The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-19

! Let US follow the party now wind
/ ing up the hillside.
In a deeoly-wooded spot on side
road stood the little house to which
! John and James label had removed
when their business on the docks had
| terminated. There was no. other dwell
ing of greater or lesser Dretension on
that road, which may account for the
fact that none of the persons now ap-
preaching it had been in that neighbor-
hood for years, though it was by no
means a long walk from the village in
which they all led such busy lives.
The heavy shadows cast by the woods
through which the road meandered
were not without their effect upon the
spirits of the three men passing through
them, so that long before they reached
the opening in which the label cottage
stood, silence had fallen upon the whole
party. DR.. Talbot especially looked as
if he little relished this late visit to his
old friends, and not till they caught
glimpse of the long, sloping roof and
heavy chimney Of the label cottage did
he shake off the gloom incident to the
nature of his errand.
Gentlemen" said he, coming to a
sudden halt, let us understand each
other. We are about to make a, call
on two of our Oldest and most respect
ed townsfolk. If, in the course of that
call L choose to make mention of the
$40 bill left with Lotion, we'll and good;
but if not, you are to take my reticence
as proof Of my own belief that they
had nothing to do with it,
Two of the party bowed, Knapp,
only, made no sign
There is no light in the window
observed Abel. What if we find them
gone to bed?"
We will wake them" said the con-
stable. Il cannot go back without be-
ing myself assured that no more money
like that given to Lotion remains in
this house,
Very WE'LL remarked Knapp, and
going uo to the door before him, he
struck a resounding knock that was
startling in that place of Silence.
But Loud as the summons was. it
brought no answer. Not only the moon
lighted door, but the little windows on
each side Of it remained shut, and
there was no evidence that the knock
had been heard.
''Zabell John Zabell'' shouted the
constable, stepping around the side of
the house Get up, my good friends,
and let an old crony in. James! John!
Late as it is, we have business with
you. Open the door; don't stop to
dress"
But this appeal received no more rec
ognition than the first and after rap
ping on the window against which he
had flung the words he came back and
looked up and down the front of the
house.
1t had a solitary aspect and was much
less comfortable looking than he had
expected. Indeed, there were signs of
poverty, or at least of neglect, about
the place, that aStoniShed him. Not
only had the weeds been allowed to
grow over the doorstep, but from the
implanted front itself bits of boards
had rotted away, leaving great gaps
about the window lodges and at the
base of the sunken and well-nigh top
ping chimney. The moon flooding the
roof showed up all these imperfections
with pitiless insistence, and the torn
edges of the green paper shades that
half concealed the rooms within were
plainly to be seen. as we'll as the dis
mantled knocker which hung by one
nail to the old cracked door. The Wis
ion of Knapp with his ear laid against
this door, added to the forlorn and sin
lister aspect Of the scene and gave to
the constable, who remembered the
brothers in their palmy days when they
were the life and pride of the town, a
by no means agreeable sensation, as
he advanced toward the detective and
asked him what they should do now.
Break down the door" was the I'M
reply. 'Or. wait! The
windows of country houses are seldom
fastened; let me see if L cannot enter
by some one of them
Better not said the coroner, with
feeling. Let us exhaust
all other means first" And he took hold
of the. knob of the door to shake it,
when to his surprise it turned and the
door opened. 1t had not been locked.
Rather taken aback by this, he hest
tated. But Knapp showed no such
Without waiting for any
mans permission, he glided in and
stepped cautiously but without any
delay into room the door of which
stood wide open before him. The con-
stable was about TO follow when he
saw Knapp come stumbling back with
4 face whittier than his own
"Devilish work. he muttered, and
1rew the others in to see.
Never viii any of them forget that 7,
sight. They had not as yet recovered. |
any more than the mass of their towns |
folk from the shock of seeing Agatha |
Webb lying in her blood on the old !
iorsehair sofa. But this-this was so |
and so deplorable that !
hardy men though they were, they sue |
,umbed without being able to resist the !
empowering impression made upon |
hem.
On the floor near the entrance lay
me bdother, in a streak of moonlight.
which showed every feature of his
worm and lifeless face, and at a table
lrawn up in the centre Of the room sa1
he other, rigid in death, with a book
lutched in his hand.
Both had been dead some time. and
N the faces and in the aspect of either
vas visible a misery that added its own
doom to the pitiabie and grueson1e
Gene, and made the shining of the
-reat white moon, which filed every
orner of the bare room. seem a mock
ry Well-nigh uncomfortable to those who
it. John. dead in his chair:
ames. dead on the f1oorl What could
e sadder, and what more piteous?
Knapp, who Of them all would nat
rally feel this least, was of course the
erson first to speak.
Both wear. long Boards said he,
but this one on the floor was doubt
ess Lotions customer All" he cried,
ointing at the table. as he carefully
rossed the floor. Here is the bread.
nd" Even he had his moments of
ceiling The appearance of that loaf
ad stunned him; one corner of it had
cen gnawed off.
"A light. let us have light" cried ;
If. Fenton, speaking for the first time
nee his entrance. These moonbeams
re horrible; see, how they cling to the
odies as if they delighted in lighting
p these wasted and shrunken forms.' {
Could it have been hunger" began ]
bel, tremblingly following Knapp's !
very movement as he struck a match =.
nd lit lantern which he had broubht :
his pocket
God help US all, if it was!" said
enton, in a secret remorse no one but =,
I. Talbot understood But who could I
ave believed it of men who were once !
} prosperous? Are you sure that one I
them has gnawed this bread? Could $
not have been''- {