Democratic messenger., 1911-11-25
A Mysterious
Message
IL Came Over q Wire, bat
Was Doubtless Wireless
BY WILLARD b. CHURCH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
By WILLARD b. CHURCH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

eH *
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
The first blizzard of the season came
in November, an early date for win.
tier storm. and. what was more un-
usual still. Il was the most severe of
the season. Farmer Hardwick, sitting
beside the stove in his living room,
listened 10 the howling wind thrash.
ing the leafiess branches OF the trees
and hurling the snow like sand blast
against his window panes. A tele.
graph pole stood on the roadside in
front of and very near TO his house,
aud It seemed to him that the sounds
made by the rushing currents of air
were the walls of lost spirits.
Hardwick, like most farmers OF the
present day. was connected by tele-
phone with his nelghbors The In
strument was placed In an addition to
his house used for everything pertain.
ing to a farm. from matches to fire.
wood, from gimlet to a grindstone,
from a jug OF vinegar to cask OF
cider. There were openings through
to this universal "cutchall," and. the
doors between standing open. Hard.
wick heard some one calling up a
number OF telephone subscriber The
voice was n mans. but didn't sound
like that of any OF the men on the
farm. As soon rs the speaker was
connected with the number he had
asked for he spoke one sentence quick
ly. but Hardwick could not hear what
he said
Only few moments had elapsed
between thr call and the communica.
tion when Hardwick got up from his
chair and went through the rooms to
where the telephone was located to
see who was using II. To his sur
prise. no one was there. The receiver
hung in its place. and there was no
Indication that any one had been
near 1t. Ilnrdwick ran to the only
door leading out into the yard and
pulled it open. but no one was In
sight
That's qucer." lie muttered to him.
self and. going back TO his seat by
the stove. sat down TO think about II.
the voice at his telephone Cicily
Boardman. who was upstairs In her
own home sewing in preparation for
her coming wedding with Harvey
Brown. heard above the storm n ring
on the floor below. Going down. she
took up the receiver and, having spo.
ken the usual "Well:" heard her lov.
er's voice say to her:
"Its in the northeast corner OF the
smokehouse.
There was a click, followed by ST.
lence. She called again and again.
but, receiving no answer. concluded
that Harvey had been shut Off In the
midst Of what he was saying. and.
hanging up the receiver. she went
back to her work.
But since she could both work and
think at the same time she pondered
on what her lover had tried to COM
municate. There was nothing intel.
ligible TO her In the message she had
received. and had not the voice boon
unmlsta kably her lovers she would
have assumed that. using party wire,
she had beard that which had been
intended for some one else. But Har-
vey's deep tones were too familiar toI
her TO be mistaken for those of any
other man. The message was so In
explicable that she began 10 feel
dread, though OF what she did not
know
The next morning Cicily took up the
work on her wedding garment with a
singular despOndency. mentally repeat
Ing the words IAN impending ealam-
ity." Presently she heard some one
without kicking Off the snow, the front
door open and y heavy step. Then fol
lowed mufiled voices below. Cicily
listened. her heart sinking like lead
within her. 4 little later when her
mother came into the room with dread
on her face Cicily moaned:
"You don't need to tell me. mother;
Harvey Is dead
The mother put her arms about her
daughter. saying not word.
Harvey Brown had started during
the storm TO walk from his home to
that OF his hancee. distance OF two
miles. The road led past Farmer
Hardwick's house. and Browns body
was found buried In a drift under one
OF the telegraph poles not far from
Hardwick's Whether he had sunk
down confused and benumbed by that
interminable whirling OF snow or
whether his efforts to get on had
brought on some sort Of stroke was
not evident. The night had been very
cold. and II was thought that. bewil.
dered and exhausted. he had stopped
20 rest and had been frozen.
Cicily and her mother were in strait.
ened circumstances. Harvey Brown
not only owned the house In which he
lived. but had inherited fortune In
vested in stocks and bonds. Cicily's
n