Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-14
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Mysterious Messenger.
(Original-1

is Obliged TO part with n husband, a
son or both, knowing that there are
many chances that they Will not re-
| turn TO her she suffers accordingly.
When the war with the ModOc In
dams broke ont in the early seventies
Captain Winterton left his bride at
frontier post and marched with his
command to the lava beds. There he
fought while the wife worried and
fretted till the close of the struggle.
One day she was sitting in the living
room OF her quarters endeavOring to
divert her mind by reading or sewing
from the dangers TO which he'was ok
posed, when there came Il tap at the
door. and a young soldier-a mere boy
of eighteen-entered and held out to
her letter. on which she saw at a
glance the superscription in her hus-
bands handwriting. The young sol
der was very pale, and she noticed
that though the weather was fine his
clothes were soaked with water. But
she was too eager TO read the message
to dwell upon this. and, Selling ii, she
carried it to an open window for a
| better light TO read it. 1t, too, was
soaked with water, and the lines were
badly blurred. She managed to make
out that the war was over, and Captain
WintertOn would soon return TO her,
though since he must accompany his
command it would yet be few days.
Then she turned to the young soldier.
He was gone. The sudden vanishment
so startled her that she dropped the
letter on the window sill.
Astonished that she had not heard
his step. she stepped into the hall,
which was not carpeted and would
surely resound under any tread, espe
cially that of a booted soldier. She ran
to the front door. expecting to see him
walking across the parade to the sol
dierS' quarters, but no one except the
sentries and a few loungers appeared.
Starting back into the room. she went
to the window to reread the letter.
when she noticed that ii was not there.
The apartments We're not far above the
ground. and she looked out, expecting
that it had blown out of the window
and was lying below. She did not see
it and went outside TO look for il, but
without success.
She was frightened. She dreaded
lest this strange message from her hus-
was prelude to bad news. She sent
a request for the officer in command
| of the post to visit her, and when he
came she told him the story. He de-
| clarcd that TO his knowledge no mes
| Senger had come from the lava beds,
| but he would make sure by inquiry of
| the officer of the day. That officer re-
piled that no such messenger had been
| seen mt the post.
In the evening the post surgeon call
Ell on Mrs. Winterton at the command
ants suggestion, Ostensibly to ask for
news from her husband, but really to
see If she was not overweight by anx-
| iety. He found her pale and nervous,
| but could detect nothing further. 1t
was the opinion of the officers and their
| families that the mysterious courier
| and the letter were the creation of Mrs.
| Winterton's brain. No one except her
| self had seen either courier or letter.
The soldier could not have got into the
post without having been seen by the
sentry at the gate and the one pacing
before the officers quarters.
The police squad, whose duty it
was TO pick up every bit of paper that
| Uttered the Enclosure, was instructed to
| look out for the letter. but they never
| produced it Mrs. Winterton's nervous
ness increased to hysteria. and word
was sent TO her husband to return as
| soon as possible. He obtained leave
| to do so and mt once set out for the
fort. The commandant met him before
he saw his wife and told him of the
vision. or whatever it might be, that
| had visited Mrs. Winterton.
| Winterton stood aghast 1t was some
time before he could reply TO inquiries
as to his establishment, but at last he
said:
"They say the dead cannot visit US.
l have just had evidence that they can.
Young Harding. the messenger. was as
devoted to me as ever was soldier to
his commander. He was the son of
banker in the east, and. being ambi-
tious to be soldier he enlisted and
would have now been promoted. He
was a pet Of mine. and twice during
| this war l saved his life. once by crawl
ing out to him beyond our firing line,
where he had been left after a retreat
and could not raise his head without
| getting a bullet through il: again by
forcing him to the ground a moment
before storm Of bullets was sent over
| our works. AS soon as hosulitieS had
! ceased / chose him to take the news to
my wife. On my way here I learned
that he was pursued by Indians who
had not given up the struggle and was
drowned attempting to swim his horse
acrosS a river
1t was decided not to encourage Mrs.
Winterton in the belief that she had
been visited by the dead. BY the sur
geons advice, her husband feigned to
be ignorant OF the messenger and told
her that il had been reported TO him
that she had been I'll and, about the
time OF young Harding's supposed ar
rival. on the borders OF delirium. Mrs.
| winterton, however, could not be de-
ceived. and after a time. when she was
] In q hatter nhrsical cnndifinn her luS-