Evening journal., 1909-02-15
The Rockland -
~ ~ Mystery.

ciation.l a
Rockland had been a rough town, bat
It had settled down into a town with
out the adjective.
One day a man without a record
came to town. Since he gave no name,
as was customary in such cases, a
name was given him. But this was
not till it was noticed that he appeared
to be looking for some one. Then they
called him "the shadower." He had
no confidants, no associates. He en-
tered upon no business. but seemed to
have what money he needed. He was
continually walking about always with
a revolver at each hip, and 1t was no
ticed that he usually kept an eye to-
ward his rear
He was a well favored man about
twenty-eight. and what few young
women there were in Rockland adored
him. Perhaps It was the mystery there
was about him. though he never took
any notice OF them. One Of the girls,
Eunice Parks, bet she gould make him
smile, but she lost the bet. Neverthe-
less she succeeded in at least estab-
fishing an acquaintance. They were
seen occasionally walking together and
usually in earnest conversation. Eu-
nice was a good deal of a hoyden, Just
the girl to make such a bet, but from
the time she fell in with the shadower
she began to get sober, and it wasn't
long before she was going about ap-
SEA
shoulders as the stranger seemed to be
carrying.
Her intimate friends questioned her
about the mysterious man who never
smiled and who seemed to have drawn
her under the spell by which he was
influenced. They got nothing out Of
her, and by and by her parents, per-
ceiving that there was something
wrong with her. made every effort to
induce her to give them her confidence
They succeeded no better than her
companions, who were her companions
no longer, for, like the stranger, she
was without associates, without con-
fdants. When she was asked If he had
confded In her she answered NO" but
hesitatingiy, as much as to say that
she was in a measure at least in the
dark. Was he influencing her without
telling his story, OF had he no story to
tell7
Wherever there is a mystery there
are n thousand explanations, and of the
mystery Of the shadower now extended
to Eunice Parks no two explanations
were alike. After Eunice was drawn
into the vortex the parents of those
who had been her friends feared that
their daughters might be contaminated
as people catch diseases from one an
other. But II this contributed TO the
separation between her and her for
mer associates it was but a slight part.
for Eunice dropped them before any
Of them dropped her.
As time went on the shadower grew
more cautious in his motions, as If the
alteration he seemed to be expecting
might be more imminent. He was
seen on one occasion while walking
through the town to turn suddenly,
clapping his hand to his right hip. It
was noticed that when coming to a
corner before advancing to cross a
street he would hastily glance to the
right and left as people In crowded
cities do to avoid swift moving vehi-
cles.
One afternoon the shadower was
seen walking rapidly toward a wood
on the outskirts of the town. A boy
who saw him said he was talking to
himself. Suddenly from the wood sew
eral shots rang out. There was no
doubt about this, for they were heard
by four different people who noticed
them particularly, there having been
no shooting in the town or vicinity for
a long while. They differed, however,
In the number of the shots.
Two Of these persons were chatting
together when the shots were fired.
They were talking about the stranger
who had hurried past them a few min
utes before. They went to the wood,
and there lay the shadower with a bull
let in his temple. One chamber Of his
revolver had been emptied. and after
searching ball was found In the
trunk Of a tree near by.