Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-11-25


lowed her up, we never saw her again"
''She must have found the gate open,
and wandered out" suggested DIR. Hut
ton. "She might have strolled down to
the waters and been drowned"
The banker fixed his burning eyes up
on the physicians face, and whispered:
II said we never saw the poor child
again. did not say we had not heard
of her. She was lost on the 9th of Au-
gust, 1854. For year we thought her
dead But on the anniversary of our
loss we received written message con-
cerning her."
ga mcssage" cried DR.. Hutton, start
ing.
hand evidently disguised" said the
banker. Here it is"
He produced dingy scrap of paper
from drawer in the table and held it
up to the view of the physician, who
read as follows:
august Q. 1855. Jessie, ha, ha! JESSIE
DR.. Hutton looked, with puzzled air,
from the scrap of paper, which he turn
ed over and over, to the countenance of
the banker.
81 can make nothing of this" he de-
clared. at is merely date, with the
name of your lost daughter 1t tells me
nothing"
Nor did it us, at first" said Mr.. Pre-
BILE. ''Then that name and that date,
with the demon laugh connecting them,
set US to thinking. A whole year we
agonIzed over the dreadful problem, and
then, and then We received another
message, which you shall see."
He thrust a second slip of paper, iden-
tical in shape and appearance with the
the first, before the gaze of DIR. Hutton,
who read it aloud:
August 0, 1885. Your Jessie still !iues."
The physician started, as if electrified.
"Ah! this is something definite
something decisive" he muttered. sit
convinced you that your daughter was
still livingn
Yes, DOCTOR" said Mr.. Preble, "and
every anniversary of that day has
brought us some message. The disap-
pearance of the child, mysterious as it
is, dees not seem to me half so strange
as that the villain who took her away
could cOptrive TO communicate with us
every year since, and always on par
ticular day-the anniversary of that on
which she was stolen-without our be-
ing able 10 discover who he is. And a
still greater wonder TO me is what can
be his motive. 1t seems incredible. 1t
was stated in a novel many people
would not believe it. But truth is
stranger than felton,"
Mrs. Preble drew from her husbands
breast-p pocket his note book, opened it to
the proper page, and presented it to the
physician.
DR.. Hutton adjusted his spectacles,
glanced over the page, and then slowly
read the group of entries aloud. The
entry the first year is as follows:
"August o, Is55. Jessie, hd, hd! F! Jessie r'
And the next year it is
"August 9, 1856. Your Jessie Stiy Sives r'
And the next
'.August 0, 1857. She is in good hands r'
"August o, 1858. She is treu as everr'
And the next
"August 0, 1859. Isa,u her yesterctqyr'
And the next
..August 0, 1850. She's grosOing rapidly!r'
"August o, 1s6a. Tue seen her again.
And the next
august 9, 1863. SHE'S becoming a tuoman''
And the next
August o, 1864. Your child is ntirtee7lr'
August ., 1865. SHE'S IopeEier than sUer!r'
A, I'd the next
:. August o, 1866. ishe'srealEy ctarningr'
And 'ast year it is
ga, xnst 0, 1867. Ny REGARD is at handr
And VIII. " shall we get to-day!
The phy Sieian looked up and fixed his
thoughtful 'aze upon the bereaved hus-
band and wife.
"How did tl1ese messages come 10
you?" he deman ded.
Invariably by 'ost, repiied Mr.. RE
BILE. Usually to tn house, but some
times to the office!"
"And you have never seen fhelr au-
thor?"
"Neveru
1.-THE last of them is d ated, see, a
year ago to-day"
"Yes, yes," faltered the ba uker, "and
the time has come for another message.
This is the 9th of August, 1858! "
~ see," said DR.. Hutton. "a nd thls
is the secret of your terrible excitement!
You are expecting to receive to-day an
other of these strange messages"
There was brief silence. Mrs. Pre-
ble's hand fiuttered in its task, and her
face grew very pale. The banker breath
ed gaspingly.. The physician regarded
them both in friendly sympathy.
1--WE shall hear of her again to-day"
said Mr. Preble land what will the
be?"
The mother averted her face. Her
brave heart faltered as that question
echoed in her soul.
1.-The writer of these letters is unques-
tionably the abductor of your childn'
said DIR. Hutton. Have you any sus-
picion as to his identity? ?"
Not the slightest" said Mr.. Preble.
1--WE have puzzled over the problem for
many years, but we cannot guess who
he isl
''Think, )" said the doctor Have you
no enemy? dc not mean people with
whom you are not friendly-every stir
ring man has plenty of these-but a
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-
II 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 revengeful
enough to desolate your home"
NO" said the lady. II was married !
early. Morton was my first lover!"
''frhis is strange-very strange" NUT |
tered the doctor. "You are not conscious
of having enemy-a hidden foe-a fiend |
in human form-who is working out |
against you fearful hatred! And you |
have not the slightest suspicion as to
whom he is?"
mot the slightest" declared the |
banker"
mot the slightest" !" echoed Mrs. Pre-
BILE. "My husband had a step-brother |
who might have been capable of this in
he is dead"
1.-The handwriting is not familiar?"
mo. 1t is merely n rude scrawl, as |
Won see ~ said the bankeru alt sug-