The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-03-03
THREE WARNINGS.

Gus case. And he knew that men and
women had died of fright.
Everybody in Torbett township knew
just what was the matter.
Miss Saline Jones, a very estimable
lady in middle age, had lain down on
her bed knowing that she would soon
die. She had received three mysterious
warnings. Wherever the case was dis
cussed-and it was talked of now
throughout the township and the great
er portion of the county-nobody could
be found who had ever heard of an in
stance where person forewarned had
ever received more than three warn
/ 1ngs. One was the rule Cases where
two warnings were given the doomed
were cited, but they were not so we'll
| authenticated.
Miss Jones had lain in bed now three
days. Everybody could see her failing.
She had hunted look; her face was
pale, sometimes clammy with perspira-
!; tion. She had not slept now in three
nights. DR.. Townly's first resolve was
that she should sleep that night-but
| kept his own counsel.
He really feared the poor lady would
die Of fright.
After examining her carefully with
puzzled expression he entered the little
parlor, which was darkened to keep the
flies and the light out, and conversed
with Miss Jones' niece, bright and
fairly well-educated girl. The niece
had been sent for in haste. She had
no patience with the story of the
warnings" but she admitted that she
had not had much time to investigate
| the matter.
She had the forethought, however, to
call in the neighbor who had tele-
graphed her that her presence was re-
quired in Torbett.
The neighbor was a member of the
leading church in Torbett, who an
nounced herself as the mother OF a
| large family, therefore very consci-
entious. Miss Jones had not said any,
I thing. to her until she had slept over
the first warning. -.
''She told me it looked like an angel
l
head better than the wings. But the
wings were there. Z zs.- !, :.
| Ehe doctor knew the story, i ut he
asked Mrs. Bennett grufay: "Where?"
They were on a melon-a water
melon. 1t was a melon grown in a
patch just back Of the henhouse-on
the little bench Of land very near the
ravine."
"Well?" growled the DOCTOR
II did see the second warning my
SELF
What was it like?"
''It was on a melon, too. It looked
| just like Miss Jones told me. 1t was
| just like the branches of weeping
willow
did anybody else see it?"
my son John saw it, and a half
| dozen of the neighbors saw it,
"How big was the tree-the branches,
| I mean?"
"They covered the breadth Of your
| hand, I am sure"
did Miss Jones say she regarded it
as a sign she was going to die? Sup
| pose the melon hadn't been pulled-or
| somebody else had picked it up?"
'That's just it. She didn't get the
| melons~her little nephew, Tommy
he's about years old-he brought the
| melons in to her. There was an old
| patch back there once-she never goes
| into it. Tommy, he was chasing the
| hens-and run there and found the
! melons,
''Then she went to bed, did she?"
| "No. She wondered what it meant
asked me what I thought And I
daren't say what I thought 1t was
the first sign ever saw. And I hope
| I may never see another"
'Did she show any signs of fright
did she lose her appetite or cry? Was
she nervous? Or did she talk much 2"
Neither of the three. She just sat
| down and rocked herself. If anybody
! spoke she just looked at us, as much
| as to say: You don't know anything
| about it. 1t can't be helped Wouldn't
be coaxed to eat. We couldn't get her
to swallow cup Of tea"
i 'Well-and then?''
i ''She got the third warning"
\ "What was it?"
| 1T was on another melon. It's not
as plain as the others. But hundreds
have seen. it. It was an overripe melon
Kind of faded away now She said
when Tommy brought it in that she
did not need such a plain warning.
said she ought to be thankful she got
three. And then she laid out her
shroud and got into bed. OF course
dozens of us were in and OUT '~.-
! Eyes," thought the doctor, "and
hundreds more, bigger. fools, were tell
ing the story and adding to it.
! What was on the last melon?"
| .'Just an urn-the same as you see
| any place. 49, ....~*@ h:
| Humph!' = j.. ~
J t.She came over to my house that
afternoon. I'd just got the parlor
! closed and was going to lie down when
/ she walked in without rapping. A
| thing she never did in her life. I am
L 20 S,l,o ooi oh