The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-01-18


nae were des anted upon, it was lin
champagne thirty years old. At last,
with the aid of the girl l. have before
was once more alone.
"What is there associated in my mind
with the sign of la Croix d'Or?'" l
asked myself. as soon as the wOman's
irritating jabber had ceased to ring in
my ears. 1t was some time before my
memory went back as far as the night
on which read the paragraph in the
Weekly Dispatch. and remembered that
it was the sign Of the inn at which that
mysterious death had taken place. But
that was up in the southeast. hundreds
of miles away, and no sign is more COM
mon throughout France than la Croix
DOR Every one knows how easy it is
to build up series of condolences and
link together chain of suspicious cir
cumstances when the mind is irritated
or depressed. thought of the william
ous-lOoking landlord and his scarcely
less ill-looking wife. of the peculiar soli-
tude and gloom of the house; the mans
face l had remarked was of southern
type; what if he were-here 1 grew
angry with myself and swallowed a
good draught of brandy and water.
What allied me? Well. the dreariness
of the day and my long walk through
such abominable weather were quite
sufficient to account for any amount of
depression: no doubt an incipient cold
was upon me. l mixed another glass
OF cognac, and tried to persuade myself
tbot r bod roocnpo1 ouov my p,oOrimS
but the next moment | was muttering:
II wish she hadn't seen my pocket
book" After that l threw away my
cigar, jumped up, and rang for cam
die, though with positive dread of that
sallow face and those greedy eyes. AS
| rose felt that l had not swallowed
two stiff tumblers of brandy and water
with impunity. That man, it was sup
posed. was a little inebriated when he
went to bed. thought.
My betc noir answered this summons,
and, spite of my brusgue declaration
that l did not require her guidance, in
sisted upon showing me to my room
room and singing the praises of the bed,
which according to her description was
the softest and finest in all France.
Taking the light from her hand al
most thrust her out and locked the
door. Thank Heaven am free of her
for tonight" l exclaimed, inwardly.
NV copious draughts had not succeeded
in raising my depression or even in dis
polling those chilly, shivery sensations
which | feared were harbingers of
cold, and they had superadded a strong
disposition to splitting headache. Bad
liquor, thought. Or perhaps it was
drugged? Again l tried to get angry
with my nervous fanc:es, but the at
tempt was unsuccessful.
Before retiring to bed resolved thor
Oughly to examine the room. began
with the door; that was satisfactory
enough; it was strong and had good
lock, and bolt as we'll, both Of which
l made secure. No person could enter
that way without awaking me. next
turned my attention to the window; it
was deep set with heavy frame and
small panes of glass, and was fastened
by means of one of those iron bolts,
working in a socket and with heavy
horizontal handle, which are commonly
used in France. opened it to endeavor
was so intensely dark, and the rain de-
seconded in such torrents, that could
perceive nothing but black gulf.
Having made the window thoroughly
secure again. my next care was to as
certain that there was no second en-
trance to the room. examined the
walls and the back of large closet
which was situated near the bed, but
without finding anything suspicious.
Lastly turned my attention to the bed
itself. l remarked that it stood unusu-
ally high from the floor, and that in
stead of valances the lower part was
encased with polished wood, which also
formed framework for the bed to rest
in. 1t was thus impossible for any one
to lie concealed underneath. From a
canopy above the head depended heavy
curtains, the thick folds of which half
enclosed it as tent. Now, never
could endure bed curtains of any kind,
as they have always sitting effect up
on me. These were too firmly tiXei to
be pulled down, and knew that to lie
with my head beneath them would be
to half asphyxiate myself; there was but
one alternative, and that was to shift
the pillows ON the top to the bottom.
As soon as this change was effected l
un dressed and turned in. did not find
my couch answer to my hostess eulo-
giles: on the contrary it was singularly
hard and unyielding; but l was so tired
and so drowsy that recollection faded
almost as soon as nv head touched the
pillow.
i think must have been asleep some
time before began to dream. Then l
thought that | was once more examin
ing the room, trying the door, the win
dow, feeling the walls for any secret
entrance, but as approached the bed l
found that it was already occupied; a
mans head was lying back upon the
bolster, a dead face was upturned to-
ward mine, which, as l stood gazing
upon it, assumed the likeness of the
landlord of the hotel: the straight black
hair struggled over the livid skin and
chung to the dank forehead; the eyes
were fixed and CLASSY, and stared horri-
bly,; the jaw had dropped, but the syco-
phantish smile was stamped even in
death upon She hideous mouth. While
1 stood gazing like one spell-bound, l
saw the corpse gradually ris ng to sit
ting posture, not as though by any Volt
ton of its own, but with perfectly
rigid movement, as though impelled by
a machine. All of moment 1 felt its
arms coiled around my chest like the
folds of a serpent. l could scarcely
draw breath; struggled to free my
self, though l knew that no strength
could avail against that deadly embrace;
then, as though still by some inviSib'e
agency, we began slowly to rise into air;
the room, the bed. every object faded