Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-12-18

gentlemen, felt queerly and confess it,"
The doctor paused and slipped his wine.
81 drove up to the little cabin" he soon
resumed, "and went in. A low fire gave a
soft, warm glow to the room. The bed was
a low cot, and on it reposed the form of the
young girl. l was amazed at her beauty.
Her face was spiritual in the extreme. She
was somewhat emanciated, but only suffi-
GENTLY so to give her an almost unearthly
loveliness. 1t was as if the spirit, instead
of blood, throbbed through every vein.
She slightly turned her head as entered,
and said in a low voice, "Doctor" | an.
swered, eyes, dear child came as quickly
as 1 could. Your father Yes, he told you
all. heard him. | went with him.
shall never see him on earth again.
81 thought the speech singular, but fan
cied she might be slightly wandering. Her
pulse had hardly a perceptible beat. AS
took. her hand, it seemed almost to melt
out of mine. I said to myself Il should
almost think her materialiZed spirit, il
there could be such thing. She is the
least human of any being l ever touched.
proposed a simple remedy which knew
to be almost useless, for | said she cannot
live more than an hour, and soothing her
with some comforting words she smiled and
closed her eyes.
"Death had set his mark upon her fea
tures-but oh, the immortal beauty OF eX-
preston which accompanied his unmstak'
able sign! The very tones of her voice were
like music-faint, ethereal and soft as a
summer breeze. She opened her eyes at in
tervals, and the great blue orbs, full of glory
had never before seen in any eye, seemed
to pusate with a light gained from some
celestial fire.
"sPoor father was not to blame,' she mur'
INJURED softly. Mother and have long age
won his pardon
"Your mother! is she living?'
"'Oh, yes in heaven,' she answered, gent
ly. we asked the Lord to pardon him
long ago, and when he joins me tonight he
will be crowned with it, because he has SO
repented and suffered"
"'Join you to-nightw / said, with a sort
of tremor passing over me; my dear child
what can you mean? ?"
"'He is going with me, dear, dear father
Yes, when we go we shall go together! His
going will be quick, mine slow, but together,
dear father, H.
''She ceased, and putting out her arms as
if to embrace him she so loved, she sank
back. l knew that she would never speak
again. The ominous sound, so well known
to us, family made itself heard. knelt by
ueI Sltie, anu, op"lllS LILY ASoN. ~, Pi"J ~
prayed with great earnestness for her pass
ing soul-for the father somewhere out in
the night, speeding away from her loved
form forever. i held her hand in mine,
and as l raised my head 1 felt it seem to
melt out of my grasp. l looked hastily at
her face and saw something like faint mist
instead of the human lineaments. sprang
to my feet and gazed in fascinated horror
on the pillow, and there, before my eyes,
the last trace of the golden hair, the lovely
ewes, the exquisite head, faded from my
vision! I caught the coverlid and dragged
it away from the cot-the form was gone
She had melted into air
II could not believe my own senses. Like
a schoolboy | pinched myself to see if l
were awake. When / came to the full con-
cllsion that she was really and actually
gone, sank into a chair, faint and horror
stricken, the drops of sweat standing out all
over my body. Where had she gone: 1t
was simply appalling. But soon the con-
sequences of this disappearance, as 1T must
affect myself, came up foremost in my prac-
ticl mind. If called upon to show the
BODY, what could | sayo If her father
should come back and demand to see his
daughter, what excuse could give what
answer could | make? Would any one
believe the truth? Could / say the girl
died and in dying was translated and dis
appeared from the earth? My situation
was literally horrible. All of a sudden |
remembered what the man had said: If
she dies, there's nothing in the cabin. |
built it and own it. Letitgo. Ishall never
come back to it, Instantly my resolution
was taken. I went outside and glanced
across the prairie. For two miles in any
direction there was absolute silence. look
ed at my watch. 1t was l.l5 The girl had
died at o'clock, precisely.
81 again went inside. | examined that
little cabin in every nook and corner. |
climbed the rude steps into the loft; opened
an old trunk, which contained the simple
wardrobe of the young girl; l looked into
the little closet, with it's poor array OF uten-
sils; satisfied myselfthat the value of every
article in the place would not amount to
so, and then, actually folding up the bed
ding, piece by piece, until | left the cot
bare, piled them in the centre of the room,
covered them with a heap Of shavings and
taking a broom l swept all the fire there
was in the fireplace out on 70 the pile, shut
and locked the door, and rode away. BY
the time | had driven mile down the road
| looked back and saw the glare of the burn
ing cabin red against the sky. The light
snow all over the prairie would prevent
any possible damage. My heart gave Il
bound. | shook myself and returned from
Unknown into the Known! | was seri-
ously practical physician again.
81 slept soundly after | once got into my
bed. The only daily paper published in
the place lay on my breakfast table when
went down stairs in the morning. On the
fourth page an Extra caught my eye,
and read the following:
Ipstn ~
Killed-Thc body of an Unknown Man Found
Lying on the Track.
The driver Of the Owl express, which passed
Farmerton at o'clock, suddenly slowed up ana
stopped, last night, to find that an unknown man
had been struck and thrown twenty feet. The
body is at the station-housc waiting for identi-
ticatOn.
"Why did l leave my breakfast and walk
RAPIDLY to the station-hOuse? What was the
unknown to me-? Such accidents were al
ways happenings! But the words Il o'clock
had struck my imagination with II strange
thrill. Her words, 'Father will go with
me- rang in my ears. Before went INTO
the room was convinced in my own mind
of what should see. lifted the sheet from
the face with feeling of unspeakable awe.
Yes. 1t was the 'backWOouslnan from
Maine' His features were placid, a singu-
lar smile seeming to light it up with a
look of infinite satisfaction.
81 instantly recognized my responsibility:
Had ! not 500 of this mans money: |
could not bury his leetle gal but | could
bury him. Turning away said, Gentle
men, this man is one whom | have occa-
sionally employed. | know his history.
He has no relatives. He has done me con-
siderable service, and will therefore take
charge Of his remains. What was ms
name ~ asked some one. John Weaver,
| said, giving the first name that flashed
through my head. Some chaps have been
here this morning looking at him. remark