The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-04-11
THE MYSTERIOUS
MESSENGER
Phantom Letter Delivered
by a Dead Hand.

AAShooA P0ot ahA AhuLGhC1 Will LIE
command to the lava beds. There be
fought while the wife worried and
fretted till the close Of the struggle
One day she was sitting irathe living
room of her quarters, endeavoring to
divert her mind by reading or sewing
from the dangers to which he was ex.
posed, when there came tap at the
door; and young soldier--a mere boy
Of eighteen-entered and held out to
her letter, on which she saw Mt q
glance the superscription In her hus.
bands handwriting. The young SOL
der was very pale, and she noticed
that though the weather was fine his
clothes Were soaked with water But
she was too eager to read the message
to dwell upon this, and, seizing 1t. she
carried 1t to an open window for a
better light to read It. 1t, too, was
soaked with water, and the lines were
badly blurred. She managed to make
out that the war was over. and Cap
tain Winterton would soon return TO
her, though since he must accompany
his command 1t would yet he n few
days. Then she turned to the young
soldier. He was gone. The sudden
vanishment so startled her TINT she
dropped the letter on the window sill.
Astonished that she had not heard
his step, she walked into the hall,
which was not carpeted and would
surely resound under any tread. espe.
cially that of booted soldier. She ran
to the front door, expecting to see him
walking across the parade" to the
soldiers quarters, but no one except
the sentries and few loungers ap-
peared. Starting back into the room.
she went to the window TO rcrcad the
letter, when she noticed that it was not
there. The apartments were not far
above the ground. and she looked out
expecting that it had blown out of the
window and was lying below. She did
not see 1t and went outside to look for
1t, but without success.
She was frightened She dreaded lest
this strange message from her hrs
band, coming In such uncanny fashion,
was prelude to bad news. She sent
a request for the officer In command
of the post to visit her. and when he
came she told him the story He de-
clared that to his knowledge no mes
seneer had come from the lava beds.
but he would make sure hy Inquiry OF
the officer of the day. That officer re-
piled that no such messenger had been
seen Mt the post. Half a dozen people
were set to hunting for the missing
letter. but it was not found.
In the evening the post surgeon call
ed on Mrs Wintcrton 1T n" com.
mandants suggestion. ostenSih'y ~
ask for news from her husband. BIT
really TO see II she was not over
wrought by anxiety, He found her
pale and nervous. but could deiet
nothing further. II was tho opinion
Of the officers and their families that
the mysterious courier and the lettcr
were the creation of Mrs Win-orton'S
brain. No one except herself had seen
either courier or letter. The soldier
could not have got into the post with
out having been seen by the sentry at
the gate and the one pacing before
the officers quarters.
The police SOUND. whose duty It
was to pick up every bit IF paper that
Uttered the Enclosure, was instructed
to look out for the letter. hit they
never produced 1t. Mrs Wintertont
nervousness increased to hysteri;t, and
word was sent to her husband 10 re-
turn as soon rs possible. He ohtained
leave to do so and ut once set ont for
the fort The commandment mpt him
before he saw his wife and told him
IF the vision, or whatever 1t rlit hi he.
that had visited Mrs. Wtntcrton
Winterton stood aghast, It was some
time before he could reply to inquiries
as to his establishment, but Mt Inst he
said:
They say the dead cannot isit us.
have Just had evidence that they can.
Young Harding. the messenger. WINS liz
devoted TO me as ever WIS soldier to
his commander. He was the son OF q
banker in the east, and. being aInhl-
tious to be soldier, he enlisted and
would have now been promoted He
was pet of mine. and twice during
his war saved his llfe once by crawl
ng out 20 him beyond oar firing line,
where he had been left after u retreat
and could not raise his head without
getting bullet through II. again hy
forcing him to the ground n naonent
before a storm Of bullets was sent
over our works. AS soon rs hoFiililies
had ceased I chose him to take the
news to my wife. On my way here
| learned that he was pursued by In
Hans who had not given MP the strug-
gle and was drowned attempting to
swim the horse across the river"
1t was decided not to encourage
Mrs. Winterton In the belief that she
had been visited by the dead BY the
surgeons advice her husband feigned
10 be ignorant Of the messenger md
teld her that 1t had been reported to
him that she had been Ill and. about
the time Of young Hardlng's supposed
arrival, on the borders of deirium.
Mrs. Winterton, however. could not be
deceived, and after time. when she
was in better physical condition. her
husband admitted the facts. The nd
mission did not alter her feelings in
the matter. Ever since the mysteri-
ous visit she has had habit Of wax.