The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-02-12

ship" She could get no further, AM
the old man said that she would hav
to be provided with paper. He tool
several from a drawer, but none O
them would fit her case. 1t must be
document written in English, in plail
hand and spelled correctly, and Their
was Il hitch. As near as l could max
out old Jezel did not write the beggin!
papers himself. nor did he just thel
know where to get one written.
"Does he speak English?" aske,
the woman as she pointed to ME.
YES
"Ask him to write the paper"
"Yes, ask him." repeated the hus
band. 5t 80, DID,
Old Jezel looked at me long an,
keenly. He didn't want to take an,
chances, but he wanted q begging pa
per. Finally he said:
"My trent, dis poor womans has los
her husband and four childers " a fir,
in St. Louis. She wants Money to g,
back to Italy,"
I sat down at the table, he broueh
pen and paper, and 1 wrote out some
thing like the above paragraph, ant
added:
Remember that it is more blessed to Civ,
than to receive: Cast your bread upon tn,
waters and it shall return. Charity covers
multitude of sins. Be kind to the poor. Sh,
is stranger-take her in. Hand out LIBERAL!
If you want your taxes reduced
Old Jezel took the paper, studied oye1
every word, and after ten minutes hi
thanked me for my work and handed il
to the woman and took the pair into
the hall for parting word. n.
'Poor womans! Poor womansr' hi
said, as he returned to his chair anC
pipe.
'-'~-s1 Yes, it is a sad, sad case" added
We looked at each other. If he didn't
want to grin did.
Two men, each having a sack on hi.
back. entered the place. l was Just
beginning to feel sleepy. Old Jeze
had filled his pipe several times, ant
the smoke affected me curiously. As
looked across the table at him he woulC
have two heads and two pipes. Their
he would seem long way off. Things
around the room looked big to me, anc
4 greatly wondered why tobacco-smokt
should affect me in that manner.
"Goot eafnings, shentlemens, he 50
luted as two men entered. Il
I first thought there were four men
but after rubbing my eyes two of then
faded away. AS they came forward the
old man asked me to be seated against
the wall in the old place. l walked
over to the chair, bat there were two
chairs there, and had to reach out my
hand before the false one vanished.
l was as top-heavy as man who had
taken more than enough. asked my.
self if l had drank anything. No, not
even water, nor had l tasted food.
Then whatw was it? AS 1 tried to study
it out l felt like laughing. In few
l got the idea that my right
arm was longer than my left one.
put them both out to measure, and 10!
it was fact! How could that be? All
OF a sudden my vision cleared up, my
mind came back, and 1 saw old Jezel
and the two men going into another
room. l sat looking at the door through
which they had passed, when my head
gave great nod.
Don't You dare go to sleep in this
den!' said to myself, as 1 half rose.
but had scarcely fallen back when
did 60 to sleep. went to sleep with
my eyes open. l saw the table, lamp,
chairs, etc., as plain as could be, and
yet said to myself that l was asleep.
l said that could awaken in an instant,
and that it would be all right to gets
few winks of sleep while the old man
was gone.
The bed on which "Heaven bless
you was lying was opposite me on the
other side of the room. l had not
given him a thought before indeed,
had forgotten he was there. l now
saw him rise up on his elbow and look
at me. He seemed satisfied that l was
asleep. He looked toward the door
through which old Jezel had disppear-
ed, seemed to listen, and then began
toward me.
"What is the rogue up top l
as he came slowly forward, and
felt amused to see how cautiously he
crept across the floor.
And yet another strange thing. There
were two men lying on the other bed.
When did they come in? How did
they get there without my seeing them?
[ had been awake all the time, and vet
they had come in and gone to bed. 1t
could be no vision, for / could count the
buttons on their coats and distinguish
The color of their hair.
Creep creep - creep! The little
italian was softly advancing. l could
see his black eyes sparkle as he looked
1T my watch-chain. Creep--halt-
He thought I was asleep,
and he meant to rob me!
"Pll show that rogue trick!' l said
to myself, as l watched him. "He
thinks / am fast asleep, but when he
gets near enough, I'll hit him between
The eyes as hard as can and then shout
for old Jezelr'
Creep-creep-creep! The room was
still as death. No step on the sidewalk
below--no noise of wheels on the cob
blestones. l could hear the Italian
breathe as he wormed himself forward.
Indeed, it struck me all at once that |
could hear his heart beat. l counted
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., and so on, a
count for each beat Of his heart, and l
reasoned that he must be greatly ex-
cited. saw all this as plain as 1 see
The paper on which am writing.
Nearer-nearer, and at last the Ital-
ian was beside me. He must have seen
that my eyes were wide open. Aye! he
looked fun at me, and his eyes had. q
greedy twinkle as he reached out his
hand. Now 1 would hit him! Now
-! But didn't. All at once l got
the idea that if ]. moved we should both
go through the floor. I felt that the
floor had already bent down under our
weight. His right hand reached out,
around, and then his fingers
touched my vest, and his breath burned
my cheek. He carefully worked the
bar of. the chain out of the button-hole,
and l felt the chain when it fell down.
Now he would seize it and lift out the
watch. y ~
Atthat infant steps were heard, and
the Italian rose with hiss and gained
his bed at bound. A second later old
Jezel appeared at the door with the
t1yO mon Thov 1ooEo1 Of mo cold