Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-30
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE SPECTRAL MESSENGER.
IOrfginaLl


howled as though il were the mingling
of voices of a thousand lunatics, who.
released from the body, were wild with
exhilaration at their freedom.
Louis gasped Mrs. Baylies, II
fear 1 am going TO die"
Great heavens" exclaimed the hus-
band, and, getting out of bed, he
scratched q match and lighted candle.
Go for DOCTOR gasped the wife
And leave you here with no one but
that ignorant maid? How can IT,
You must
Louis Baylies hurriedly got into his
clothes. awakened the maid, then went
TO the stable, saddled his horse, mount
ed and rode away.
It was a good five miles TO the doc
tors, and though the rain had ceased
II had left the road hard to get over.
Baylies was obliged to trust to his
horse, whose eyes were far better than
have difficulty in keeping the road. At
any rate. he was constantly f1ounbering
in some bog beside 1t. Baylies encour-
aged him, but the mans dread that he
would not bring the doctor in time
that on his return he would find his
wife dead-put q tremor into his voice
that was not reasSuring.
The distance he traversed was I'M
known to him till he came TO the GENE
terry. which he knew was halfway. Then
suddenly a fash of lightning the first
illumination in night Of pitchy black
ness showed him on the other side OF
a stone wall n tombstone on which was
carved the name Albert Seymour"
Baylies shuddered. He and Seymour
had been rivals for the hand OF Mar
garet Burns. Baylies had won. and
Seymour had never been the same man
afterward. Stricken with deadly dis
ease he had declined treatment. aver
ring that he wished to die. And now
the woman he had loved was at deaths
door, and the man who had won her
was trying to save her.
Whether 1t was the binding effect of
the lightning on the horses eyes or
the fright that made him shy in the
inky ensuing blackneSS, he came against
the wall. Raylies went over IL. and
that was the last of consciousness for
him till the first gimmeF of dawn
showed him that he was lying on the
grave of Albert Seymour. His horse
stood on the other side Of the wall,
with his nose over 1t, looking at him
Baylies, Mortified at having thus been
delayed, got up, staggered to the wall
and climbed over to the other side. He
knew that when he had started il was
long past midnight, so ne supposed he
might not have been lying long uncon-
sciOus. At any rate, he hoped not
There was hut one course for him-tO
go forward. One thing arrested his
attention-his horse was painting, not
as though he had stood waiting for his
master to come TO himself, but al
though he had been galloping and had
just stopped. Put there was no time
for speculation. Mounting, Baylies
spurTed onward and in half an hour
pulled up at the doctors door. y maid
opened II and, recognizing Baylies as
one of her masters patients looked at
him surprised.
1.-THE DOCTOR" he gasped. 'Is he at
homer"
He's gone to your house. sir"
"My house? Then they have sent
some one else for himF"
Yes, sir; they must have"
But there was no one TO send"
''IIe was gentleman, sir, and he
came on that horse. See the cut on his
fore leg? II is bleeding yet"
"DO you mean that you noticed this
horse and know him by that cutf"
Indeed I do, SIR
"WhO rode himT'
"A tall. thin, pale gentleman with
sandy hair and side whiskers; and now
/ remember, on his finger was a queer
looking gold ring made like twined
strands"
Baylies' blood ran cold. His wife
before they were married had given
Albert Seymour such ring. After her
engagement with BayIies he had
begged permission to keep il, and she
had consented.
Without word Baylies turned and
rode back. Passing the cemetery. there
was the tombstone beneath which slept
the mortal part of the man he had
suppIauted. the man whom he firmly
believed had taken UP his message and
while he was unconscious carried it
on its way.
Baylies had hated his rival while he
lived. and since his death had not
ceased TO be jealous Of him But now,
as be looked at the inanimate marble
that marked the grave of one from
whom ne had taken all that made life
desirable, there rushed upon him
sense OF the selfishneSs Of man, the
bencficence of Immortality.
On reaching home. he found the doc
tor working with his wife, whom he
had succeeded in bringing ont OF dan
ger
Why did you not wait for the doc
tor. dear?" asked Mrs. Baylies. and
why have you been so long comiDg:"
BayIies stood looking from her &c
the doctor without reply; then he asked
the latter:
did You see my messenger
NO, he had gone before I came
down"
What messenger" asked the wife