Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-12-19
-Anu they acre not delivered ",

sNhN NV NNAo NV bIhNNANd w
| messenger"
so far az ] enn learn, no."
ut is very odd" commented. with
feeble banality.
| took the letters from his hands
once more, and held them in turn be
tween my vision and the candle-light,
hoping, perchance, to discover a wa
ter-mark in the paper. But was not
rewarded.
You examined the envelopes care
fully, | presume?" was my query as /
returned the sheets to the table.
More than carefully" he answered
But you shall see them. II you like.
! found no trace of any identifying
mark"
Thus far he had made no further
mention of the puzzling happening"
which followed the receipt of the first
letter. and in the interest provoked by
the letters themselves had foreborne
to question him; but now as the words
seventh day hence" fell again under
my eye. standing out, as ii were, from
the rest Of the script which lay up
turned on the table before me, was
conscious Of stimulated concern, and
so made inquiry.
Il wish you would tell me, first,
whether anything really did occur on
the seventh day,
Il was coming TO that" he replied;
hut It seemed TO me that prompt
though his response was. there was
shade OF reluctance In his manner
Then he rose, abruptly, and saying;
Suppose we so into my study, Clyde"
led the way from the dining room.
across the great, imposing, grained
aud fretted hall to that comparatively
small mahogany and green symphony
wherein he was wont to spend most
of his indoor hours II was always a
rather gloomy room at night, with its
high dark ceiling, its heavy and vol.
luminous olive tapestry hangings,
wholly out of keeping, It seemed to
me. with the season-and it's shaded
lights confined to the vicinity OF the
massive polished, and gilt-ornamented
writing table Of the period of the First
Empire. And It impressed me now.
~ NpAtJ hIANAlOI viii Ndlltlbh pIOIl-
ised revelation, as more than ever
grim and awesomc.
| remember helping myself to a
cigar from the humidor which stood
on the antique cabinet in the corner
near the door. | was in the act of
lighting 1t when Cameron spoke.
Il want you to sit in this chair" he
said indipp fincy Of
holstery which stood beside the writ
ing table, facing the low. long book
cases lining the opposite wall.
/ did as he bade me, while he re.
NAMED standing.
DO you, by any chance" he asked,
remember a portrait which hung
above the book-shelves?
remembered it very well. II was a
painting of himself, done some years
back. But now my gaze sought it in
vain.
Certainly" I answered. 1T hung
there" pointing.
Quite right. Now want you to OBJ
serve the shelf-top. You see how
crowded it is"
1t was indeed crowded. Bronze
busts and statuettes; yachting and
golf trophies in silver; framed photo
graphs; score of odds and ends, SOU
yenirs gathered the world over. There
was scarcely an inch of space unoc-
cupied. ! had frequently observed this
plethora OF ornament and resented it.
It gave to that part of the room the
semblance of curiosity shop. When
| had nodded my assent, he went on:
"On the afternoon OF Friday, August
twenty-first, seven days after the re.
ceipt Of that first letter. was sitting
whore you are sitting now. | was
reading, and deeply interested. / had
put the letter, as l told you, entirely
out of my mind. | had forgotten it.
absolutely. That seventh-day business
| had regarded-if | regarded It at all
as idle vaporing. That this was the
afternoon of the seventh day did not
occur to me until afterwards. I recall
that | paused in reading to ponder a
that was not quite clear to
me, and that while in contemplation |
fixed my eyes upon that portrait. re-
that, because 1t struck me,
then, that the flesh tints of the face
had grown muddy and that the thing |
would be better for cleaning. re. |
call, too. that at that moment, the lit |
tie clock, yonder, struck three. | re. |
sumed my reading; but presently, an. |
other statement demanding cogltation, |
! lowered my book, and once more my |
eyes rested on the portrait. But not
on the muddy flesh tints, because"
he paused and leaned forward. towards
me, speaking with impressive empha-
sis. Because" he repeated, there
were no flesh tints there. Because
there was no head nor face there!"
| sat up suddenly, open-mouthed.
speechless. Only my wide eyes made
question.
Cut from the canvas" he went on,
In lowered voice, "clean and sharp
from crown to collar And the hands
Of the clock pointed to twelve min,
ltes past three"
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Il