd over the dreadful problem, and