The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-08-05
APuzzling Signature
[OrigInaLl


escaped from an ink bottle an
dragged itself across the paper:
Come up tonight. have something t
tell you. Don't fail. That which has ap
pearcd crooked | will make straight
Unfortunately there was one thinI
about the note that ! could not dc
cipher-that was the signature
looked more like Il, W. Native or Ma
line than anything else, but 1t might be
almost any name The handwriting
was masculine, so | might infer that
my correspondent was a man. But he
might be man or an orang outang Of
Hottentot either of whom could have
written as good hand. | thought
over every man knew whose conduct
aoward me had appeared in any way
crooked, but | could think of no one
except Ned Nolan, whose initials were
~. V.
1t was as possible n twist Il. v
Nolan ont Of the scrswl as anything
else Why he should expect me "a
come and see him | couldn't imagine.
He had owed me $40 borrowed money
! for six months, and / saw nothing to
make anything straight about 1t OK
cept by paying up,
| finally settled down to the opinion
that this was the explanation and dis
missed the matter from my mind. |
certainly had no intention to hunt IN
Nolan and took no notice of his note.
In about week received another pu2-
zle in the same handwriting and with
the same signature. 1t read:
have no answer to mine of last week
! suppose YOU blame me. / write this to
make sure you have received my note.
This came by messenger, and / re-
Piled by the person who brought it.
Neither of the notes received gave
any location. They simply gave the
date. This was my reply;
What you owe me is a trine. bnt
should suppose your self respect would
nave prompted you to make THE crooked
straight long ago.
wrote this on a slip of paper. folded
II once and was about to address it
when thought it wasn't worth while
10 address a line written on a scrap.
so | gave it to the messenger as ii |
was
This was about the time the Span.
sh. A mprtpan war broIyn ,,,,, a,,1 ~
ing lieutenant in the national guard, |
went to Cuba. When | came back to
Montauk Point, between wounds and
levers there wasn't much left of me.
y number of nurses came down to /
help MS along, some of them patriotic
young ladies' who served without com
pensation. One day awakng from
4 sleep, | saw standing at the foot of
my camp cot the only girl had ever
owed.
Pity was In her eye and doubtless
n her heart, though she had refused
ne a long while before. and It was
IN account of this refusal that |
ad been content to so to Cuba In-
Iced, | had been desperate enough to
refer TO leave my body there. or
curse the meeting was embarrassing,
ut my condition did not admit Of her
linking of past situation, and she
{ once began TO busy herself in the
natter of making me more comforta-
lie.
When | got better she would sit by
le and read to me, and | longed TO
open the matter that had been be-
veen us, but the moment vcntured
10 slightest reference t. anything
aiding mp to il she drew down her
aturos forbiddingly, aud I was forced I
desist One day she told me that
~ had met friend of mine n Mr.. $
olan. did not speak enthusiastical- {
Of Nolan, and she was curious to J.
low the reason. Men do not like TO Z
ve each other away TO women. | n
rtlinly did not wish TO tell her that e.
'lan owed me n tri1e of $40. as she a
)uld attribute my opinion Of him So
lely to that if 7 did so I said:
ooh. he writes an eyecrable hand.
; wrote me letter once IN which
said. That which is crooked I will Z
Ike straight then signed his name u
such n crooked fashion that If q
Init known his motive In writing / d
ght have supposed his note to be u
'm some one else" q
The made no comment on this. but %
mt away. and | didn't see her till \
next day. Then asked her to ~
tie letter for me. When she hand. q
me the letter to read over / sprang 10
in bed 81
BY Jovei"
Ter handwriting was identical with
{ NJ the two letters had received
posedly from Nolan. Then | re- ~
mbered that we had lived since our pug
uaintance In the same town and or
never seen her handwriting. pai
How do you sign letters to your pol
ndsf' ] asked. 40
enc
Write IT," Fsi
30 wrote "Emmaline." and II was hii
Identical hy track had seen twice
,re
N9urse there was IN explana-
Intending to reverse her deci- lie
+. she hod wtsten me to come 70 yo'
but when she got NV note sbo sell