The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-12-04
MISSING EVIDENCE.


shrilly l was returning from spending
the evening at friends house, situated
some three or four miles out of town. The
sky was so black, the country lanes were
SO dark, that / was Euly thankful when
the scattered lights of an outlying suburb
began to twinkle in the distance, and it
was with sigh of relief that stopped
rnder the first lamppost / came to and
looked at my watch.
1t was no easy task, for the lamp glass
had pane broken, and the strong wind
blew the glass in all directions and almost
extinguished it. i read the time, at least
three minutes to 12-and looking up
from my watch face 1 started to see a
man standing opposite me. 1 had heard
nothing Of his approach. We looked at
each other but for moment, yet it was
time sufficient to imprint his features in
delibly on my memory.
A TALL shabby man, in q threadbare
black frock coat and seedy tall hat, his
face lantern jawed and sallow, his eyes
sunken and lusterless, his beard long and
i'll trimmed-in a tone of elaborate civil
ity he asked me the time, thanked me for
the answer, and giving me GOOD night, {"
passed away into the black darkness,
I turned for q moment to think of his
lonely walk in that grim obscurity and
resumed my way homeward, laughing at
myself for the start he had given me and
rejecting that the strong wind had blown
away the sound of his approach. Thought
of him as 1 sat and smoked my pipe over
my fire, and felt comfortable shudder
steal over me as 1 imagined him facing
the bitter blast in an insufficiency of cloth
ing.
In the course of week or two the Incl
dent faded from my memory, and thought
no more of 1t. In those days l was active
ly engaged in the timber trade, and the
course of my business took me a good deal
about and brought me largely in contact
with the agents of the different country
gentlemen of the district. With one Of
these agents, who resided near the county
town of Leham, had numerous transac-
tions, and used often to run down and
meet him, for the town was only Is miles
away and was on a railway.
1t was dull little hole enough, that
only warmed into life when the militia
were out or assiZes were on. One night
returned from Leham, having just made a
large purchase from my friend whose
MASTER sporting nobleman, was reduced
to cut down the family timber. When
fell asleep that night, had a very simple
but,vivid dream. / thought 1 was stand
ing on a lofty hill. BY my side stood
yelled figure, who, with commanding
gesture, motioned me toward the town of
Leham, which lay In the far distance.
Then awoke.
OF course explained the thing to my
self easily enough. had been good deal
engaged in the neighborhood of the place
and had a large venture more or less re-
motley connected with it. Still the dream
was SO vivid that l could not dismiss 1t
from my thoughts during the whole of the
day, and when l went to bed wondered If
1t would again visit me- 1t did come again
precisely the same dream in precisely the
same manner. Once more found con-
vincing explanation. Doubtless had been
thinking too much about the first dream,
and this had given rise to the second
But my explanation did not convince
me in the least. was haunted by the
thing throughout the day, and when I
came home at night my preoccupation was
so evident that 1t attracted the attention of
my wife. She questioned me upon the
cause, and, only too thankful to unbosom
myself of what was now almost trouble,
told her about the dream and it's repeti-
ton. She had the tact not to laugh at me,
but was evidently little impressed by the
narrative
The third night it came again, If any
thing more wildly and startling than it
did before. This time I was utterly I'M
hinged. The pale face that confronted me
in the looking glass was hardly recognize
able as my own. went down to break
fast filed with foreboding of some mis-
fortune-bad news in my letters-I knew
not what. The maid entered with the let
ter bag.
"There," said my wife, passing me q
letter on which was the Leham postmark,
"that breaks your dream, John"
Iquickly opened it. 1t was from the
agent, requesting me to meet him at Le-
ham that day at o'clock to arrange diff
hculty that had arisen in the performance
Of his contract.
was intensely relieved Here was an
opportunity to 90 to Leham, and perhaps
the very fact of going would put me right.
There were two fast> trains to Leham in
the morning, but decided to go by the
first. regardless of the fact that l should
have some two hours to wait. So found
myself shortly In first class compartment
speeding away toward my destination.
The carriage was full. Pipes exhaled
their fragrance newspapers were turned
and fattened, and there was that leisurely
kind of morning conversation that prevails
among men going off by an early train to
their days work. Their chief topic was a
peculiarly interesting case which was to
be finished that day at the Leham assizes.
"He must sum up against the prisoner
surely" said a gentleman with fat,
florid face and long sandy whiskers, who
wore light overcoat and plaid trousers
1.-THE defense was complete failure, and
deserved to be-"
at was certainly rather audacious, re-
marked n clean shaven young man with a
double eyeglass. "But 1 don't like cir
cumstantiai evidence"
"All evidence Is more or less circum-
stantial, 4" said he of the ford complexion,
land this man Is as clearly guilty in my
mind as II there had been "a dozen wit
nesses to stand by and see him do the
deed That's my opinion, Haywood"
And the oracle disappeared behind the
newspaper.
Feeling glad to discover any topic that
would divert my thoughts from their
gloomy forebodinus / addressed myself to