Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-11-05
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by MAW6t '1HoNPSoNA w
Copyrighted. BY Y.hNENoHN Prey. AssoclATIoN 1881.
COPYRIGHTED BY hEfgoRN PREJy> ASSOCIATION 1881.

way, sald hOSiiilr. the uali houf Is al
ready quite gone fear
'Oh, no." exclaimed Talbot 1T is im
possible. We haven't been ten minutes
coming He looked at his watch hold
ing it in spot of moonlight
Rosalie had turned about and he could
do nothing more than turn also They
were both quite surprised to find tnat the
man they had supposed to be Ellis had
evidently followed them. He was stand
ing. or rather he was in the act of turn.
ing away. not fifty feet from them
Talbot and Rosalie looked at each
other inquiringly as Ellis, if it was he,
walked diagonally across the street at a
rapid pace, soon hiding himself among
the trees of little park
"Surely that was not EllisT said Tai
bot in a half suppressed voices "he
would not act so strangely
LET us return at once" said Rosalie
with a shudder A sudden sense of
danger had almost overpowered her
"Never fear" said Colonel Talbot; mo
doubt the man means no harm; but if he
were a robber he would not attempt
anything in this pa4 of the city"
She clung more closely now, and in a
shaking voice urged him to take her
home quickly. He thought her excite
ment the mere timidity of young girl
If he had known all that she knew he
would not have wondered at her emotion.
On their way back to the Roosevelt
mansion they talked little Rosalie
hung heavily on his arm When they
reached the little gate he opened it, she
passed through, and suddenly turning
faced him in great excitement.
watch as you go home" she ex-
claimed in sharp whisper; "he will kill
you if he gets the chance" Her ex-
citement and solicitude thrilled him
strangely.
"Oh, there's no danger" he replied in
voice hoarse and unsteady He had
not taken ten PAGES when he heard the
click of the gate latch, and then Rosalie
called, in low, thin voice, Colonel
Talbot
Here, he answered, turning about.
"Do not forget to be careful There
is great danger"
He slowly strobe toward his home,
driving out of his mind Rosalie's words
of warning. Suddenly man confronted
him. He stopped short.
sis that you, Colonel Talbot" said a
voice, deep and husky, that he did not
recognize.
"Yes, sir; what do you wantr" he re-
sponded, gripping his cane and making
ready to defend himself.
The figure moved, passing across a
feck of moonlight Talbot saw the face
and instantly remembered it. The next
moment something struck him on the
head. dull, heavy blow, and he fell
upon the ground still and senseless The
figure stopped over him and hurriedly
but coolly searched his pockets, until q
paper was found, which it carefully ex.
amined, as if to be sure of its identity
then rapidly walked away.
The next morning the servants brought
to Roosevelt place rumor that Colonel
Talbot had been found in the street
dead. murdered by some unknown per.
son. When the papers were brought in
they contained full account. Colonel
Talbot was not dead. but had been
knocked senseless. by blow from a
sandbag or some such instrument. His
condition was extremely critical 1t had
been impossible, so far, to restore his
consciousness, and no clew to the perpe
traitor of the foul deed had been discov
cred The whole thing was yelled in
mystery No robbery had been com
mitted The colonel's magnificent gold
watch and seal, and his pocketbook, con,
tanning a small sum of money, were left
undisturbed on his person. He was
without enemies. so far as the reporters
could discover, and not the slightest
reason for his assassination suggested it.
self, save that it was darkly limited that
political intrigue might have led to it
A certain carpetbag candidate for con
I gress, who had been beaten mainly by
Talbot's exertions, was none too good, sc
the papers stated, to have done the deed
seeing that in his own state, Kansas, ht
had once been convicted of COW stealing
The blow fell heavily on Mildred Fain
AS days and weeks passed by, with nc
change in Talbot's singular condition
she grew thin, and her face wore the
look of one who has little left to care
for Rosalie witnessed her distress with
sympathy deepened and strangely col
ored by the knowledge she carried She
had told no one what she knew about
the matter, and this secrecy preyed upon
her No doubt she would have told
Mrs. Roosevelt had it not been for hei
aunt's deepseated prejudice against
Ellis Then, too. circumstances haC
rendered the young mans guilt matter
of mystery, If not of serious doubt, ii
her mind No one else seemed to sus
pect him, and in fact his presence in the
city on the night of the crime was con
tradicted by his being on the day pre-
vious at Jessup, town miny mile:
sDuth of the city, where he had an i'm
portant meeting with railroad friends.
Rosalie often felt an impulse TOWARD
writing to Ellis, but quite as often sh'
recoied from the thought. She some
times longed to see him and hear wha
he would say to the dreadful accusation
then she would start and tremble at tn
idea of talking with E-urderer Th
! poor child-for in experience she wa
scarcely more-could do nothing saw
brood over tins strange dark subject b,
day and dream of it by night Mildre,
Fain came often to see her, and they az
gravated rather than softened eacl
4 others distress
Mrs. Roosevelt quickly noticed he
niece's trouble. and after little though
attributed it to tender feeling on he
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