The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-10-01

lifetime were concentrated mo one In
ssant of agonizing fear. 1t was William
Pfeiffer. l knew the look; knew the
gait. He was gone in moment and
the carriage rolled on. But knew my
doom as well that minute as l did an
hour later. My husband was alive and
he was here.
you were waiting at the curb when
l arrived, and l remember how my
heart stood still when you laid your
hand on the carriage door and con- |
fronted me with that light ON your
face / had never seen disturbed since |
we first pledged ourselves to marry. In
terror seized the hand which seemed |
my one refuge in this hour Of mortal
trouble, and FASTENED into the house
which for all its dolefuI history had
never received within its doors heart
more burdened or rebeliious. pressed
your hand with mine and smiled. Oh,
Godl If you could have seen what lay
beneath that smilel For with my
entrance beneath those fatal doors a
thought had come. 1 remembered my
heritage. remembered how / had been
told by my father when was a very
little grill presume when he first
felt the hand of death upon him-that
ii ever l was in great trouble-very
great trouble he had said, where no
deliverance seemed possible-I was to
| open a little golden ball, which he
| showed me, and take out what should
find inside and hold 1t close up before
picture which had hung from time
| immemorial In the southwest corner of
| this old house.
"He could not tell me what 1 should
encounter there-this l remember his
saying-but something that would as
sist me, something which had passed
with good effect from father down TO
child for many generations. Only, IL !
would be blessed in my undertakings,
must not open the golden ball nor en-
deavor to find out its mystery unless
my trouble threatened death or some
great disaster. Such a trouble had In
deed come to me, and, startling coinci
dence, I was at this moment in the
very house where this picture hung
and, more startling fact yet, the COLDER
ball needed to interpret its meaning
|
, ousy was this family trinket Away
, guarded by its owner. Why, then, no
test their combined effect? 1 certainl,
, needed help from some quarter. New
er would william allow me to be mar
ried to another while he lived. IL
would yet appear, and l should nee'
this great assistance-great enough I
: | be transmitted from father to SOMA
. none of the Moores had needed it yet
= though what it was did not know an
1 did not even try to guess.
Q 'Yet when got to the room did nc
o drag out the filigree ball at once nc
g even take more than one fearful sid'
q long look at the picture. In DRAWN
off my glove 1 had seen his ring-tf
|, ring you had once asked about.
, was such a cheap affair, the only or
g he could get in that obscure little tow
"a where we were married. lied wht
- you asked me If it was a family jewt
N lied but did not take it off, perhaps b
cause 1t chung so tightly, as If in T
membrance of the vows it symbolic
h But now the very sight of 1t gave me
r. fright With his ring on my finger
70 could not defy him and swear his clai
a to be false-the dream OF man ma
a dened by his experiences in the Klo
10 dixie. 1t must come of. Then perha
a should feel myself free woms
~ But 1t would not come of. struggl
a. with 1t and tugged in vain; then l
no thought me of using nail file to seS
on It. This 1 did, grinding and grind
or at it till the ring finally broke, and
to could wrench it of and cest it aw
Mt out of sight and, as hoped, out
w my memory also. / breathed cas-
pr when rid of this token. yet choked W
10 terror whenever a step approached
in door. 1 was clad in my bridal DIRE
nd hut not in my bridal veil or ornameI
ad and naturally Cora and then my M
mt came to assist me. But l would
no let them in. / was set upon testing
ne secret of the filigree ball
nd 'sThe contents of the ball turned
ad to be a small maghifying glass and
his picture a maze of written words.
sh- did not decipher it all; 1 did not
rst cipher the half. / did not need to.
ms spirit of divination was given me
re- that awful hour which enabled me
the grasp its full meaning from the
ght sentences 1 did pick out. And
ace meaningl 1t was horrible, income
am able. Murder was taught, but mul
ess from distance, and by an act too
nv ple to awake revulsion. A step into
empty closet yawning so near, an ei
int with a drawer, Al Do not ask
be- to recall it. | did not shudder ["
re l the moment came and 1 stood II
bit Then was cold as marble u
een shall surely take my life before
ling see me. again, and in that old he
ave If II is despair | feel, then despair
Val take me there. If II is repentance,
and repentance will suffice to drive III
.e / the one expIation possible TO M
1nld nerlsh where | caused an innocent