Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-10-06

l looked out toward the bank a good three
miles from where I stood, and sent out a
wish for the safety of my beloved friend
The storm was coming. Great gusts OF
wind roared around the house. The dark.
ness was intense. I took another drink,
thought of my stock in the waterworks,
thought that there might not be another
watercock open in the whole city at that
time, and that the great pumps might be
working for me alone in the silence of the
the night. did not shut off the water
but looked at my watch, which indicated
ten minutes past -, and then got into bed
again without turning out the gas.
remember thinking of some of the
MANY incidents with which I meant to
fortify my position and arguments with
reference to the increased acuteness of the
sense of hearing during some Dreams
Then slept, and dreamed again. /
dreamed stood in the pumping works and
4 watched the ponderous machinery move.
Only there was no regularity now as there
had been in fhe day time. The great pis-
ton which watched would make now a
long sweeping stroke. and again a stroke
like flash of light. And the long and
short strokes, translated into dashes and
dots. said over and over, and over again
Help! Murder! Help! Murder! Help
Murder!''
could see the movement as had seen
the flashes of light and as 1 had seen Ar.
nold's hand, but this time could hear it,
TOO. A murmur or pulse, not unlike the
noise made by steam engine running al
most silently, now short, now long, saying
to the ear what the graceful movements of
the piston said to the eye: Help! Mnrder!''
started wide awake in moment. I
hope no one will be cruel enough to joke
when I say seemed to be all ears. It is
certainly no joking matter.
The storm had come at last, and was
dashing ip fury against the window and
wall. put the real dash of the rain for
the movement of the piston I had heard
in my dream.
But heard dozen mice in the wains-
cot in different parts of the house, had
not heard them before, and the noise of
the storm seemed deafening. Over in the
next streetI could hear man walking. l
could not have heard him on quiet day
Despite the thick wall between, I heard
something fall in the next house. Ard
above the noise of the storm-no, above it
would be wrong-but in spite of the noise
| of the awful tempest there was sound
like breath-a sob-Or the thought of a
sob-intangible almost, dreamlike almost,
but real for all that. Now like memory
of long-drawn breath caught quickly, it
pulsed on and on. was never wider
awake in my life. My mind was never
keener. But [ could hear, with my wax
ing ears this time. the pulses and puffs
which spelled Help! Murder!''
For one terrible moment my heart
seemed to stand still. After that I never
failed in courage and sense during the
whole of that terrible night.
Isprang from bed and dressed with q
rapidity of which should have thought
myself incapable, and that terrible mes
sage was repeating itself in my ears all the
time. l dropped my revolver into my pock-
ct, took my heavy cane, put on my water
proof coat, shut off the water from the
watercock, and the sounds stopped. 1
opened it, and the message began again:
Help! Murder! Helpl Murder!''
| bent over and looked at the water as it
: fell into the basin. half fancied that the
stream was not steady, that it diminished
little. and then increased again. I could
not tell positively anything about it. 1
could not say that the plash it made les
| sened and strengthened. nor could say it
did not. found by several trials that the
message came while the cock was open
and stopped when it was closed. That
was all found out though, and it is all I
know now.
passed down stairs, noticed that the
clock in the hall pointed to twenty min
utes past IL. and stepped out. It was
terrible night. The wind was gale. The
rain was torrent. The lightning was
over and the sky was blackness.
A livery stable was within two blocks,
police station block behind that. 1t was
terrible walk to the stable, but I got
there at last. The owner knew me, but
said / could not have team on such
night; ne driver would 60 on such an oc-
casion. was desperate, and asked him
to name some price. any price, for which
he would furnish me- team and driver
for the rest of the night Ihad no theory,
rhf T
must and would know why Arnold Percy
was not at home yet. I gave him twenty-five
dollars the moment it was demanded. and
I put ten dollars into the hand of the dri-
yer when I ordered him to the police sta
ton.
I did not tell anything at the station
more than that MIR. Percy bad not re-
turned, and that I wanted to 60 to the
bank and find out why. could not relate
series of dreams as reason for sending
police officer three miles in a terrible
storm, and as for the message, I knew I
had heard it, but who would believe it?
And where did it come from?
I intended to make little or no impress
sion on the officer III charge. i was dlSap
pointed. asked for policeman to go
with me to the bank, and I got four, in
GLIDING the officer in charge of the station.
'Mr. Percy has not come home. There |
are suspicious characters in the city. We
will take every chance"
told the driver that if he got us to the |
bank within certain time which I nam
ed, he should have ten dollars more. He
got us there in less than the time l had |
mentioned.
The front of the bank was closed and |
dark. The officer in charge smiled as he
thanked me for the trouble l had taken
and the interest 1 had shown.
"Your friend has doubtless gone else
70 oil ho- |