Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-11-25

sent, entered the room. nl.N
He was an old man portly in
figure, with white hair and beard,
but with fresh and ruddy com.
plexion,-a pair Of shrewd blue eyes,
and with an exuberant boyishness of
manner. that set well upon him. He
had kind heart and clear head. =
lie approached the sofa after greet
ing the husband and wife, and lifted
the thin restless hand of the invalid,
feeling his pulse.
"Quite a high feve," he said after
a brief pause. "Worrying again, Ell,
Mr.. Preble? You are wearing vour-
self out, Medicine will do YOU no
good so long as your mind is in its
present condition. 1 must give you
an opiateN 81
mot now DOCTOR" interposed the
banker. III cannot - must not
sleep to-day! need to be broad
awake now for cannot tell at any
moment what next may bring forth.
| am looking for the elimination of
all my years of anguish-for the.
Growing agony of the whole. Per-
haps even now--Ah, what is that P"
He started up wildly, and then, as
the sound that disturbed him was
not-repeated he sank back again on
his cushions, paid and painting.
HE doctor looked at Mrs. Preble
with an anxious, questioning glance.
"Ltis the anniversary" she replied
to-hts unspoken inquiry-"the ami
versary of our loss"
"Ah yes said the doctor. 81
rem ember."
= Yes it's another of those terrible
days, cried the banker in hollow
whisper. "Sit down, doctor, and |
will tell you the whole story. | can
think of nothing else to day, and am
al@ost wild with apprehension and
anxiety. Sit down"
Df,Hutton drew up chair and
seated himself, his face expressing
the double sollcitude of friend and
ply stefan.
You knew us fourteen years ago
doctor" said Mr.. Preble. NV { lived
then where We do now, in a cottage
on The site of this great mansion.-
There were but the three OF us
Helen and |, and our three year.old
Jessie. And it was fourteen years
agoto'day that our little Jessie was
stotea from as.
lremember it," said the doctor
softly Yet might she not have
been-lost, Mr.. Preble She went
QUITO play in the, garden, if | re-
meAN4Drightly. and was never seen
by you again. She might have stray.
ed away"
$50 we thought for whole year,
DOCTOR" interrupted the banker.
F." We never dreamed that she had
been stolen. We searched every.
where for her, and offered immense
rewards for her recovery. l EN-.
ployed detectives, but all to no pur-
pose. When our little Jessie ran
down the steps into that flower gar.
den, and he pointed to the front OF the
house, "as ii the earth had opened
and swallowed her up, we never saw
her AGAIN"
"She must have found the gate
open, and wandered out, suggested
DR.. Hutton. " She might have
strolled down to the waters and been
drowned. y
The Banker fixed his burning eyes
upon the physicians and whispered;
II SAID We never saw the poor child
again, did not say that 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 received
written message concerning her"
"A message y cried DR.. Hutton,
starting.
(" a mere scrawl- single line in
a hand evidently disguised, said the
banker. "Elere it is.
He produced dingy bit Of paper
from a drawer in the table, and held
it up to the view of the physician,
who read as follows:
"Auguas, 1855. Jessie. ha, Ia! Jessie"
Dr.uutton looked, with puzzled
air, from the scrap of paper, which
he turned over and over, to the coun
tenance of the banker.
~ can make nothing of This" he
declared. at is merely date, with
the name of You lost daughter. 1t
tells me nothing"
Nor did 1t US, at first said Mr..