Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-12-30
The Marked Arm.
A CIRCUMSTANCE FROM REAL LIFE


ing, heard nothing more.
She sat up, learning on her dimpled
left elbow, and put out her right hand
and touched her husbands shoulder.
He lay upon his pillow sound asleep.
and he did not waken at her touch.
alt must have been a dream" said
Mrs. Hallfont; and her young head
she was only the bride of a year-nes
tied down again closer to her husbands
arm, and slept again.
Click
This time the sound did not arouse
Mrs. Halifont. 1t was her husband
who awakened. He did not stop to lis
ten, but grasped the revolver beneath
his pillow and jumped out of bed at
once. In an alcove in the next room
stood safe which contained money and
valuablcs 1t was not one of the Won
derful new safes which defy fire and
burglars, but an old one that had been
in the family long while. Mr.. Hall
font knew on the instant that some one
was opening this safe
A man of courage, man who never
hesitated in the face of danger-one,
too, who had warm regard for his
worldly possessions, Mr.. Halifont strobe
at once into the room where he knew
housebreakers were at work, and run
ming in the dark against powerful
man tackled him at once.
The light of lantern flashed across
the room. There were two more men.
Three against one.
The sound of blows, struggling. and
the report of pistol aroused the young
wife once more. Amidst her terror, she
had the good sense to light the gas. 1t
shone upon spectacle of horror. Her
husband weltering in his blood, wrest-
ling with gigantic man whose features
were concealed by a mask of black
Grape, a man. the upper part of whose
person was clothed only in a knitted
wooden shirt of some dark color, with
sleeves that left his great arms bare
On the right one, the one which clutch
ed MIR. Halifont's throat, was a red
mark or brand. scar, birth mark.
1t would have been impossible for Mrs.
Halifont, even In calmer moment, to
tell what it was but it indelibly i'm
pressed itself upon her mind, as she
bravely cast herself into the struggle
and fought with all her might to drag
the horrible hand from her husband s
throat, screaming all the while for aid.
A blow, kick would have silenced
her. The burglar must have known
that, but there are very bad men who
could not use violence toward woman
to save their own lives. This man could
not. HIS companions had flown with
their booty, help might have arrived al
any moment. With great effort he
wrenched himself from the clutch of his
victim, and let 60 his throat and sped
away. 1t was not too soon; assistance
arrived, now that it was too late, bu
Mr.. Halifont did not live to tell thu
story. He was mortally wounded. Hi
young wife watched by his bed-sid,
until he breathed his last, then dropped
. beside it senseess.
. For weeks she raved in wild deliriun
D of the murderous hand, of the grea
muscular arm with the scar upon it
4 and called upon them all to save he
: husbands life; but she was young am
! had fine constitution. After a Will
b her health returned. and, at last, he
mind regained it equipoise.
a She removed from the city and too
a up her abode in lone country place
with favorite sister for a companion
Q She had resolved, as all widows wh
e have loved their husbands do at first, I
e remain a widow forever. And indeed
though many men would gladly hav
V tempted one so young, beautiful an
- - wealthy to change her mind on tn
20 point, she seemed to care less for an
is one of them than for the kitten whic
y, purred upon her knee, or the little blac
ls and tan terrier which ran by her sic
aloug the garden paths. She was min
~ teen when her husband was murdered
" at thirty-two she was still true to
lg memory.
Is any one forever utterly true
~ another's memory out of romance, ar
lg one who does not die young {? | fear nc
In this the lasping summer of the W
a mans life, when she pretended to b
KS lieve that autumn had actually com
&c temptation to Inconsistency assailed he
on For many years fine house upon t
p- neighboring estate had been empty. b
", now there came to take possession of ii
no gentleman not yet forty. A widow
80 80 with plenty of money and no childr
he handsome man, we'll built and ST
=, wart, with magnificent black hair, a
de eyes that were like black damon,
en I Spanish eyes,-indeed, he called hi
,ce self Spaniard, his speech
for trayed a foreign accent.
led The dark eyes and the blue eyes m