Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-12-18
The Stury Teller.
A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.

=
said the old doctor, setting down his punch
glass with considerable emphasis. 81 am 8
plain, practical man, and | never had but
one event in my life which gave me the
slightest touch of the supernatural. All my
long professional career has been as readable
as piece of newspaper. 1 have traced eve
rything to a cause, and understood effects
without any effort at imagination"
"But once you had thrill of real super
stition, did you? Do tell us about it! AT
ter all the stories we have been giving our
selves away with, should think you might
end up the night with startler."
The speaker was a young fellow, full o
fun and his new diploma, which gave his
entree to this pleasant coterie which me1
semi occasionally 10 compare notes" ano
quaff good punch.
"Well, / have no objections" looking
with indulgent eyes into the bright, earnest
face before him, ''but more than ever you
must remember our motto ~ and he raised
bottle of champagne from the table, or
which was prominently displayed the WORD
"Mumm."
All settled comfortably into their chairs
and prepared to listen. The "old doctor
was the ''president of the association" His
years, his skill, his benevolence, his unspot'
ted record, had won the love and respect Of
all who knew him. Professional envy was
impossible toward him, for, having made
an ample fortune, he had for the last ten
years chiefly visited the poor, whose addl'
tions to his purse and detraction from the
income of others was "hardly worth men
tioning" AS he sat with his feet resting
on the fender of his open fire, his strong
good face, ruddy with the blaze and with
his excellent health and moderate potation
of the delicious beverage, he looked like a
man whose virtues had indeed been their
own reward, in the rounding out OF true
and beautiful life. He began in a muslng
tone:
lone night was about to retire-doctors
don't have chance often, you know-when
somebody knocked. There was not any
bell, for 1 was then practicng in a far west
ern town, just redeemed from savagery as it
were. A rough looking man came in, and
pulling off his hat, shutfied from one foot tc
the other, and while L looked at him in d
little surprise, he burst out, "Ioure doc
tor, ain'tye? Wal, Pm ina peck O. trouble:
It's the leetle gal, yer see! She's sick and
eenamostdyin Pm afraid. But can't stay
by her, by George! I can't, no how. She's
hev to git up and git. We hev been wan
derin' around like lost sheep till we struck
that little cabin, and we held on thar till now
but hev got to get; yes, hev, right OFT
Carnt you 90 to her and help her somehow
| don't know what's the matter Of her; she's
been pinin' and a pinin'. Oh! God
what kin l do, what kin | do?" The poor
fellow burst out crying and sobbed like a
child.
"tOfcourse will go instantly, said and
had even then put on my overcoat. Where
is the cabin?'
"He started up from the seat where he
hoI hole f,ll lpS
straight on beyond the last end O. Farmer
ton. The road is as straightas as line. It's a
cabin with some rails piled high up against
the side, with red cuttings. It's about
eight miles out!"
al know said I briefly, Il have been
by there and have seen pretty young girl
at tie window"
"'That's her. he said, Frightening up
Yes, she's her mother all over, bless her =
wont you do your level best for her, doc.
tor - he appealed with gesture, face and
tone; Il wouldn't leave-but-I must
"When are you coming back?" ques-
brought around.
"Never, nerer! 1 can't, and she knows
it,"
'sHe pulled an old-fashioned leather wal
let out of his pocket and showed me the
whole contents. There was $l20. He took
one hundred and gave to me, saying
"Thar, want We to take this Ie see
only keep enough to get off with. If she
lives, I'll let her know where she can iine
me I'll write you where, and all about it
and if she don't live'-and his eyes streamed
again with tears-'give my leetle gal Il de-
cent burial and keep the rest of it for your
trouble. Oh, will see her grave at least
before die. Mebbe when Pm an old man
they will forgit."
"My sympathies were fully aroused. My
poor fellow l said, why do you not con-
fde in me? l will guard your secret as my
own! Why do you fly from your sick
daughter, never to come back? | promise
to follow your directions to the letter; but
Iwish you would trust me, as man to man
1t is my duty to keep strictly to myself
every confidence reposed in me. DO not 90
away with some terrible burden upon you.
Let me help you if CAM
"You carnt, you carnt; nobody kin! But
yes! III tell the truth if die fort, and
then III go. Pm a backwoodsman down
in Maine. That is, | was. My little gal,
she cum up into the woods one day to bring
me few little goodies from home. Me an
another chap were off, some, from the gang,
an while l went up to the cabin to put by
my things, this Dan Wallace, he up am insul-
ted my daughter the worst kind! She cried
OuU I'LL L COlllC w "llOI sic SlOOtt,
the tears a-rollin' down her cheeks. Inever
said nothin' but pitched in and | stuck as |
knew how to, too. He fell like Il log, and
in a minute l saw why he didn't rise. lie
was dead. I'd killed him
The aWed tone had sort of savage salts
faction in it, yet the great wide eyes and in
telligent forehead indicated a nobler feeling.
Someway grasped his hand.
$50 we run. We got away somehow,
and we have been a-gittin' away ever since
We never got anywhere that we didn't
have to leave in little while. I'd a saved
up quite sum loggin'-this is the end
on't,' and he pointed to the money he had
laid before me, 'and now I've news that
they are on my track again. This time,
doctor, she can't go. | don't know where
Pm a. goin' or anything about it. She I'M
derstands. We have parted!" and great
sob again shook his brawny breast, and if
she dies-she says she's a-goin' to-there'S
nothin' in the cabin-I built it and own it
let it go-I shall never come back to it
here's paper with my real name-you'I
know what to do, you're dedicated. God
bless YOU l trust you. must git! Good
byer and opening the door he was off like a
shot.
81 too, was off like shot. My mare
Nance Just flew. The moon was bright aS
day, and when we got on the straight road
| fell into strange train of thought. The
situation was weird. Here was, going to