The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-11-22
Sr ff Story.
THE MARKED ARM.

| Click, In the dead of the night
sharp sound awakened Mrs HalIfont
The room was dark, not even gleam Q
moon or starlight fell through the cur
tains of tn. windows. 1t was a yer,
strange sound, indeed, but she saw
nothing. heard nothing more.
She sat up, leaning upon her dimplet
left elbow, and put out her night hant
and touched her husbands shoulder
He lay upon his pillow fast asleep anc
did not awaken at her touch.
at must have been a dream" saiC
Mrs Halifont; and her young head-sh'
was only the bride Of year-nes,let
down again closer to her husband S arm
and slept again.
Click
This time the sound did not arouse
Mrs Halifont. 1t was her husband whit
awakened. He did not pause to listen
but grasped the revolver beneath hi
pillow and jumped out of bed at once
In an alcove Of the next room stood ,
safe which contained valuables. 1t wal
not one of the new safes which DEFY fire
and burglars, but an old one that hat
been in the family for long while. Nj
Halifont knew on the instant that SOME
one was opening this safe.
A man cf 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 house
breakers were at work, and, running in
the dark against powerful man tackled
him at once.
The light of a lantern flashed across
the room. There we're two more men
Three against one.
The sound of blows, struggling ant
the reports of a pistol, aroused the younl
wife once more. Amid her terror sh'
had the good sense to light the gas.
shown upon a spectacle of horror. He
husband, weltering in his blood, wrest
ling with a gigantic man, whose feature
we're concealed by mask of black Grape
a man, the upper part of whose persol
was clothed only in knitted woolel
shirt of some dark color, with sleeve
that left his great arm bare. On tn
right one, the one that clutched N
Halifont's throat, was a red mark O
brand, a scar, birthmark. 1t woul
have been impossible for Mrs Halifon
even in calmer moment, to tell what
was; but it indelibly impressed itse
upon her mind, as she bravely cast hel
!, self into the struggle, and fought wit
. all her might to drag the horrible han
from her husbands throat, screaming a
the while for aid.
A blow, kick would have silence
her. The burglar must have know
that, but there are very bad men VII
could not use violence toward woma
to save their own lives. This man coul
not His companions had flown wit
! oheir booty; help might have arrived {
, any moment. With a great effort |
wrenched himself from the clutch of b
victim, and let go his throat, and spe
:: away. 1t was not too soon. Assistant
: arrived, now that it was too late, but \
I Halifont did not live to tell the stor
E He was mortally wounded. His your
S wife watched by his bedside until
e breathed his last, then dropped besiC
5 it senseless.
For weeks she raved in wild deliriu
/, of the murderous hand, of the gre
muscular arm with the scar upon it, al
called upon them all to save her hr
bands life; but she was young and had
NJ fine constitution. After while b
n health returned, and at last her mil
4 regained its equipoise.
It She removed from the city and to
}, up her abode in lonely country pla'
d with a favorite sister for companie
is She had resolved, as all widows who ha
loved their husbands do at first, to rems
IS a widow forever. And, indeed, thou
]. many men would gladly have tempt
one so youDg, beautiful, and wealthy
change her mind on this point, 6
a, seemed to care less for any one of the
IR than for theskitten which purred up
her knee or the little black-and-tan
= - rier which ran by her side along
garden paths. She was nineteen WI
c, her husband was murdered; at thir
ns two she was still true to his memory.
:. Is any one forever utterly true
= anothers memory out of romano
- any one who does not die young? If
\ not. In this, the lapsing summer o
n woman's life, when she pretended
j believe autumn had actually col
temptation to inconstancy assaulted
n For many years fine house upon
l tneighboring estate had been empty,
4 now there came to take possession o.
les. a gentleman not yet forty. A wido'
81 "a with plenty of money and no childr
lee, b ndsome man, well built and 6
sust wart, with magnificent black hair,
.s DIS eyes that were like diamonds. Span
axe indeed, he called himself Spaniard;
al all his speech betrayedia foreign accent
III, III, The dark eyes and the blue ones 4
ad- a few neighborly words exchanged, a
We y followed soon. Mrs. Halifont felt a I
Ink, emotion creeping into her heart.
ton; felt pleased and fattered by this st,
; = gers admiration. Then she knew
Of was loved and rejoiced and 30 discovs
lics- that she herself loved again.
1xof