Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1877-01-31

When Mr. May leased this house
up town, the back OF 1t was really
nicer than file front, for ii looked
out over pretty trslIises and grapcrFes
and flower pots, and little sopizy
spent many an hour NaschElg he
goals browsing upon the tender green
pasturage OF the vacant lots beyond.
The second-ssory Darkroom was the
most cheerful In the house, for itheld
the rockIng-chairs and hird-cages
and flowers and sewing machine and
all the pretty accessories that be-
token the familiar abiding place Of
the gentIer sex. Mr.. May had his
easy chair by the table, and Of q
genial summer evening delighted in
that outlook upon the western sky.
But all at once an army Of men be-
gan to dig in The vacant lots that
held the goats and green heritage,
outside the fences Of Mr.. May and
his neigbbors, and before one could
scarcely take breath to realize it, a
tall row OF houses reared themselves
under their Indignant noses -indig-
nant, because ii was an Outrage to
put up these tenements upon proper
ty Of that kind. Donbie-deekers, too.
-Four families upon floor. "Mon-
strous!' said Mr.. May. had immedi-
ately interdicted Sophy from that
side Of the house. II might as well
have been a lazaretto, as far as he
was concerned himself.
Upon this Christfnaseye in qnes-
ton sophy was to sleep in the guest
chamber, because two young friends
OF hers were already snugIy slowed
away in her room. Mrs. May ex-
pected some friends Of her own the
next day, and exhorted Sophy to
creep into the big bed without dis
turbing its draperies or disarranging
the various knicknacks in worsted
and embroidery that adorned the
room.
There had been no callers that
evening, as invitations were out for
Christmas night, and the young girls
had enjoyed the big parlors all TO
| themselves. They swept tho velvet
carpets with their long silken trains,
their plump white fingers toyed
with the piano keys; they waltzed,
they sang, they g0ssiped with their
distractiDgly aud carefully disorder
ed locks close together, and ex-
changed condolences wherein the
names Of Smith and Jones and even
Robinson could be heard, and wbilcd
away the hours, until Mr.. May pro-
posed new jollity-a little supper
around the corner at fashionable
restaurant. Mrs. May, Of course,
poor woman, was too tired to go, but
Mr.. May was always ready for a de.
light Of that kind, and presently our
| little party were seated in the luXu.
rious cafe discussing the delicacics Of
| the season.
1t was quite late when they got
home again, and after seeing her
| friends to their room, Sophy tripped
across the threshold Of the guest
| chamber with match in her hand.
But the gas jet was at the window
side, the shade was mp and sophy
saw through the lace curtain Il con
fusion OF lights and shadows in the
myriads Of windows opposite. Sud.
denly her eyes fell upon ono big bare
window, through which could be
seen the whole Of II big bare room,
with miserable cot in one corner,
and rickety bed in another, and an
old table fronting the window, where
| q man sat aud stared straight ahead
Of him into the big bare desolate
night. And il seemed to Sophy thas
his eyes were like Goals of fire, that
burned and burned into the black in
finite nothingness Of space, and
hungrly asked for the solution to
some terrible mystery that was driy-
ing him mad. Little by little
Sophy's strainiug eyes discerned up
ON the cot in the corner an emaciated
creature, either dead or asleep. The
white lids were down upon The sunk
en- eyes, and it was perfectly still.
And upon the bed in tho other cor
ner was little misshapen figure Of Il
child or woman. The face was pale
and shrunken, and bore fatal re-
semblance to the miserable one upon
the cot. All these figures were mo-
uonless, tho one upon the bed, the
one upon the cot, and the man by
the table.
1t was relief to Sophy when sud
denly the man moved. lie glanced
itOiit tifS oidV w wv
from the cot to the bed, from one
pale emaciated face 10 the other, and
his left hand began to grQpe in the
old table drawer. Soply could see
that his right hand was helpless,
splintered up ont Of the way; but this
left hand that CROPPED in the drawer
somehow made Sophy's blood run
cold. She couldn't tell why, but II
seemed To her that there was some
thing sinister about il, and The toni
porary relief she had found in the
| first movement OF the man was now
absorbed In tho fear that he was go.
ing to do something dreadful. When
that left hand lifted something out OF
the drawer that shone sharply
through the grimy window-panc
4 ~ a 40 A. a. -