Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-11-13

room, wnere sllght, glrllsh hgure,
clad all in black, was kneeling by the
side of bed, whereon lay an oldlady.
She was dead, and but one glance was
needed to show me that she was the
mysterious one WHO had opened the
door for me at the Willville house.
Here is the doctor, Miss Mar
guerite," said the man.
The young girl rose and with
stihed sob held out her hand to me.
"My dearest friend, my only friend
on earth, is gone," she cried.
A few days later my sister and
called to see Miss Lawton, who had
decided to close her grandmother's
house and go away.
1.-The only relative I have now is
my mothers half brother in Cali
fornia. He has telegraphed for me to
come to him. Poor papa and I were
so happy there until his sudden death
last spring" Then she added, "I
will show you his picture" and tax
ing photograph from case on the
table she handed me the exact like
ness of the man whom I had found
upon the lounge with the ugly cash
on his head. I did not question her
at that time, although my curiosity
was difficult to control, as I saw that
she was deeply agitated, and I felt
that she must be kept as calm as pos
sible.
Destiny, fate or what compelled me
to follow Marguerite to California?
was not wholly impelled by the desire
to obtain solution of my mystery of
which I felt that somehow I held the
key, having been to locksmith and
had key made from the drawing on
the newspaper margin. In the latter
part of January T placed my practice
in the hands of one of my medical
friends who was not quite ready to
settle down, and started out for six
weeks vacation.
Marguerite and my sister had kept
up correspondence, so I had no diff
ficulty in finding the object of my
search; and in less than five weeks
was on my way east with my bride.
Before leaving California I had
learned the particulars of Mrs. Law
toms sudden death. Marguerite's
grandmother, who had been q leader
in society until her husbands death,
was the possessor of some valuable
diamonds, which few years previous
she had placed in her sons hands for
safe-keeping until Marguerite should
be of an age to wear them. He very
seldom mentioned the Jewels to his
daughter, and it was supposed that he
carried them around his person. One
day in early March he was returning
from a drive, when he saw man
skulking around the street corner who
looked strangely familiar to him. He
finally said to Marguerite: "It has
just occurred to me that the stranger
is Davidson, who used to be employed
by your grandmother. She wrote me
some little time ago that she had dis
charged him because she found him
one day trying to unlock her desk
where her private papers were kept"
The following day Mr.. Lawton was
brought home unconscious, with a
cruel wound in his head. Robbery
was evidently the motive of the as
sailant, for the diamonds were gone,
also the money and watch of the VIC
tim. The poor man did not regain
consciousness, but died in a few hours.
Comparison of the dates showed that
this occurred at the very time had
been called to Millville.
Inquiry proved also that the grand.
mother had been in her own home, ill
in bed with an attack of rheumatism,
on that night.
BefCye going back to my practice /
went with Marguerite to her old home.
On arriving there I told her of my
mysterious visit and of the key which
had been held out to me. I produced
the one had had made and asked if
she had seen one like it, but she never
had.
When we entered the dining room
it was bright, sunny day. looked
around the room, and as my glance
rested on the massive oak sideboard
that was built into one corner of the
room I saw along the top were carved
grape leaves and punches of grapes.
Suddenly there flashed into my mind
the words: "'The second bunch of
grapes" Mounting chair, 1 man
aged to reach it. After few attempts
found could move it little, and
finally succeeded in pushing to one
side the entire cluster, leaving ex-
posed a keyhole in little door of iron
four or five inches square. Producing
my mysterious key, at once unlocked
the door and found that the aperture
contained a small iron box, in which
we found the missing diamonds.
We soon went to the house of Mar
guerite's grandmother, where we have
lived for the last eight years, during
which time have only once met with
another ghostly visitor. But that is
another story.-Chicago Record.
superstitious Man Ten Cents Ahead.
The other day Mr.. Horace Parkes,
young farmer, residing in the Red
j.. l.