Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1901-04-12

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could hardly have failed to read Of his
wife's murder. But nothing came
from him, and sometimes we suspected
that the same power that had struck
down my mother had wrought it's
vengeance on him. Be that as it may,
he was to all intents and purposes
dead. My uncle now regarded me as
his child, and had he been my father
could not have loved him more
The grief through which he had late
~ passed had steadied him considera-
bly,. The face was still kind, though
robbed of much of it's ruddiness, but
the reckless. devil may care expression
had entirely vanished. The man had
responsibilities now if be had never
known them before. and he scarcely
took the pains to hide the fact Then
he had long fits of mental abstraction
which he shook off with great effort
We rode and drove necessarily, and
noticed that he always peered into the
eyes of every stranger we passed
Sometimes he took me to town for a
week, and together we haunted all the
most popular resorts of the metropolis
We tramped the great thoroughfares
from the Marble'arch to the bank, from
St. Pauls to Hyde Park corner. And
all for what? He never said, but |
knew it was for the man with the
strange eyes. Time after time he used
to say to me, "Davie, are you quite
sure you would know him again ~
And then l would go through a minute
description OF the man as he appeared
to me In the garden that day, and so
often had repeated the story that be
knew it as we'll as l, and if | omitted
any particular he would say, you for
got to mention the black tie with the
white spots" or His boots were rather
square" at the toes"
But nothing ever came of our wan
behring's, though we had many false
alarms, for in London, where one sees
so many different faces, it would have
been strange had we not encountered
a few disappointments. Men of for
eign appearance in particular we mark
ed as our quarry, especially those who
have the brand Of the east or the far
east. But though at the sight of a
man have sometimes felt my heart
leap to my throat closer inspection
dissipated the hope. or, rather, should
say the fear, for there was more of
fear than Of hope in it.
And so the time flew on, and bitter
~ cold January was drawing to close
A good six months had already passed,
and in that tAxne the world forgets
much. know that had reached that
state in which no longer experienced
any difficulty in lulling my fears, and
I could sleep without dreaming Of try
ing to escape from a man with strange
eyes who pursued me with cleaning
knife and who was ever on the point of
stabbing me just as l woke. I think
my uncle also was beginning to rest,
though rest he would not while his SIS
ter's murderer was at large. But he
was just little more contented. less
given to gloomy fits of abstraction,
when something happened that set US
all in whirl again.
thought one night, waking sudden
~, that some one was trying to force
the window Of my room, but after ~
ing for many minutes listening intent
~ came to the conclusion that it was
nothing but my fancy. So, secure in
the possession of we'll barred win
dow. soon fell asleep again. But
when awoke in the morning l still
retained a recollection of my fright
and. rapidly dressing. went out to in
vestigate that side Of the house, but
though subjected it to pretty close
scrutiny l saw nothing that led me to
suspect the presence Of an enemy. $>s..
However, on skirting the back of the
building passed close to the stable,
upon the door of which saw. some
thing that made me start. A step or
two closer assured me that had not
been mistaken. There, distinctly visi-
BILE, was the fatal egg shaped sign
drawn grimly with q red pencil. =,
looked and looked again and then
drew closer to make sure that there
Was uO ullSldhe.H'i%s IVSAy ASlvS III u<s
was now trembling with excitement
and for several moments stood look
Ing at the dreadful thing like one I'M
able to realize it's meaning. = Then,
forcing my numbed limbs into action,
/ turned about and hurried into the
house. bursting into my uncle's room
with: The sign! The signr' a5}. n. /.
i 1.-THE &sign! he shouted excitedly,
turning round with lightninglike ra-
pidity: do you mean the Il u:
Yes. YES. the same. Comet Il u on
the stable door Il 55 i Il is
Without further words he; dashed BY
me. out through the back Of the house
to the yard, ! at: his heels Before the
stable door he stood and Ief1 narrowly
scrutinized the tracing. ss.| u
1T is the same q be rid. al = like
the one you saWs on the 8atepos
: Exactly, but hieseE. SIS 4.