Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-06-24

Father. she SAID, wake up IT. - = iO"-
ing late
ment a piercing shrek rang through the
house.
MY God. lie is dead"
Horror stricken, we rushed into the
room. The safe had been robbed and my
father shot through the heart while he sat
not thirty feet away from us. and we had
not heard a sound. AT the post-mortem
examination they found i'm his body q
curious missile more than am inch long
and shaped partly like a bullet and partly
/ like dart, The point was sharp and
three sharp faces ran back toward the
/ body of the missile Experts said the
missile had been projected by some other
force than powder, else my mother and
sister would have heard the report, and
they talked very loarnedly about the APP
plicatiOn of compressed air and even
limited electricity. But what manner Of
weapon the murderer used none could
tell.
had mechanically taken the dart and
put it in my pocket. / always carried 1t
there in the vain hope that some day it
might help me to unravel the 4ystery Of
my fathers death, which had slain my
mother and had rested upon my soul like
q pail, had that dart in my pocket even
then.
And there / was following mysterious
black cat out of the suburbs Of the city in
the gloomy night and down a county road
moved by some impulse which ] could
not explain, and which. strangely enough,
+ I did not want explained.
The cat turned into n narrow lane lead
ing TO q piece of dense woods. / could
hear the bell of the cathedral tower strik-
ing the hour of midnight. was cold
almost numb although the night was
hardly chilly.
wan ed TO go back, yet / went on. My
eyes vaiuly -troye TO penetrate tho black
arches of the forest. The whispering of
the night wind in the trees were full of
hidden meanings. Cold persp iration
tricHed down my forehead. My teeth
chartered. My knees knocked together
Yet / went ON.
At the edge Of the wood the eat paused.
I could not see her body, but her eyes
glowed in the darkness with "a weird
light. She began To NEW aud the sound
echoed among the trees dying away in
.luI,tto .,,ita,;.,, ~ A.. 5..5 lo,,,es
NO. a., .,..,..I,;,,,, II l.,,,t;,,,
r.' -. n.,l,,,i.- .,. - 2
-. 49,. .',t -ll.,..i A.. -.
~, ti..l ~, ,,.l.
H.. ga .,;l,,,I,,-. ,rr,,,i.li,,,. ,;a
- 80 - ,,.','.
H., g. Il IT,. 80 i,,,, b.Ic
-, s.. ia.-os +, iaal-.5 III daod
l.ra,,l ..i.l..7it,, n ,.og a. r,n,
not like auy / had ever seen before. but
sHH like "A Gun. 1 looked nc ii blanklv.
Mechanically drew from my pocket the
curious missile. which / always carried.
and dropped il into the barrel. 1t fitted
perfectly The horror that rushed over
me when knew that held In my hands
the weapou which had slain mn father
yyo5 too preat 40 be borne. The skies
reclcd aboyo me. saw hundred pairs
of GROWING eyes tottered oroaned. and
feU sensele-s upon the earth
Two wears passed away. Ibod not vet
solved the mystery. NV sister was ahGpt
TO be married and | was preparing To- 20
to the wedding. She had been living
with relatives in CINCINNATI, where she
was completing her musical studies
There She had met a younq man whom
had never seen but who. all NV relatives
assured me was worthy 40 become my sis
ter'- husband He had been i'm Cincin-
natti only two years but had in that time
made binself n favorite in tbe best so-
ciet, Of the rity' He Ind plenty of mon
.ov. which ne snid he had made i'm the
West. where he had "a LARGE cottle. ranch.
saw no rea-on wb, should object to INV
sisters choice.