Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1869-11-26

ly read the group of entries aloud
The entry the first year is as follows:
AUGUST Q. 1856. Jsssie, ha, ha /! ,Jes-
sic -
And the next year it is
august 8, 1856. Kour Jessie stu
liUes.''
And the next
"AUausr .. 1857. she is in good
hands ~
And the next
AUGUST ., 1858. she is ret as ev-
ep'
And the next
"AUeusr 9, 1859. Isa,o her yester-
dag ~
And the next
"AUGusr ., 1860. l@e'sgrorot,g rap
idly ~
And the next
august 9, 1861. she continues to do
aoeHr'
And the next
"Aueusr Q, 1862. Pre seen her a.
gain ~
And the next
AUGUST ., 1863. She's becoming
aooDaan.'
And the next
"AUGusr9 9, 1864. Your child is air-
teen!"
And the next
"AUeUsr 9, 1855. She's 5oulier than
eUer!"
And the next
"AUGusT 8, 1866. She's really char
naingr"
And last year it is
"AUGUsT 8, 1867. Ny relcard is at
hand ~
And what shall we get to-day
The physician looked up and fixed
his thoughtful gaze upon the bereaved
husband and wife.
"How did these messages come to
you ?' he demanded.
Invariably by post" replied Mr..
Preble. Usually to the house, but
sometimes to the office" !"
"And you have never seen their.au-
thor ?''
"Never !"
''The last of them is dated, L see a
year ago to-dayp'
Eyes, yes" faltered the banker, ''and
the time has come for another mes
sage. This is the 9th of August, 1861"
81 see, ;" said DIR. Hutton. "And this
is the secret of your terrible excite
ment. You are expecting to receive to-
day another of these strange messages!p
Their was brief silence. Mrs. Pre-
ble's hand fluttered in its task, and her
face grew very pale The banker
breathed gaspingly. The physician re-
garded them both in friendly sympa-
thy.
1--WE shall hear of her again to-day"
said Mr.. Preble; and what win 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 un-
questionabIy the abductor of your
child ~ said DR.. Hutton. "Have You
any suspicion as to his IDENTIFY"
"Not the slightest, !" said Mr.. Preble.
''We have puzzled over the problem
for many years, but we cannot guess
who he is"
"Think," said the doctor. "Have
YOU no enemy? l do not mean peoe
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 all these questions re-
peatedly.
"I have no such enemy, DOCTOR" he
answered with sincerity of voice
and manner.
"And Mrs. Preble?" suggested the
doctor, turning to her. "Have you no
rejected suitor who might be revenge
full enough to desolate your home ?''
mo- said the lady. 81 was mar
ried early. Morton was my first low
er !"
"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
hidden foe-a fiend in human form
who is working out against you a fear
full hatred And you have not the
slightest suspicion as to whom he is ?"
''Not the slightest" declared the
banker.
''Not the slightest ~ echoed Mrs.
Preble. My husband had step-broth-
er who might have been capable of this
infamy-but he is dead ~
"The handwriting is not familiar ?"
mo. 1t is merely a rude scrawl, as
you see, = said the banker. sit sug-
gests nothing except that it is evil
dently disguised !" ,,,,,,,,,. ,n
sour child would be seventeen years
Olu lOW, Nv ASuSbh hluA AuISd NAAS'
Preble, her voice trembling. ''She
is on the threshold of womanhood.
No doubt, during all these years, she
has yearned for US, wherever she may
be, as we have yearned for her ~
"But where is she ?" asked the ply
sieian-and now his voice was broken
by his deep sympathy with the ago
nized parents. Where can she be?"
Heaven only knows" answeredthe
mother. "Perhaps in San Francisco
perhaps in some rude hut in the inte-
rior,wit some obscure farmer, and
under name that is not hers think
her abductor would have carried her
to some lonely region of the interior,
/ aD,onor tho UalIavs and DountaiDS