The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-06-20

W
clim doused. 1t wasn't Il bit like know
ing what you were going to meet, and
meeting it under good light. had
my own idears about witches, and they
wasn't pleasant idears. began to see
eyes glowering at me through the dark,
and to feel Shiny hands touching my
neck, and to hear whispering voices and
soft kissing laughs all over the room.
| stuck it out till just as the clock struck
twelve, and then gave in to the witch
es. wouldn't a-stayed in that room
another hour for two widys-no, not for
a dozen!
with that in my mind started up
to run. But, bless you; when got up
| couldn't run My legs and my feet
were froze stiff There was no more
run in me than IN the chest! Just as |
got square on my feet there was soft
fumbling sound at the door, and then q
horid rustling of something moving in
the dark
81 had been frightened thinking of
with the witch there! l heard the thing
90 to the chest; | heard the lock turn;
| heard the lid 90 up; heard the pa
pers rustic would have run then, for
my legs began to feel little alive by
that time, but | was afraid to 90 in the
dark. The matches were in my hand
| drew one quick across my coat sleeve;
it was very bad smelling but very quiet
as it blazed up.
II didn't dare look at the chest till
I'd got the candle lighted, for fear IA
let the match drop and be in the dark
again. If had, think I'd a-gone into
a fit.
Mighty sirs! the things ! thought OF
were nothing to what presently faced
me, After the candle was lighted !
raised it over my head and looked at
the chest In front of it stood some
thing that drew me to it almost without
my knowing.
at was II woman | saw; but what
kind of woman | never guessed till |
got to the end of the chest, where |
could see the face. AS | looked at that,
felt my hair rise and my flesh creep.
THE face was completely covered by
a dirty white kid mask, with holes for
the eyes, nostrils. and mouth, and tied
behind the grey, frowsy head with two
dirty muslin strings. The hands were
covered with two dirty white kids, and
were throwing the papers in the chest
hither and yon, as If hunting for some
thing.
Directly, something about the gown
she wore made me burst out with word
that wasn't good. 1t seemed to me I'd
seen that gown! And then it came to
me that I'd seen the gown on the same
person. | set the candle down in hur-
ry, and made dive for the woman
"As did so, she raised herself up
and looked at me with her cold, stony
eyes. shivered, and fell back. But
the next minute | had her by the arm.
If it costs me my life, I'm goin' to
see under this kidn shouted
"The woman seemed to trembe all
over. But didn't wait to see what the
trembling meant. got hold of the kid
and peeled it off. y
Jack stopped and gently stuffed lit
tie more tobacco in his pipe.
$50 on, 90 onN' shouted his impa-
tient auditors; what did yop see?"
Jack turned an eye of sadness on the
questoners. He answered in two dole
full words:
1.-The wildly"
THE widy?' :.
Jack mournfully nodded his head.
Them kids was her cosmetics, she
said. and her brown wig and freezetts
were upstairs with--her soa-foam teeth
Jack groaned and hurried on:
"She was walking in her sleep, you
see, and when she 'wakened up there in
front of me, she poured out the greatest
lamentations you ever heard. y
"Well?'
"Well, gentlemen, | ran away. !
knew if Id see her with them freezetts
and things on again. I'd be goner.
She was a---widy, You know"
"And YOU didn't marry her?"
Il couldn't marry my great grand
mother, gentlemen.
With that solemn rejoindcr, Jack re-
,r,nod 10 hi nina .n1 bic maIitatio