Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-03-26

would take my life, and | prayed God
1t might be done quicklyj but, no L
must suffer still more. He knelt down
and put his face so close to mine that
could feel his hot breath. l was like
one petrified. My blood seemed
frozen in my veins, and had the cold
steel been pressed to my throat, should
not have felt a single pang My whole
being seemed held by some terrible
power. AT last, he arose from his
knees and, going to one of the win
dows, blew whistle three times. This
Is all that remember. My conscious
ness must have forsaken me.
When ] again opened my eyes, the
bright light was streaming through
the blinds. At first, had only a va
que remembrance of what seemed to
me dreadful nightmare, but gradu
ally the whole scene of the night be-
fore came clearly to my mind and a
terror seized me. My children were
my first thought. / sprang quickly
from my bed, but fell heavily to the
floor in dead faint. The strain had
proved too much for me. For days |
lay unconscious, only feeling a burn
1 ing pain Ill my head; but through
Gods mercy / was given back to my
husband and children-for not a hair
of my little BARNS dear heads had
been touched on that horrible night.
The subject of the masked robber
was never mentioned until my health
was fully restored. One day was in
my boudoir, idly lounging, when my
husband came in and, seating himself
on the sofa by my side, took small
piece of paper from his pocket-book.
1t looked like the fly-leaf of n book,
and was covered with writing in lead
pencil. He handed it to me, saying,
81 think, little woman, you are strong
enough to read this.
5 1t was as follows:
| 81 have come here tonight with a
D band of robbers intending to steal and,
if necessary, to murder. While taking
0 the jewels from your casket, | came
across ring. That ring saved you.
{ | looked upon your face and II flood
| of recollections came over me. You
need never fear. L love you still.
Bad as | am, the thought of your pure
soul has never left me, and although
am e robber, the memory of you has
kept my hands clean from blood. |
shall always keep watch over you,--
shall always protect you. J. G."
So the mystery was solved, and the
robber, who had robbed me of nothing,
was my old lover. Your uncle tried to
search him out but in vain, and it was
NOT until aTtnr hot
having been invited to spend
few days with some relatives of my
husbands, in the western part of New
York State, L again heard of John
Graham.
One morning, at my cousins sug-
gestion, we walked over to the
picturesque old churchyard. We
strolled in and out among the graves
stopping now and then to read the
quaint inscriptions. A simple gray
stone, on which was hanging small
wreath of immortelles, attracted my
notice. | stopped to see what might
might be written on it, and then |
read the name "John Graham. Died
on the Eve of New Year Day, 18-.
Beloved of the people. God rest his
, soul" [ asked my cousin if she knew
who this John Graham was? And she
told me that some twenty years before
e man with peddler'a pack had come
into the town. His wares were good,
, and he sold great many. AS he trav
| eled from house to house, staying, MS
was the custom in those times, first
+ with one family, then with another,
/ he became very popular, and was in
+ duced to take his small capi.
tai and open store. He
, gave his name as John Gray, and
. he was so self-denying, and did so many
, deeds of charity, that the country folk
almost canonized him as saint.
Their shrewd minds soon discovered
, in him no common peddler, and when
at his death an old envelope was found
next his heart, with the name John
Graham in u woman's hand, and inside,
a lock of yellow hair, carefully folded
in paper, on the ortside of which is
written, "My guiding STAR" the curl
osity Of the good people was at its
height Your uncle and | could have
solved the problem, but we carefully
guarded the secret, and to this day
the village gossips wonder who John
Graham" could have been. | have
never known how he happened to fall
into such state of degradation as to
become robber, but l firmly believe
that by his after life he made full
atonement for his sins A New Year
Eve never passes but that I think of
John Graham, and you will not won
der that it is so, for it was fateful
time in his sad life. felt as though
it were almost n supernatural coinci-
dence that it should have been also
the time of his death. Romance.
Twn RiIIS ilika