The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-11-04
Was 1t Supernatural or a
Scientific Novelty
By r A. Mitchell

MARY sat IN the JOCK mouse
working her typewriter. A northeast
er was blowing In from the ocean. and
the waves as they rolled under the
dock shook the structure built on 1t.
There was a telephone instrument
screwed against the wall. and sudden
ly there came a sharp ring. Whether
the electric current was stronger than
usual or that Mary vas influenced by
the terror of the storm. the bell seem
ed to call her to hear some bad news.
She hurried to the instrument and. un-
hooking the receiver. held it to her
ar.
Mary" came the voice of John Tai
bot. to whom Mary was betrothed and
who she supposed was coming up
from Florida in a coast steamer of
which he was third mate, take up a
board in the northwest corner of my
room at home"
There was a click. and Mary knew
that communication was shut off. She
waited for II to be renewed. then rat
tied the hook that held the receiver,
called. did everything she could think
of to attract attention. but could not
break the silence. At last, impressed
by a feeling of awe, she hung up the
receiver and. trembling. returned to
her seat
The George Brewster. In which John
Talbot was coming north. was not due
to arrive till the next day. Had she
put into some port OH the coast below?
She might have done so to avoid the
storm. for she was an old vessel and
not considered very seawOrthy. But
what did this f%ragmentary message
mean? Take up a board in the north
west cOrner of my room at home.
Mary and John were to be married
O after his return from this voyage.
Could the message have anything to
do with the preparations that were
being made for the wedding?
The next morning news was publish
ed of the loss of the George Brewster
and all ON board She had %foundered
at sea off Cape Hatteras. Wreckage
had peer washed ashore identifying
her.
Mary Richards when she began to re.
cover from the shock Of her loss re-
membered her telephone message.
How had her betrothed been able to
communicate with her while at SET?
There was no wireless telegraph ap-
paratus On the Brewster by which he
could communicate with the shore.
Besides. the voice she had heard was
his. and he addressed her direct.
John Talbot's mother had died when
he was a little boy. and his father had
married a woman who had made life
miserable for her husband and her
stepSon. AS soon as John was old
enough to earn any money she insisted
that he should 90 to work and forced
him to bring all he earned to her. This
continued till he grew to manhood.
when he began to retain his earnings.
He had told Mary that he had accu
mulaied several thousand dollars anG
before leaving on his last voyage haC
taken the precautiOn to make a will
leaving it to her. But he had not toto
her where either the will or the proper
ty was to be found
Mrs. Talbot was aware that John
was saving money. and as o o as
news came of his death at sea she be-
gan to hunt for it. or. rather. evidence
of it. She believed that John had in
vested his savings i'm stocks or bonds
and that he had kept his securities at
$1,000 t1oI 90 p1onsn0 thnrn In q
safety deposit company: but. although
she hunted high and low for anything
that would represent money. she found
nothing.
Mary for n long while was so crush
ed by her loss that she thought moth
ing of the matter of her lovers pos
sessions. One day she met Mrs Tai
bot. who said to her with a view to
learning something about the missing
property:
~ d John turned over his say
ings to YOU before he wen to sea the
last time"
Mary replied that he had not done
so. and that was all that was said on
the subject between them. But Mrs.
Ta!bot's words and manne set Mary
to thinking. In this connection she re
membered the telephone message
Take up Il board in the northwest cor
ner of my room at home.
Wherever the message had come
from. whether transmitted by natural
or supernatural Mary nov con
nected it with the missing property
After deliberation she concluded to so
to II lawyer and ask his advice as to
what to do He agreed to send some
one to the Talbot house. watch an OPP
portunity to take up without Mrs. Tai
bots knowledge the board in the floor
In the northwest corner of Johns
room. This duty WAS assigned IL detec-
tive. who employed Il confederate to
decoy the stepmother away while the
detective went into the room desig-
rated and removed the board.
One morning Mary received "A mes
F.. - " t - -.