The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-12-02

AhO PuSolCldu iOOhGu up allu uACu
his thoughtful gaze upon the bereaved
husband and wife.
/ ''HOw did these messages come to
your" he demanded.
mInvariably by post" replied Mr.
Preble. "Usually to the house, but
sometimes to the officel'
And you have never seen their au-
tthor?"
"Neverr"
"The last of them Is dated, I see, a
year ago to-day" !"
ayes, yes" faltered the banker,
'and the time has come for another
message. This is the 9th of August,
1868 gD
81 see," said DR.. Hutton. "And
this is the secret of your terrible ex-
element! You are expecting to re-
ceive to day another of these strange
messages ~
There was a brief silence. Mrs.
] Preble's hand fluttered in its task, and
her face grew deathly pale. The
banker breathed gaspingly. Thephys-
ician regarded them both in friendly
sympathy.
ave shall hear of her again to day"
said Mr.. Preble; "and what will the
message be?'
The mother averted her face. Her
brave heart faItered as that question
echoed in her soul.
"The writer of these letters is I'M
questionabIy the ahductor of your
childi" said DR.. Hutton. "Have you
any suspicious as to his identity ?"
LNOt the slightest" said Mr.. Preble.
awe have puzzled over the problem
for many years, but we can not guess
who he is"
WThink," said the doctor. "Have-
you no enemy? 1 do not mean peo-
pie with whom you are not friendly
every stirring man has plenty of
these-but downright enemy? Is
there no man whom you knew in the
East who hated you? No one against
whom you were called upon to testify
no one whom you possibly injured ?"
The banker shook his head. He
had asked himself these questions re-
peatedly.
"I have no such enemy, DOCTOR"
J be answered with sincerity of voice
and manner.
/ "And Mrs. PrebIe? ?'' suggested the
doctor, turning to her. "Have you
no rejected suitor who might be re-
Vengeful enough to desolate your
home?7
"No," said the lady. 81 was mar
ried early. Morton was my first
lover !'
g This is strange-very strange :"
muttered the doctor. "YOu are not
conscious of having an enemy in the
world, and yet you have an enemy
a Hidden fOe-a fiend in human form
who is working out against you a
fearful hatred And you have not the
Slightest suspicion as to whom he is ?"
"Not the slightest" declared the
banker. .......
-UNot the slightest" echoed Mrs.
Preble. My husband had a step
brother who might have been capable
of this infamy-but he is dead ~
1.-The handwriting is not familiar ?'
"NO. 1t is merely a rude scrawI, as
you see" said the banker. alt sug-
gests nOthing-eXcept that it is evil
IDENTIFY disguised y
Again there was a profound silence.
"Our child is seventeen years old
nOw," at length murmured Mrs.
4 Preble, her voice trembling. "She is
on the threshold of womanhood. No
doubt, during all these years, she has
tyearned for us, wherever she may be,
as we have yearned for her ~
"But where is she ~ asked the phys
tician-and now his voice was broken
by his deep sympathy with the agOn-
lied parents. "Where can she be ?"
"Heaven only knows" answered the
mother. "Perhaps in San francisco
perhaps in some rude hut in the
Interior, with some obscure farmer,
and under name that is not hers
think her abductOr would have car
; ried her to some lonely region of the
interior, among the valleys and noun
tains. Yet l never see a young girl
in the streets without turning to look
at her. 1 never hear a girlish voice
: without listening eagerly, half fancy
ing that it may prove the voice of my
lost Jessie"
ooh, plying heaven ~ sighed DR.
Hutton, dashing a flood Of tears from
: his eyes. "Will this long agony nev
er be Over?"
awe hope so, and even believe so,
answered Mrs. Preble, with the firm
ness of an unfaltering trust in God,
, mercy. 1.-The last message we receiv
: ed from our enemy seems to point t.
some kind of change"
!, ,"True," assented DR.. Hutton, look
: ing at the message in question. at is
e unlike the others. 1t says that hi
reward is at hand He means eithe
: that he intends to marry your daugh
ter, or that he intends to deman;
p money of you for bringing her back
2 or both"
owe shall soon know" said Mrs
Preble, with forced calmness. "TO
4 day we shall have another message
no doubt. What will it be?
The banker turned restlessly on hi
8 sofa, and his face grew even paler.
"Whatever it is, let it come" h
murmured. "Anything can be born
:, better than this awful suspense. LIE
it come ~
AS if his impatient words had pre-
j. cipitated crisis, a step was heard O.
the walk at this moment, and rim
at the front door followed.
o "Another messagey breathed tn
banker.
A servant soon entered, bearing
y letter, which he extended to Nj
Preble, saying:
UThe bearer is in the hall"
n With an eager gaze, the banke
glanced at the superscription of th
missive.
is alt is from him % he faltered.
He tore the envelope open.
1t contained a slip of paper, Of wei
" known shape and appearance, upo
which was scrawled a single line,
an equally Well-knoWn handwriting