Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-03-03
CHAPTER VI.

JACK = CARklI.R IItiEpN.
Ono morning in the middle of Octo-
Der as | locked from my bedroom win
dow while dressing | saw Il Il Jck of pi-
geons of the slate cOlored variety, COM
mon on this coast, fly over the lawn
and swoop little us if they would
alight i'll an adjoining field which had
been titled that summer. | felt strong
desire to have Il shot at them, though |
had not once taken out gun since
Jack 5 disappearance. Our only gun,
by the way, was Jacks, long single
barreled muzzle loader. | charged
quickly, passed through the wood, and
surveying the field from distance saw
the flock moving about i'll the dark col
ored tillage and crcpt round the fence of
the field till l came within shot of them,
as l judged. Waiting till had three in
a line, | fired and killed all three. AS l
was bringing them home in triumph |
noticed a piece of linen wrapped round
the leg of one of the birds and fastened
by cord. | cut the cord and unwinding
the linen rag found it was the corner of
a handkerchief and bore certain initials
they were Jack 's-vlz, J. F. For a
moment | stood rooted to the spot, then
in a frenzy of joy ran to the house and
rushed into the breakfast room where
the whole family was already assembled
at prayers, crying, and dare say
screaming, Jack is alive" Again !
pass over the agitation of our family
circle, for such things are not easy to
write about. We now saw that Melody's
story of the ring was true. 1t was evil
Al,nE
and without other means of communi
eating with us, had hit upon this plan.
That Jack was alive when he sent out
these carriers was plain, but was he
alive now? Perhaps these messengers
had been dispatched by him shortly
after his disappearance and before hun
ger had made an end of him. My little
brother Charley's vision then was true.
My parents bitterly reproached them
selves for not having given heed to that
strange vision, which they now regard
ed as a special and miraculous interpo-
sition of Providence. l advised that
Charley should be sent for at once in
order that we might examine him more
carefully about what he had seen. The
coachman, saddling one of the horses,
RdIlOpeu OH SIrdlRu(, taxing Win Llih
to my uncle a hastily scrubbed note,
and just caught the mail car which was
ON point of starting from the village of
Dun-Beacon. He returned the next day,
bringing Charley with him. Meantime
the police and coast guards We're COM
municated with. and the whole country
side was in motion. l and my next
brother Sam, attended by some work
men, went off at once to the hill in which
was the Devils Parlor." We had
with us q candle and matches and a
very long rope. When we arrived there,
we shouted down the mouth of the
chasm. We did this repeatedly without
hearing any reply. This expected, for
l had shouted down there before. l then
knotted the end of the rope round my
chest and had them lower me into the
cleft. Soon I was in dense darkness.
The fiue, If may call it 50, was at first
crooked and ragged, then descended
sheer, so that was in Inidair and could
touch nothing with my hands. AT an
other time might have been afraid,
but the hope of rescuing Jack drove out
fear. At length felt my feet touch
und, gravel as knew by the feel