Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-02-26

the inkeeper Ggnifed by the title of the
guests chamber. That man was not one
to exchange words with, even in joke,
30 accepted the title with a serious air,
and, placing candle on rickety stand,
the tall keeper babe me gruff good
| night, and left me to myself.
garding men and their motives, which
in most persons is intuition, but which
in me was 80 prophetic that it might be
termed second sight. The rain beat
against the loose windows just as it Is
beating against this one, and the thun-
der shook me up just as we are being
shaken up tonight. / needed neither
the thunder nor the rain, but tried the
edge of a knife that had picked mp from
the table below and secreted it in my
clothing. / placed this by my side,
ready for use in the dark, and put my
revolver under my pillow, which was
reliable only as l could get sight at
any desired object in an instant.
"You may think that l was n little
foolish, but if you had observed the
glances between the Goliath and the crone
below, and studied them both as I had
studied them, L think that you would
have mounted guard as did. I'll leave
it to your new arrival here, if l was a
coward or prudent man. Come, now"
exclaimed the agent, rising and clapping
his hand on the strangers shoulder,
"you look like a wise man--for / never
saw tall man with students bend and
blue glasses but had some sense-do
you think / was wise or foolish?"
l saw a CLEAN behind the spectacles,
and two hands moving in the strangers
cont pockets; where he everlastingly car
ried them; and then he answered in his
high voice:
"Wise, sir-wise, of course"
Daniel % returned the agent jo-
cosely. "Now that questions settled,
I'll proceed. Excuse me, gentlemen,
but saw that one or two of you looked
III if you thought / was a little scarish
about nothing, but our umpire has set
tied the question. Now let's see how
near the mark he's hit" The agent cast
lightning glance upon the stranger,
which, | think, no one noticed but my
self, and then went on with his story.
81 heard heavy steps below, and some
mumbling from the inn-keeper, and
squawking from the crone, and then all
was silent. l threw myself on the bed,
without dsrobing, and was lost in the
weird enjoyment of the tempest. My
candle | left burning, though the con-
stant flashes Of lightning rendered its
light unnecessary. AS l lay on the bed
one hour, and then two hours, listening
to the thunder as it died away, and then
burst upon me again, j grew weary of
the deafening sounds and dazzling lights,
and found myself sinking into those
states of semi slumber, as I term them,
or waking dreams, which one often ex-
periences while watching with the sick
and dying l heard voices in the thun-
der, and there seemed to be warning all
around me. There was horrid feeling
coming over me which found it impos-
sible to throw off,
l saw by the expression working over
the agents face that some awful de-
nouncement was approaching, and OBJ
served that the original five of our num-
Der were bracing themselves for some
fearful revelation. The stranger in the
blue glasses worked his coat pockets, and
seemed to draw back from the lightning
that baaed necessarily. The rain pour
ed harder than ever, and the thunder
was now one of continuous roll. / don't
know why it WAS, but that stranger with
the blue glasses and mass of dark beard
brought TO my mind stories of storm de-
mons, and it really seemed to me that the
storm of that night suddenly increased
on his entrance INTO the inn, and was
kept up in fury by his presence. Some
mystery about him made my blood creep,
and found certain comfort in forget
ting him for a time in the story of the
agent.
"Well," continued the agent, 81 grew
more and more drowsy, waking by fits
and starts, as some vivid flash would
illumine the room with it's blue light, or
burst of thunder shake the inn. But
rs if a voice whispered into my ear dur
ing momentary lull and state of partial
wakefulness, l heard the words, Be
ware the chamber Is dragged ! Gods,
gentlemen | know not to this day
whether those words came from an uu-
earthly source, or were the warnings
originating from the abnormal state of
my brain. | seized my pistol and the
knife, and leaping from the bed, made
| for the window. With a blow of my fist
smashed pane of glass, and the rain
beat in upon the floor The candle was
just pickering, preparatory to going out,
but the lightning lit the chamber as
bright az day.
"The breaking of the glass gave me
new life, and | was prepared for any
emergency That my awkward imagina-
/ ton CopI1 coniure Am | making a fool
OF myself, or am | not :? l said, half mus