The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-02-19

| III LnOu WOulQ6C Stlll he Tree,
Beware of me!
But If longing, born within thy soul,
Gives thee far-Oh glimpse of unknown bliss
Then let thy love speed onward to its goal,>
Nor thy true rest and joy for blindness miss
If thou wouldst not be free,
Then come to me!
Laura Winthrop johnson, in Scribner.
AMYSTERY SOLVED.
Glimpses Of Life In the Thinly Settled Interi
or Counties Of Arkansas.
4 the foot of the Boston Mountain,
dW s'gis man named Mason. He Is owe,
eighty years old and his tall figure, white
hair and patriarchal air give him an in
describable appearance. His house
is rough but comfortable log cabin, an6
the few acres around it afford ample sub
sistence. An excellent marksman, he
has never abandoned the use of his trusty
rifle, while the numerous deer and bea1
skins within and without the cabin, bea,
ample testimony OF his skill and success
With the exception of his wife he lives
entirely alone. But his life has not al
ways been thus desolate. Only few
years ago three children frightened his
humble home, two boys, John and David,
and one daughter Lizzie, who was the
pride of the old mans heart and the light
Of his rude cabin. The sons were light
hearted boys, gwen to drink somewhat,
but liked by everybody, while Lizzie was
rare wildwood blossom. Her soft blue
eyes and f1axen hair played sad havoc
with the hearts of the younger portion OF
the opposite sex in all that section, and
many sought her hand in marriage, the
fortunate young suitor being young
man named Charles Mckinley, rather dis
sipated, not worth dollar, yet handsome,
very forest Apollo-in short Just the
kind ola yonng man to win young girl 8
heart!
The Mason family were anything but
pleased with he: choice, and spared no
effort to break off the attachment the
lovers had for each other. Lizzie, how
ever could not be moved. Entreaties
and threats were alike unavailing. The
former gave ner courage to plead for
Charley; the latter made her cling the
closer to him. The young man was also
firm. will never give up Lizzie, he
said, with big round oath, when ques-
toned on that point. Finding all other
efforts useless the Masons resorted to
more violent measures. John Mason met
Charles Mckinley one day in the forest
and terrible fight ensued, in which
both were badly cut and bruised. but in
which John Was decidedly wcrsted. This
stirred up additional bitterness and tor a
time threatened to draw the majority of
the surrounding families into the quar-
rel and disturb the peace OF the neigh
bolhoot. Lizzie sought to pour oil on
the troubled water, and her gentle words
melted the hardened natures that evil
passion had filled with wrath. There
was reconciliation between her lover
and brother, and there was general re-
]olcing in consequence, when an event
occurred which changed am1ty into dis
trust and suspsclon. The event was no
less than the sudden disappearance Of
Charles Mckinley. He was last seen
alive alone in the forest beyond the
mountains, and was Oh the trail OF
heard of dev1. The most rigid search
tailed to dlscoverd him or any trace of
his whereabouts. He had dropped out
of sight and life as If the earth had
opened and swallowed him up. All sorts
Of stories were rife. One said he had
been murdered, another that he had run
away, still another that he was purposely
hiding himself and would suddenly re-
turn. But as time went on and he ne1th-
er came nor was heard of, the suspicion
that he had met with foul play gained
ground rapidly, growing into certainty
IN the minds OF very many persons. OF
course John Mason was accused of the
murder, and though he strenuously de-
MED the charge, the evidence against
him was strong enough to warrant his
apprehension. Once in the mcshes of
the law, it seemed as If hundred cir
cumstances came up all crying trumpet
tongued "Gullty'' Divers persons
had heard HIM threaten to kill
Charles Mckinley; that young man
had himself said that he did not
consider his life safe so long as John Ma
son remained in the country. Even
Johns father admitted reluctantly that
his son had declared his intention of rid
ding Charles Mckinley with buckshet,
while David corroborated the parents
statement. Thus the coils of circumstan-
tlal evidence closed tighter and tighter
about the young man, and beyond his
bare assertion there was nothing to be
said in retutation. The blow had fallen
on the young girl with crushing effect.
The sudden disappearance Of her lover,
the arrest of her brother on the charge of
numbering him, almost drove her insane
She, however, shared the popular
opinion that young Mckinley had been
murdered, and that her brother was guilty
Of that terrible crime. Urged for a rcas
on for her belief, that it rested on the
slender foundation of dream. She add
ed that on the nj ght succeeding the iay
upon which Charles Mckinley disap-
peared she had dreamed that she saw
her brother and him in violent quar-
rel. The men were in dark ra-
vine; there was mountain to their right,
and deep, dense forest to their left She
heard their words; she saw John strike
Mckinley with the butt of his rifle and
fell him to the ground. That blow was
fatal. The young man never spoke after
wards. John hid the body in a dark
cave in the mountains, and there it still
remained! This dream made powerful
impression upon the young girl, and
though many were disposed to laus Oh at
it, even while admitting it told tremcnd-
ously against her brother, nothing could
shake her faith and confidence in it's hor-
rible reality. She insisted that it was
true. though no trace Of the body was
found in any of the numerous mountain
caves after most rigid search, and the
vision rested only upon her individual
statement. But her faith gave it tcnfold
power; her acts seemed to confirm her
belief. From that moment she was a
changed woman. Slowly she pined
away. The color faded from her cheeks,
giving place to death-like pallor; her
step, once light and elastic, became slow
and languid; her eyes lost their tender
glance, and sparkled with an unearthly
lustre; she uttered no complaint. Like
the gentle girl who loved the unfortunate