Middletown transcript., 1869-11-27

Efeuie, WIN TeVerently tfuStfuI glance
upward through the open window at the
blue sky, and as if looking beyond the
azure clouds therein. "Let us appeal
from the injustice and wickedness of earth
to the goodness and mercy of Heaven !'
The banker gave q low, sobbing sigh.
:" cannot look up, Helen" he ans
wered, with passionate tremor in his
voice" only down, down at the grave
that is open before met
Mrs. Preble continued to stroke his
forehead softly, while she lifted her pale
face to the sunlight streaming into the
apartment. s'il iHf
Look up, Morton-always look up 7"
she again enjoined upon the invalid.
During all these fourteen years Of agony
| have not once doubted either the good
ness 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 mourn
ed, and that we shall come to a glorious
day of joy beyond all this long night Of
sorrow p 5l- f.a
The face of the invalid lighted up with
an answering glow, and he murmured;
"Glorious faith! My wife, you are
indeed blessed comforter! Perhaps, af-
ter all, you are right" II
A knock resounded on side-door at
this juncture, aud 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, pair of
shrewd blue eyes, and with an expberant
boyishness of manner that sat we'll upon
him. He had kind heart and a 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.
"Quite high fever" he said, after
brief pause. :" Worrying again, eh, Mr.
Preble?" You are wearing yourself out
Medicine will do you no good so long as
your mind is ip its present condition. /
must give you an opiate--"
Not now, DOCTOR" interposed the
banker. al cannot-must not-sleep to-
day! / need to be broad 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-Ah, what
was that p z..
He started up wildly, and then, as the
sound that had disturbed him was not re-
peated, he sank back again on his cush-
ions, pallid and painting.
The doctor looked at Mrs. Preble with
an anxious, questioning glance.
- 1t is the anniversary" she replied to
his unspoken inquiry" the anniversary
of our loss." ..5 ~
All, yes," said the doctor. II re-
member" .-r
g Yes. it's another of those terrible
days" cried the banker, In hollow whis-
per. !" Sit down, doctor, and I will tell
you the whole story. can think of moth
ing 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
solicitudc of friend and physician.
You knew us fourteen years ago,
DOCTOR" said Mr.. Preble. "We lived
then where we do now, in cottage on
the site of this great mansion. There
were but three of us-Hclen and I. and
our three-year old Jessie And it was
fourteen years ago to-day that our little
Jessie was stolen from u.s."
remember it" said the doctor softly.
!" Yet might she not have been lost, Mr..
Preble She went out to play in the
garden, if remember rightly, and was
never seen by you again. She might have
strayed away" s.sf
So we thought for whole year doc
tor" interrupted the banker "We never
dreamed that she had been stolen. We
searched everywhere for her, and offered
immense rewards for her recovery. lem
ployed detectiyes, but all to no purpose
When our little Jessie ran down the steps
into that fower-garden," and he pointed
to the front of the house, {" as if the earth
had opened and swallowed her up, we
never saw her again. a NJ
:" She must have found the gate open,
and wandered OUT suggested DR.. Hut
ton. "She might have strolled down to
the waters and been drowned" 8
The banker fixed bis burning eyes upon
the physicians face, and whispered:
said We meyer 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 loss we re-
-eeiyed q written message concerning her. !"
5" A message y cried DR.. Hutton, start
ing. IN fgs
A mere scrawl--a single line in a
hand evidently disguised, Y said the bank
err. Here it is." - - -. s -
He produced dingy scrap of paper
from draw in the table. and held 1t up
to the vieW Of the physician, who read as
folloWs
"AugRes Q, 1855. Je.sis, Ia, hat Jessie
DR.. Hutton looked. with puzzled air
from the scrap of paper. which he tnrned
over and oyer, to the conntenapce Of the
banker. si.f
;.I can make nothing Of this,'' he de-
clared. q # 10 merely date, with the