The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-06-26
A Message
From the Dead
By RUTH GRAHAM


through an avenue Of trees ahead, he
saw man coming carrying 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 Il
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 fired, presumably at bird flying
between him and Hutton. Hutton fell
dead.
Sweetser at once changed his direc-
ton and, skulking into a wood, disap-
peared.
Jennie Mills, who was expecting
Mark Hutton to tea, looked out of the
window and saw a black cloud rising
in the west.
81 hope Mark will come before that
storm breaks" she said to herself. 1T
looks awful"
The storm came, but Mark did not.
Suddenly wind dashed itself against
the house like a monster wave of the
sea. Though the sun had not yet set,
IL was dark as midnight In the midst
of the turmoil of wind and hail and
the vivid fash of lightning, the crash
of thunder, there came a ring at the
telephone Had Jennie not been near
it she would not have heard. Going
to the instrument, she took up the re-
ceiver.
"Jennier'
"Oh, Mark, where are you? I was
afraid you were out in the storm"
1t was Leonard Sweetser.
At that moment there came gust Of
wind that shook the house so violently
that Jennie feared it would be blown
| down over her head. 1t 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 lull 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-
4 graph wires, but no sound of 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 mes
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 over the
road.
At last she heard the yelp Of dog
1t was Marks dog Zip. She would
know it among a hundred barks. Blu
now it was rather a cry than bark
She ran now, for she was oppressed
by a great dread. Presently she came
in sight Of the dog. He was sittin'
beside something that looked like lo'
on the ground and bowling, with hi
face turned up TO the sky. She raj
on. Then when she realized what tn
log was she staggered on till she cam
to Marks body.
A month passed. Only one arres
had been made for the murder o
Mark Hutton. and that was Leonar'
Sweetser. But there was no evidenc
against him except that he had bee
known to be at enmity with the maj
whose body had been found at tn
base Of a telegraph pole with a bulle
hole in his head. Besides, 1t was sal
that Sweetser could prove an alb
He would not have been tried had
not been that Jennie Mills insiste
upon it. When he heard that she be
lieved him guilty and the neighbor
sympathized with her in her belief b
asked for a trial. No one had com
forward who claimed to have seen tn
murder done. Sweetser asked for tn
trial in order that he might be Wind
Gated.
When it came of Jennie sat anon
the spectators. She had taken II
home with her the day she discovere
Marks body and had kept him wit
her ever since. She had him in coul
with her, but kept him at her fee
When the prisoner was brought in an
arraigned she took the dog up in be
lap, then lifted him with his face {
, Sweetser
With a yelp Zip jumped from he
hands, over those intervening betwee
him and the culprit and, running I
him, jumped as high as he could ant
fixing his teeth in his coat, hung ther,
This was all the evidence there wa
against Sweetser. but it was enoug
to establish his guilt, though nc
enough to convict him In a court {
law. When Jennie was asked II sh
had any testimony to give she reptile,
"None that jury would regard, but
knew he was guilty before the do
gave his unanswerable testimony"
1t was impossible to convict the pri
oner for want Of evidence which
Judge would admit, but the vindicatio
that was expected by him was N
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