Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-10

cigar. | had abandoned article after
article of dress, and was certainly in
rather an unattired condition. But cloth
clothes were not to be borne in such
weather.
In quest of more air l had stepped
from my window on to the leads be-
meath the roof of Messrs. Reklam's
back shop. The plane tree and the lilac
bushes, looking more pallid than ever as
the moonlight blanChed their leaves, were
on my left hand. Before me was the
raised skylight of the shop below, the
dusty panes redeemed by the cleaning
Of a light burning beneath. Scarcely
thinking Of what l did, as I smoked. I
leaned over the skylight, and endeavored
to peer through its glass. | could dis
the figures of my landlords moving
hither and thither, and employed
know not precisely how. There was no
installing the fact, however, that they
were very busy. What they were doing
was by no means clear to me. ! stood
for some moments observing them.
They were surrounded by papers and
books-so much | could clearly per
ceive-and by various packages and
bundles, which they seemed to be pass
ing from right to left, as though they
were counting and taking note of them;
even Of this could not be quite certain.
On Il sudden and accidentally. for
there could not possibly have been any
design in the matter, Aaron Reklam
raised his eyes from the table before him
and fixed them on the skylight above.
Then | became conscious that he had
perceived my presence Probably my
figure, seen with the moonlight behind
me, presented a dark object that was
only to be explained by the fact that
some one was looking down upon him
and observing his proceedings; or it
might be that he had detected me by the
light Of my cigar For moment it
seemed to me there cleaned upon me
the strange glare of his prominent, scin-
tillating green eyes. Then all was dark
ness. He had turned off the gas. could
see nothing more. In some trepidation
[ retreated to my bed-Chamber.
l slept very i'll that night, remember;
not merely because of the oppressive heat
of the weather, and the lack of freshness
in the air; but | was greatly disturbed in
mind. Moreover, my forehead burned,
my heart beat distressingly, | was in q
state of feverish restlessness. When
sleep at last came to me my dreams were
terrible. | underwent an agOnizing
nightmare-the Brothers Reklam haunt
ed me- | could never lose sight of their
pallid faces. In all kinds of strange sit
uations their cleaning, menacing eyes
seemed to follow me and find me out, to
scOrch me up and pierce me through and
through, to bring to bear upon me all
kinds of pangs and fortunes. | became
convinced that they were bent upon my
destruction, now by this means, now by
that. Their only hesitation was as to the
kind of death they should inf1ict upon
me. They were at loss to decide upon
one sufficiently painful. At length, as l
thought, they had resolved upon my
assassination by varied system of in
tense and horrible cruelty, to be gradu-
ally applied, with yie5F to my greater
suffering.
/ awoke in dreadful panic. 1t seemed
to me that a rope cirCled my neck, and
that my landlords by slow degrees were
tightening it more and more. | eXpe-
rienced an agOniZing sense of suffocation.
In my alarm, know, leaped from my
bed and stood for a moment sWaying to
and fro upon the floor like a drunken
man. What had happened? I asked
myself. Something dreadful, knew.
There was a strange crimson light
throbbing and Pickering in the room.
The air was thick with smoke, and the
sitting fumes of some drug or spirit of
extraordinary pungency. l could hear
too, wild cries in the street without, loud
knocking at the outer door of the house,
and the roaring cracking sounds of
burning wood, and the licking and with
ing of mounting flames. The house of
Messrs. Reklam Brothers was on fire!
There was not a minute to lose. |
hastily gathered about me a few articles
of dress. My alarm and agitation were
extreme, but had the sense to perceive
that could only hope to escape with
life-if even that was still possible. I at
once abandoned all thought of rescuing
aught else from the flames. Yet it was,
even in that moment of panic, with a
sigh of deep anguish | turned my back
upon all my household treasures and pos
sessions One glance of farewell, and
then I hurried from them to the door
of my front room leading to the staircase.
1t lrds locked on the outside. So also were
the two other doors that permitted egress
from my apartments. The possibility Of
my escape had been foreseen and pro-
vided against. ] was prisoner, and the
fire was drawing every moment nearer
and nearer to me. Already the smoke
was so dense, binding and Supplying
that | was CrouChing on my knees to
avoid 1t as much as possible.
Much valuable time | wasted in labor
ing TO prize the locks Of my doors, and
in convincing myself that they had really
been made secure against me from with
out Then, with desperate violence, and
with all the strength | could muster, |
dashed heavy chair against the door of
the front room.
The panelingwas completely smashed,
and through the opening thus made a
thick volume Of poisonous smoke poured
into the room. But still the lock held
fast, and still my escape was prevented,
even had the staircase without remained
passable, which seemed most doubtful,
for already it was burning furiously.
The window was now my sole chance.
| looked out. There was a sea Of up
| turned faces-orange-hued, from the re-
| Election of the flames The police had
| driven back the crowd so as to form a
| semi-Circle Of spectators, with sufficient
| space in front for the firc-engines to be
worked freely. The roadway was flooded
/ with water which mirrored brightly the
/ red sky and the leaping fire. Every
neighboring window was crowded with
scared lookers-on. 1t was a strange and
most exciting scene. The uproar when
the dense throng below caught sight OF
me at the window was indeed alarming.
was cheered and applauded as though
had been popular candidate for cleo
ton upon the hastings. But above all
these cries l could plainly hear the me-
chanical pulsing sound of the engines in
full Work-the rush and gurgle, the hiss
and smash of fallinr Hr-ntnr md +he