The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-05-23

the bar. he prepared couple of glasses
of Tom.and-J eEry with his own hands,
which hscarried to my side and placed
on the table at whchl was sitting, when
just tnen the girl whom l had rescued
from the horsewhip entered the room
and passed carelessly by me. had
just raised my glass 10 my lips: but she
jostled my arm, as If by accident, SO
suddenly that the liquor spilled over,
and in my surprise, dropped the glass
to the floor. With hasty Apologies for
her own carelessn IS, mingled wibh,the
curses or the landlord, she stopped to
to pick up the pieces of broken glass,
and as I.bent forward to assist her, she
managed to whisper in my ear.
".Don't drink. anything in this house
tonight, for Gods sakeP - ,
II started in establishment, then in
stantly comprehended IL all, and with
hasty nod our understanding was mu-
tual. / had hard work to escape the
Invitations of my host to partake with
him of the various liquors in mis- bar;
and I could see that he was full OF lsus-
picion as he glanced at the girl, and his
ugly face grew ominous. had found
out that her name was Inez and that
she was a sort OF maid-of-all-work, an
attendant on the sick vile OF the land
lord. And another thing / found out
also-she was very pretty and intelli-
gent. .,......-.s.. .4..f.
"How long that evening was! But,
like all things, it had to terminates; and
at last, accompanied by the sheathen
Chinee,' / was escorted to my room. The
house was one-story, long, low build
ing. and the apartment assigned me was
at the extreme end of it. 1 never was in
such room before or sfnce--long, low,
damp and moldy. A great bat wheeled
about overhead, and swooped over the
tiny ray of sickly light thrown by my one
poor candle, as i locked the door and
looked about me. The bed=TahI
that bed-I shall never forget it.
1t was one of those horrible
affairs, brought from the north OF Eng
land, and made. of mahogany, black with
age, and in the fashion Of our old Saxon
forefathers. With the heavy, square
canopy overhead, as large and heavy as
a dining table with a bunch of funereal-
looking black plumes ut each OF the tour
corners, it looked very like hearse.
At head and foot there were recepta-
ces for corpse-lights, the bed having
been used for the accommodation OF
corpses until ready for the coffin; and
indeed the body of the 'bedstead was
made to take out as a bier, and nobody
knows how many times 1T had been
used for that purpose. AS the thought
struck me, Ill confess that l shuddered.
"For a long time l wandered around
the bed, unable to make up my mind to
take the final leap, it seemed so like a
tomb; then, as L realized how tired L
was, slipped off coat and boots, and
placing my pistols on the table beside
the burning candle, l dropped down on
the outer covering and instantly fell into
doze. l may nave slept tor half an
hour. The wind .outsfde the house
moaned, and the pattering of rain drops
on the root announced a fearful storm,
when L was aroused by muffled foot
fall outside my door; then, close to the
key-hole, a quick, hurried breathing
Slowly / arose to sitting posture. My
dreary little candle still burned, and l
saw by its faint beam that something
small and white had been pushed under
| the door of my rOom-a scrap OF paper.
10 spring to the floor and secure it was
the work of moment. On the surface
was scrawled these words: do not 60
to sleep tonight. You will hear from
| me in an hour. Ifyou sleep, you dle.'
"Half paralyzed with horror, seated
my self, pistols in hand, to await iurthe Ell
\ issue. ln the mean time the storm out
side had increased, anu, WlLhsredouDleq q
| violence. was lust going for things gen.
| orally. And 50 an hour passed by. Still
nothing had occurred, and L began tt
think that had beenpretty we'll hoaXed
when, just as the hands OF my ola watch
pointed TO the hour OF two, l heard q
strange, rushing sound, which seemed
| to come from over my head. / glanced
up. The heavy canopy of my Ded was
slowly descending, propelled by some
deyillsh machinery above, and, had
been lying there asleep, | should have
been crushed into shapeless mass, as
the lion crushes his living victim be-
tween his iron jaws.
"a shudder ran over me. Cold per-
! spiration" covered me as realized The
Whole horrible plot. The spilled liquor
| had been drugged either with the inten
| ton Of killing me outright, or rendering
| me SO helpless from its effects that thy
i rest would be easy. Failing in that at
| tempt, this horrible subs titute had beef
used. And from this awful fate l nat
been rescued by the noble girl, who had
belrienqed me-. A great wave of graft
tude swept over me as L remembered
| this, for | was saved, although l knew
that must soon face my Would-be mur
4 derer, who would come to the body G.?
for the spells. should at least di,
| game!
''Just then there came low tap at m,
4 door, faint as the pecking OF bird, ant
\ the voice of lnez whispered:
a'".Put out your light, and come into thu
hall, il you can trust meP
4 81 obeyed, and in moment we sto OF
| together in the dark corridor.
'iBe very quiet she whispered. sThe,
| will be down soon. l stole Il horse from
the stable, and rode over to Biiltown
1 Iy ci v mi L oaA ,a 4,