Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1913-05-23
A Message
From the Dead
By RUTH GRAHAM

ii D NOAIl 0I\<Af1AM
Mark Hutton and his dog were walk
ing along a road between his farm and
the home Of Jennie Mills, to whom he
was engaged to be married. Looking
through an avenue Of trees ahead, he
saw man coming carrying a shotgun
As the man approached Marks brow
lowered. He recognized the conner as
Leonard Sweetser. the only enemy he
had In the world. Sweetser was one Of
those men born bad. He had had a
trade with Hutton and vowed Hutton
had swindled him. This led to bad
blood between them. Hutton avoided
his enemy as far as possible, for he
was a sensible man and disliked to
have trouble with any one. Indeed,
Sweetser's accusation had caused him
great deal Of misery.
Sweetser stopped, raised his weapon
and fred, presumably at bird flying
between him and Hutton. Hutton fell
dead
Sweetser a. once changed his direc-
ton and, skulkine into a wood. disap-
peared
Jennie Mills, who was expecting
Mark Hutton to tea, looked out Of the
window and saw black cloud rising
IN the west.
II hope Mark will come before that
storm breaks" she said to herself. 1T
looks awful"
The storm came, but Mark did not
Suddenly a wind dashed itself against
the house like a monster wave of the
sea. Though the sun had not yet, set,
It was dark as midnight In the midst
Of the turmoil Of wind and heil and
the vivid flash of lightning. the crash
Of thunder. there came q ring at the
telephone Had Jennie not hem near
It she would not have heard Going
to the instrument, she took up the re-
ce1ver.
"Jennie!'
"Oh. Mark. where are your I was
afraid you were out In the storm"
1t was Leonard Sweetser.
At that moment there came a gust Of
wind that shook the house 80 violently
that Jennie feared itiwould be blown
down ever her head It drowned any
further word that might have come to
her. but she held the receiver to her
ear. waiting for lull In the fierceness
Of the storm But the lnll came with
out bringing anything more from
Mark She called. but there was no
answer. She could hear through the
instrument the wind crying in the tele-
graph wires. but no sound Of a human
voice.
Then it began to grow light The
storm departed as suddenly as it had
come. The sun came out, and the
birds began to sing.
But where was Mark?
Regardless of the rivulets Of rain
and the soft wet ground, Jennie start
ed down the road. The telephone naes-
sage had indicated that Mark was un-
der cover, but she wondered why she
had heard that unearthly wall Of the
wind through the telegraph wires She
sped on regardless Of the streams Of
water flowing here and there 0ver'the
road.
At last she heard the yelp Of dog.
It was Marks dog Zip She would
know 1t among a hundred barks. But
now It was rather a cry than a bark.
She ran now. for she was oppressed
by a great dread Presently she came
In sight of the dog. He was sitting
beside something that looked like a log
on the ground and bowling, with his
face turned up to the sky. She ran
on. Then when she realized what the
log was she staggered on till she came
to Marks body.
A month passed Only one arrest
had been made for the murder OF
Mark Hutton, and that was Leonard
Sweetser. But there was no evidence
against him except that he had been
known to be at enmity with the man
whose body had been found at the
base Of telegraph pole with bullet
hole In his head. Besides, 1t was said
that Sweetser could prove an ahbi-
He would not have been tried had II
not been that Jennie Mills insisted
upon It. When he heard that she be-
lieved him guilty and the neighbors
sympathized with her in her belief he
asked for a trial. No one had come
forward who claimed to have seen the
murder done. Sweetser asked for the
trial In order that he might be vtndt-
Gated.
When It came OF Jennie sat among
the spectators She had taken ZIP
home with her the day she discovered
Marks body and had kept him with
her ever since. She had him in court
with her, but kept him at her feet
When the prisoner was brought in and
arraigned she took the dog up In her
lap, then lifted him with his face to
Sweetser.
| With a yelp Zip jumped from her
hands, over those intervening between
him and the culprit and. running to
him. jumped as high as he could and.
fixing his teeth in his coat, hung there.
This was all the evidence there was
against Sweetser, but it was enough
to establish his guilt though not
enough to convict him In a court Of
law. When Jennie was asked If she
had any testimony to give she replied.
"None that jury would regard. but
knew he was guilty before the dog
gave his unanswerable testimony"
It was impossible to convict the pris-
oner for want Of evidence which q
Judge would admit. but the vindication
that was expected by him was not
forthcoming.
Sweetser was discharged. but COM
mittee Of Mark Hutton's friends was
supposed to have made away with
him. At any rate what became Of hin
remained secret.
Sign Language.