Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-07-03
THE MISSING SKELETON.
It Laid the Foundation for a Love
Story Before 1t Turned Up.

Story Before 1t turned Up.
The first night in the new house-how in
effably dreary it was!
May day had dawned with blue sky and
winds fun of treacherous balmmess, but
long before noon 1t had clouded over, and
with the dusk fine, needle pricking sort of
rain had set in, which, without making
much outward show, had yet contrived to
drench us girls through and through as we
made our way along the streets with the
parrots cage, the music box and the best
duplex lamp with the jeweled glass shade,
the three household treasures which for the
life of US we dared not trust to the tender
mercies of the truckmaD, in spite of his
manifold vows and declarations that he had
moved the very best families in New York,
and some of 'em every May day for ten
years.
We eked out our painfully insufficient in
come, Beulah and l, by letting lodgings, and
we did not always have luck in the busi-
neSs.
To speak paradoxically, the new house
was an old house, and not in the best of re-
pair. The yard gate was off its hinges one
window blind banged distractingly against
the north side whenever the wind took
lurch in that direction, and as Beulah en-
deavored to warm can of cold tea above
the Pickering gas jet we could distinctly
hear the rain leaking through on the floor
above our heads with "drop-drop' like the
ticking of a clock.
AS for me, had cut my fingers trying to
open box of sardines, and was dolorously
endeavoring to stanch the blood with far
from immaculate pocket-handkerchief when
the last load came.
The truckman and his assistant were
tired and cross, and little the worse for
beer; the old horse was played out; the
rain drove harder and harder, and the wind
blew out the shadeless gas in the hall just
as the little old assistant dropped the basket
that contained the best crockery with a
crash. And we were glad enough when at
length the last bundle of disorganized stove
pipes was flung into the basement hail. and
the truclman vanished like an ugly dream
into the mist and darkness.
1t was not until the next day that we dis
covered the trunk.
There it stood up against the wall, just
exactly as if it belonged there-a snug,
square box, neatly covered with canvas,
and bearing innumerable hotel labels, for
eign and domestic, pasted on it, while the
one initial "C'' faced us at either end in
black paint.
"Gracious mel" said Beulah "What's
thisl"
"Perhaps it belongs to one of the lodg-
ers," said l.
reasoned Beulah. II mean their names
don't"
Its a mistake, then," said 1. ''Some one
will be sending for it directly"
But day after day overlapped one another,
and no one sent for the trunk.
"The truckman ought TO know" said
Beuah.
1--WE haven't got the truckman's ad-
Dress" said l.
mo, to be sure" sighed Beulah
| II wonder what is in it, anyway" said
''Doyou know, Beulah9 l almost think that
one of that bunch of rusty keys we found in
the basement pantry would fit it,"
1--WE oughtn't to think of such thing"
! said Beulah, severely.
"Why notF" said 1. Suppose the con-
| tents are perishableP'
at would be equal to highway robbery"
demonstrated Beulah.
''No, it wouldn't" said I, "and the old
thing is so dreadfully in ones way. If we
| could only get it up into the store-room be-
! fore the new lod gers come"
Lets try" said Beulah.
| 30 between us we hoisted the trunk up
| two flights Of stairs and put it away in the
| angle of a chimney.
/ "Its awfully heavy" said Beulah, "and
| there's something rattles inside of it."
oI've heard Of dead bodies being cut up
and packed in truni.cc sometimes said l, in
a whisper.
Lefty, don't talk nonsense" said BeClah
with a shudder.
We had had the trunk about week in
our possession when 1 went back to the
old house that we had left to get little
bed-key which had somehow been over
looked on the top shelf of corner cup
board.
Mrs. Dawson, the old lAdy who had moved
in, was disconsolate.
''pve lost my boarder," said she, ''al-
ready
Dear nFel'' said l, ''that's pity"
GAS nice young doctor as ever you set
eyes on" said she, Gas wanted the front
room for an office and the back parlor for a
bedroom"
THAT would have been very nice" said I.
"And all because he couldn't find his
bones," said Mrs. Dawson.
Couldn't find his bones!" echoed l.
Surgical things and anatomies, you
know" explained Mrs Dawson. 'He as
good as intimated as I'd stole 'em. Now,
what sort of use could make of a lot of
bones all wired togetherl Is it likely I'd
steal 'emi''
Mrs. Dawson was so solemn and plaint-
i've and the idea was so supremely ridicu-
lous that went of into spasmodic lit of
giggling.
could not help it, standing there on a
chair with half my head and shoulders in
the closet. i hope she didn't near mel
However, l found my bed-key and de-
parted, and when ! got home l told the
. story of the young doctor and the bones tC
Beulah and even grave Beulah laughed.
"But I'm sorry that the poor old lady has
lost her boarder," said Beulah, gently.
80 am II" 1 cried, overwhelmed by 9
sudden remorse; and / wouldn't have
laughed IL l could have helped il, Beulah
But couldn't help itw
Half an hour after7gard I heard Beulal
calling me. But did not answer, for tn,
very good reason that at that especs
moment was martyr 10 curiosity.
To speak truth, was on my knees befor
the mysterious trunk. trying 10 1T one o
tbs equally mysterious bunch Of keys to il
and haa just reached that most aggravai
ing stage when a key had been got in an
e absolutely declined either to turn the loc
on TO come out again.
SO I kept very quiet and presently m
sister got tired of calling and could hea
her go out and close the door behind her.
How worked at that stupcndously OF
4 stinatc key how I got a feather and lubri
! Gated it with machine oil how pushed an