The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-30
A SUBURBAN MYSTERY.

The purpose of this story is to clear |
up suburban mystery and provide the |
last chapter which is to set at rest all
speculation.
For more than two years the resi-
dents of Morton's Grove have been
guessing at the cause of the tracks,
and II they have not guessed correctly
1t is no discredit to them.
1t was two years ago this last Febru-
airy, and on n certain evening toward
the end of the month that moist snow
of big, lazy flakes began to fall upon the
suburb of Morton's Grove.
There was hardly breath of wind,
and the snow sifted itself evenly and
chung wherever it touched.
There were but few trees in Morton's
Grove. In the christening of the sub
urb the real estate Napoleon had an
Hcipated that period when all the shrubs
and switches would have their growth.
Therefore the snow did not lose itself
In tangled boughs, but settled peace
fully on broad levels of lawn and steep
pitches of roof. Except where wall
or fence stood bolt upright there was
an unbroken mantle of white. Even
every picket wore a plume and every
fence-board a run.
The snowfall eased at II o'clock, and
by that time Morton's Grove was al
most hushed for the night. The big
wooden houses stood spaciously apart
md were darker and more fantastic
than ever against the white. Ono by
one the windows winked themselves to
darkness, and several hundred nice peo-
pile slept, not realizing that a mystery
was upon them.
II reports be true, the second Miss
Eaton was the first to see the foot
prints.
She arose very early in the morning
to reassure herself that the geraniums
were far enough removed from the win
dow and still not too near the base
burner. She walked to the window and
looked across the snow at the dull,
sealed houses across the way and the
wiry bushes frozen in the front yard.
1t was the'gray of the dawn, and the
shapes outside were not distinct, but
saw enough. First she stared in puzzled
surprise, and then she moaned and ran
to the stove to warm herself, still gaz-
ing at the window.
No wonder, indeed. This Is what she
lad seen:
Huge footprints, marking the course
of man, undoubtedly, who had come
from the street to the very window
at which she had been standing. That
was not the worst of 1t. The footprints
led from the street to the window. but
there were no footprints from the win
dow to the street.
What did that mean?
It meant that the man had come II
the window but had not gone away
He had come through the window int
the house! He was in the house at tina
moment!
There was e pit-a-pat of slippere'
feet on the stairway, and the secon'
Miss Eaton gave a gasp and discon
nected account of her discovery to tn
first Miss Eaton, who was still in bed.
The first Miss Eaton couldn't under
stand what was meant, but she becam
convulsed with fright, merely throug
sympathy.
Christine, the Swedish girl employc
a. a man-of-all-wo for the maiden Il
dies. heard the noise and came to tn
rescue. She vigorously clad herse
md went through the house from en-
TO end, lifting every coverlet benin
which man or boy might have conceaie
himself.
There was no man in the house an
there was no sign that any man M
been there during the night, althoue
Miss Eaton discovered, to her horro
TINT the snow on the window sill ha
been disturbed as if by a man crawlir
in at the window.
"What large tracks" shivered the fir
Miss Eaton as she surveyed the hideo'
trail across the front yard. "Oh!"
The tracks were rather large Tor
fact. A foot that measures IS inch
from heel to toe goes above any know
average and is supposed to belong on
In burlesque literature.
Tut these were real tracks.
The Eaton sisters, or the "Eat'
Z girls" as they were still termed, out
compliment, stood together at the WI
dow after breakfast. They saw N
ballard johnson. who lived in the nj
house to the east, come along the SIC
walk.
Occasionally he stopped and shook
head. and then he walked on with
ewes fixed on the snow-covered grour
The Eaton girls rushed to the door a
the first Miss Eaton shouted: "oh,
johnson, have you seen those tract
too?"
He turned. apparently somewhat &C
fused, and replied: Have IL WI
those tracks lead up to my front W
dow. I thought at first some one q
cot into the house. Did you ever se'
man with feet as big as these tracksf
sNo, but they're real tracks. VIVA
cant understand is how the man e'
got away again after walking up ioo
ts AZ V,n 40 e4.nred."