Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-11

that his wife was wandering alone through the snow away up the noun tain trail Rodden was too much un- nerved for a moment to reply. Then he managed to say that the express rid CT must have dreamed he saw her, as she had gone home. gone back east. more than a month before. Raymond stuck to his story, but at last he was obliged to conclude that his imagina- ton had played him a trick. He couldn't help wondering, though. what had frightened tine horse.
 There was nothing to be done or said, for if Mrs. Rodden had gone home a month before certainly she could not have been roaming around in the snow, and as there was no other woman within miles of the camp he must have been mistaken. Rodden, though not at all hospitable in manner, got supper and allowed the express rider to stop for the night.
 After supper Raymond opened his saddlebags, saying:
 Well, as Maggie is not here to take her package, and as it was intended for you. anyway, suppose I'd better give it to you. and you can write her that her Christmas present got here little ahead of time"
 He tossed the package across to the man, who stared at it as if pctrified. He stretched out his hand slowly and opened it with shaking fingers. The package contained a pair of thick, warm gloves, nothing more.
 When did Maggie send for these:" he asked.
 ''The last time I was here. You came near not getting them at all, for she had no chance to tell me to buy them while 1 was here and had to run after me to give the order.
 ''Was that all she ran after you for:'
 That was all.
 ROddcn settled back into his chair, with q groan, and hid his face i'll his hands.
 Raymond sat silent for awhile, then, finding that the man did not intend to | speak, he concluded that the best thing he could do was to go to bed. He was soon sleeping and knew nothing more until the morning light, shining through the uncurtained window, awoke him. He dressed hurriedly and went out i into the room where he had left his host It was silent and deserted. A glance into the side room showed that the bed was unoccupied, and Raymond went out to look after his horse as well as to see if he could see any signs of his host The horse had been stabbed in a deserted cabin, and Raymond pushed open the door and then sprang back into the open air. Swinging by a halter from the raftcrs was Rodt!en's $ dead body. Raymond cut the body down and laid it carefully in the bunk. He could dc nothing for it, as the snow covered the | frozen earth. so that one man could not hope to dig grave. Hastily saddling his horse, he drove away, after search ing the cabin in the faint hope that he might find some note of explanation, but i'll vain. Not line of writing, new ! or old, could be found.
 Raymond stopped at the first settle mcnt and gave notice of the suicide at the deserted camp. but the snow was again falling. and no party could reach the place for weeks, if before spring.
 When he reached the city, he wrote q letter to his parents asking them to break the sad news to the widowed Mrs R0ddcn. Weeks passed before he received any answer, and then he was astoundcd to learn that Maggie had never returned homc-in fact, had never even written since she left for California.
 By this time spring had come, and he ] was about to make his first trip to the mountain. He reached the town where he had given n,tice of the suicide i'll time tn learn what had been discovered at the lonely cabin
 \ thorough search had been made. but nothing had been found to explain the suicide Hidden away in one of the distant cabins they found Mrs Rod den's clothing. her ornaments, even hel workbaSket, and, in fact. so far as they could judge, every article that had be longcd to her.
 Raymond told the men of the events of that last night and his interpretatiOr of them. but hc said nothing of hi. meeting with the wrunged woman il the storm.
 They argued that Rodden. jealous be cause his wife had gone down the trai after Raymond. in his anger had killed her. Filled with remorse when hC learned how causelcss the decd had been he decided to die in the same way, n: if the world knew of his crime.
 That was Creed Haymond's one ghos story. Years passed before he coult speak at all of that meeting in storn and darkness. but till the day of hi death he believed that the spirit of mur dered Mrs Roddcn had appeared to hin on the trail. Lonis Post Dispatch
 koeniG the Amateur Champion oarsrnan
 Ferdinand koenig. the amateur sinEl
 scull champion of America, was the grcG
 surprise party of tho recent annui
 championship meet of the National Ass
 ciation of Amateur OarsmCn in Sarntog;
 He is n St. Louis athlete, 25 years nf az
 and is n member of the Western Ruwin
 olub and champion of the Mississippi Va