Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-04-05


The ANONYMOUS letters. or rather
scrawls. which Philip found by thu
side Of his unconscious wife as h
stopped TO raise her up read as follows
Preacher-Better pack up and leave Milton II
not big enough to hold you alive. Take warning
IN time,
Preachers wife-As long as you stay in Milton
there is danger Of two funerals Dynamite kali
women well as men.
Philip sat by the study lounge hold
ing these scrawls in his hand as his
wife recovered from her fainting III
after he had applied restoratives. His
heart was filled with horror at the
thought OF the complete cowardlce
which could threaten the life Of an in
nocent woman. There was with il Il
feeling Of intense contempt Of such
! childish. dime novel methods Of in
timidation as that of sticking a knife
into the study desk. If il had not
been for its effect on his wife, Philip
would have laughed at the whole
thing. As it was, he was surprised
and alarmed that she had tainted, a
thing he had never known her TO do,
| and as soon as she was able 10 speak
he listened auxiously TO her story.
sit must have been an hour after
you had gone, Philip, that | thought
heard a noise up stairs, and, thinking
perhaps YOU had left one Of your win
dows down at the top and the curtain
was Tapping. I went right up and the
minute 1 stepped into the room | had
the feeling that some one was there"
Didn't you carry up lightT
NO. The lamp was burning at the
end Of the upper hall and so / never
thought of needing more. Well. as l
moved over toward the window, still
feeling that strange, unaccountable
knowledge Of some one there. a man
stepped out from behind your desk,
walked right up to me and held out
those letters in one hand. while with
the other he threw the light from
small bulls eye or burglars lantern
upon them"
Philip listened in amazement.
sarah, you must have dreamed all
that. 1t isn't likely that any man
would do such thing"
philip, / did not dream. ! was ter
ribly wide awake and so scared that
couldn't even scream. My tongue
seemed 10 be entirely useless. But I !
felt compelled to read what was writ |
ten, and the man held the papers there /
until the words seemed to burn my /
eyes. lie then walked over to the |
desk and with one blow drove the
knife down into the wood. and then. |
tainted away, and that is all | can re- /
member"
and what became Of the manT |
asked Philip, still inclined to think |
that his wife had in some way fallen |
asleep and dreamed at least a part Of /
this strange scene, perhaps before she /
went up to the study and discovered
the letters Il don't know: maybe he
is in the house yet Philip. | am al
most dead for fear-nOt for myself, but
for your life
Il never had any fear of anonymous
letters or of threats" replied Philip,
contemptuously ewing the knife, which
was still sticking in the desk "Evi-
IDENTITY the saloon men think | am
a child to be frightened with these
bugaboos, which have figured in every
story since the time Of
Captain Kidd"
Then you think this is the work OF
the saloon men|
who else can 1t be? We have no
other enemies Of this sort in Milton"
But they win kill you oh, Philip,
| cannot bear the thought of living
here In this way! Let us leave this
dreadful place"
Little woman" said Philip. while he
bravely drove away any slight anxiety
he may have had for himself. don't
you think il would be cowardly to run
away So soony'
Wouldn't IL be better 10 run away
so soon than 10 be killed. Is there any
bravery in staying in a place where
you are likely TO be murdered by some
cowardF"
Il don't think | shall he" said Philip
And l don't want you
to be afraid. They will not dare to
harm you"
NO. Philip" exclaimed his wife ca
gerly, you must not be mistaken.
did not faint away tonight because
was afraid for myself Surely I have
DO fear there II was the thought OF
the peril in which you stand daily as
you 20 out among these men, and as
you 90 back and forth to your meet
ings in the dark. / am growing nery-
Gus and anxious ever since the shoot
ing. and when | was startled by the
man here tonight l was so weak that !
But I am sure that they do
not care 10 harm me: you are the OBJ
jet Of their hatred. II they strike any
one it will be you. That is the reason
| want TO leave this place. Say sou
viii, Philip. Surely there are other
churches where you could preach as
you want 20 and still not be in such
constant danger"
II required an Of Philips wisdom and
love and consciousness Of his immedi-
ate duty 10 answer his wife's appeal