The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-11-21
CHAPTER II,
DRUNK OR DREAMING,

The hands pinning me down did no.
for an instant relax their grasp: yet
they might sa ely have done so. Stu
ated rs | was l felt that nv only
chance of life was to lie still and con-
vince, if l could, the persons in that
room of the truth of my assertion.
Nothing could be gained, but every
thing would be lost By resistance. L
was strong, but even if all the senses
had been mine, doubted If l could
compete successfully with the man who
held me down. Icould feel the nervous
power of his hands and arms. Certainly.
now that was blind and helpless. the
struggle would be short one. Besides
he had companions, how many | knew
not, ready to help him. The first move
ment | made would be the end of ev-
erything so far as was concerned.
made no further attempt to rise,
but lay as still and unreSisting as the
PROSTATE form across which l had
fallen. Every moment seemed an hour.
Think of my situation. A blind man
in strange room in strange house
held down on the body of a man whose
last groan he had just heard-held
down and at the mercy OF those who it
was certain had just taken part in a
black and cowardly crime! Unable to
look into the faces of the murderers
around him and learn whether their
looks meant life or death to him! EX-
pecting every moment to feel the sharp
stab of a knife or the fiery sting of a
bullet! Seeing nothing and feeling
10Th ha han d.
and the dead body beneath him! Even
hearing nothing save that stifled moan
ing in the distance. Can the widest
flights of fiction show parallel to my
case?
Since that night 1 have quite disbe-
lieved in the possibility of peoples hair
turning suddenly gray. If such thing
can be [ must have left that room with
the locks of an old m:n.
can only say that even now as, after
the lapse of years, write this; even as
1 see everything around me safe, still
and at peace: even though l know the
ones l love are close at hand, my pen
trembles, my blood feels chilled and a
faintness steals over me as the recollec-
ton of the most terrible moments in
my life comes to me with a vividness l
can not describe.
1t was well for me that l could keep
still and cry again and again: 81 am
blInd-look and see." My quie;cence,
the tone of my voice. may have turned
the balance on which my lie hung
may have carried conviction to my
hearers. Presently the strong light of
a lamp was perceptible to my obscured
vision; a lamp placed so close to me
that could feel its hot glow upon my
face; and l was aware that some one
was STOPPING OR Eneeling down and
peering into my eyes. His breath
struck against my cheek: a short quick
excited breath-how could it be other
wise after the deed in which he had
just taken part?
At last he rose. a moment afterward
the restra ming hands moved from me,
and then, for the first time, 1 began to
hope that my life might be spared.
And yet none of those around me had
spoken. Now heard voices: but whis-
pering so softly that even my sharpened
ears could not catch the purport of
single word, although L could gather
that three persons were engaged in that
hushed consultation.
All the while, like dreary and fit
ting accompaniment. could hear that
stifed moaning "a woman's stiflei
moaning. l would have given all ]
posessed-all save life-in exchange for
minutes sight, that might have been
able to comprehend what had passed
and what was passing around me.
Still the whispers continued. They
came thick and fast, running into and
interrupting each other. as from men
in hot but guarded discussion. 1t need
ed little intelligence to guess the sub
ject of that debate! Presently they
died away altogether. and. for time.
the only sound that / heard was that
terrible, mutfied moan-that continued
with drcary monotony.
A foot touched me.
You may stand up" heard some
one say.
When 7 burst so re,klessly into the