The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-09-11
DIR. BlSTOURY'S NIGHT-WATCH.
MAN.

MAN.
"Tell you what, Doctor; you'll bt
getting robbed and murdered one o.
these days; you will, upon my wordr'
Hardly, my boy. You ought tc
know by this time that its the province
of us doctors to kill other people, not
to be killed ourselves" And with q
thick chuckle at his own wit, DIR. John
Hunter Bistoury settled himself COM
fortably in his chair and began to peel
his third orange as carefully as if he were
taking off a limb. m
81 can assure you, my dear Harry"
resumed the genial Doctor. "that it's
amazingly flattering to me to find my
self considered worth robbing at all.
No thief would have thought me worth
centre-bit in the days when your poor
father-as fine fellow. Harry, as ever
breathed-used to come and sup with
me upon biscuit and toasted cheese in
my little snuggery down town. And
then, as surely as the time came to go,
he'd turn to me and say: Now, Jack,
old boy, won't you think better of it
and let me write you a check-just to
give you fair start, you knowP But
although l knew well enough that he'd
have been only too glad to do it, l had
to refuse; for my motto is, Heaven
helps those who help themselvesr''
"a motto which you'll find some
black-masked gentleman exemplifying
in this very house one of these nights,H
growled Harry Everett. "Look here,
Doctor; I'm not joking-Pm not indeed!
Everybody knows you're a rich man;
and it's abroad that there's a room in
your house which is always shut up; the
very thing to make people think there
must be something very valuable slowed
away there; and yet after all that, you
60 living in this big house without a
soul near you except the cook and old
Sam yonder, who wouldn't be worth a
cent in real scrimmage."
g Well, my boy" said the Doctor,
with curious smile, "would it tran
quilize your mind if were to engage
o night-watchmanp
II should think so. That would be
just the thing"
Very good. Consider it DONE"
This room, of which Harry had
spoken as being "always shut up" was
a standing puzzle to the Doctors few
intimates. Not a man of them had ever
crossed its threshold; and its master,
when questioned on the subject, an
swered only by some joking evasion.
Rumor whispered that one adventurous
gentleman, rendered desperate by his
wife's threat to give him no peace till
he found out "what DIR. BistOury kept
hid in that room of his" had actually
attempted a burglarious entrance; but
The attempt. If ever made, had been
unsuccessful. 1t is needless to say that
countless. coniectures, and not a few
heavy bets likewise, were being con-
SANITY made respecting the contents of |
he Bluebeard chamber. MANY de-
,lared that the Doctor had fitted it I'D
IS private laboratory, in the hope of
discovering the Philosophers Stone.
others were equally positive that it
contained the hoardings of his whole
life in American gold, his opinions be-
ng VIGOROUSLY Of the hard-money''
rider. A rival practitioner, of some
What cynical turn, suggested that it
must contain the remains of the unfor-
innate patients who had persisted under
that fellow Bistoury's" ministrations;
nd one imaginative lady, deeply read
a Jane Eyre" stoutly maintained
hat the Doctor, in imitation of the hero
I that famous work, had immured his
rife in this mysterious ou6hette, in order
D enjoy unchecked the freedom of
achelor life. Against this ingenious
leory there was only one thing to be
Doctor had never had a wife
immune. This fragrant treason
gainst the sex was the more unpar-
enable, inasmuch as he had had album
ant opportunities of changing his con-
ltion, had he but chosen to avail HIM
III OF them. To most of those who I
lestioned him on the subject, he re- I
led that he was welded to hisprofes- {
on and that any other union would be
It bigamy; but to his friend Harry
verett, in moment of after dinner I;
'nfidence, he told very different 5
Dry. .
(" My medical cousin Alice was the :
oman who ought to have been Mrs. +
stoury, and an admirable fellow !,
actitioner she would have made for q
e. The way in which she once cut a h
Inter out OF my thumb, did equal Il
nor to her hand and heart; and when 8
Q was only thirteen she boughta skel- G
IN with her uncle's birthday Gift of "
Q dollars Ia fact and articulated it q
q manner that was really mastery. V
t in an evil hour she became tainted o.
n fancy for homeopathy; and after III
t. of course all was over between us. a
III il lifer' a
he Doctors agreement to engage a et
ht-watchman quieted Harry's appre-
lsions for the time being; but few d.
ks later he returned to the attack or