Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-08-11

Once more the papers contained a
mystic notice, which ran as follows
| ID. ID. Dali RIGHT. MEET Me
with documents, at Tyndale's Hotel,
Red Rock, l.. l., on the evening of the
23d instant. Money ready. p. D.
On the night designated, at the hour
named, the door of Tyndale's little bar
room was cautiously opened, and a
swarthy, sailor-like man entered. With
suspicious glance about the room,
and moments study of the only GUS
tomer-a thin-faced young country
man, with yellow eyes, in the corner
the newcomer walked up to the bar.
The jovial landlord eyed him doubt
fully.
"Give me little rum" said the man
in hoarse voice, laying five-franc
piece upon the bar; 'and tell me eff
thar's been any strange craft a-makin'
signals fer me oh'n this yer port?"
Boniface placed the bottle before his
customer with smile.
'I'm no good at puzzles" said he, 81
give it up"
He thought the fellow was tipsy.
The other glared at him moment.
81 hailed we, matey. War thar any
landlubber a.carrying lights fer me
along this shore tonight
oh, you mean, was anyone askin'
for YOU" said the tavern-keeper, bright
ening. 81 didn't catch you at first. No;
been no one here, good or bad, since
SHUTDOWN"
The man growled an oath, turned his
| Inns to the liouOr and kOlted out into
the night.
The yellow eyed countryman turned
his paper, and called 70, another mug
of beer.
Two hours later, the same black
stranger re-entered. Again he called
for rum and propounded his query as
before to the proprietor, only to be
again disappointed. No one had called
for him.
With fercer oath than at first he
turned away, then paused, and, look
ing at the landlord, left this message:
"Ef any sail makes, cap'n, you tell
em I've h'isted anchor an away. I've
waited too long already"
Hardly had the door closed behind
him when the young countryman pull
ed his coat-collar up about his ears,
threw silver dollar upon bar, and,
without waiting for his change disap-
peared also.
The landlord stared more than ever,
but, sounding his coin and finding 1t
good, he did not trouble himself as to
his mysterious customers. Enough to
him that they treated and paid.
Notwithstanding the haste of the sec
ond man, when he reached the street
the sailor was nowhere to be seen, and
| although for an hour he strolled up and
down the little town, casting his catllke
glance into all odd corners and by
place, no sign of the other was to be
| found
AT length, after Drawing the cutting
wind which swept up from the Sound
for half the night, the thin young man
expressed his views upon the weather
and his ill-success rather forcibly, and,
bnttoning his coat more closely, he
turned away from the town and
trudged rapidly inland.
And IA he did so, figure, singularly
like that of the missing sailor, arose
from a dim doorway, and, silent as
shadow, glided after him. This figure,
however, was not dressed as the sailor
had been, for from head to feet it was
covered by long white ulster, with a
cap TO match, which rendered it all but
invisible against the background of
snow which covered the earth
But the yellow-eyed man never look
ed behind, hurrying onward through
the still night along country roads and
fn1ln~al pAi,o1nSS1y onl
steadily by the one in white, until five
full miles lay between them and the
town they had left.
Then the leader turned sharply aside
from the winding road, crossed a broad,
open field, and directed his steps to-
ward lonely, half ruined house, a
wreck of the earlier years Of the cen
tury, that stood like a shrouded ghost
amid skeleton groev of le,tiess trees
that moaned. and writhed, and tossed
their gnarlea and twisted branches in
the strong night wind.
1t was grusome place-uncanny by
day, with its staring windows and low
browed gable roof. doubly threatening
at night.
But the young countryman seemed
to care nothing for all this, and, quick
ening his pace, he passed through the
grove, and disappeared in the black
gulf where once door had been.
The traveller in the white ulster fol- |
lowed, pausing only to doff the ulster,
and disclosing again the figure of the
sailor man.
Ee of the yellow eyes proceeded |
with caution along the broken hallway, !