Western Kansas world., 1886-05-15
the footsteps re-entered the house by the

NOW, Will ~ OC OouCSCO tuot d5 oOOA
as the imminent danger of discovery
passed, my curiosity revived, and insteat
Of at once making my escape, I arose t
my feet and again peeped through tn
window. I had not long to wait befor'
my inane curiosity was fearfully graft
fed. heard slight sound like tn
scraping of a match and a light Aashe.
up. It glimmered family on the ham
that held-a white mans hand-a gen
tleman's. I saw the diamond on th
little finger flash; then, as the wax tape
blazed fully up, it shone in the dark fac
of VIII Mason; distorted with passion o
fear, with clenched teeth and disorders
hair, and wildly rolling eyes. And the
it shown upon-oh, God! what was tina
stretched on the dusty floor, motionless
lifeless, a dark stream flowing from tn
side? A woman's body, doubled up a
if it had dropped down in heap; tn
long,dark hair covering the face. Spell
bound with horror I stood and gazed, al
fears for myself lost in the shock of tha
terrible sight.
Having stuck the match in a crack O
the wall-I noticed even then that it wa
one of the long wax tapers used by gen
tlemen for lighting cigars-Will Masol
stopped over the body. As he raised il
the head fell back over his arm, the lonl
hair swept to the floor, the face turne.
toward me. Merciful God! it was m,
sister Nell-Nell whom I had left half al
hour before alive and well, safe at home
and now she was here-dead- dead
murdered! I shrieked aloud in frenziet
anguish and horror and the murders
dashed the dead body of his victim O,
the floor, and turned to face me.
Then the instinct of self-preservation
the awful fear of death came over me
and I turned and fed for my life. ]
heard swift feet in pursuit, curses no
loud but deep breathed in the night ali
behind me, and on I flew, straight as tht
crow flies, stopping neither for bush mol
brier. Thanks to my wild woods train
in, there was not many who could out
strip me in fair race; and now my feet
were winged with terror. My pursuer'i
steps grew fainter and fainter, and
knew that I had distanced him, whe1
suddenly, I tripped over fallen log and
fell forward on my face. I felt the
ground sinking beneath me, felt myself
falling down-down-then conscious.
ness left me, and I felt no more.
When I came to myself I was in my
own room, in my own bed, and who was
that leaning over me, bathing my face
with camphor?
"Nell! Nellr' I cried, springing up
:'You are not dead then!-not dead!-
not dead!-not lying dead in that dread
full house!-not murdered by that wick
ed, horrid man! Oh, Nell, Nell, how
did you come here, or is it your ghost
instead of you?"
"Hush, Ju, my poor little Ju; don't
talk so wildly. OF course it's newly
shouldn't it be?-and how can I be ly-
ing dead in the old house when I have
not left my room since last night? I'm
afraid your head was badly hurt when
you fell, and you are delirious now."
''But I tell you, Nell, somebody is
dead; somebody was murdered in that
old house last night. Who brought me
homer"
"Uncle Jake went to look for you as
soon as it was light, and found you lying
at the bottom of a deep gully into which
you had rolled when you fell over the
log. He put you on Bouncer and
you home before any one was
up but me, and the old man begged me
20 hard not to make any fuss for fear he
would be punished for your escapade
hat I promised him no one should
now."
"But they must know cried I, now
ully reused. 81 tell you, Nellie, I am
lot dreaming nor delirious. I am wide
wake and as sensible as I ever am. I
ell you most solemnly dreadful MUIR
ler was committed last night, and Will
Jason is the murderer"
"Will Mason a murderer! Oh, Ju, how
yildly you talkp'
So I did, and though pa at first
bought I was candidate for a strait
acket, he soon found cause to change
lis opinion. An examination of the
at1nted house gave unmistakable evi-
ence of crime. The floor soaked with
lood, a bloody trail leading to dry well
4 the back yard, and tress of black
air caught on the we'll curb, all showed
DO plainly what dreadful deed had been
one. When the body was drawn up it
roved to be, as had suspected, that of
beautiful quadroon girl belonging to
quire Mason. Her extraordinary re-
emblances to Nellie had often been COM
rented on. Such freaks often happened
1 the south.
1t was surmised that the girl had a
ason with Will Mason, that he sus.
ected her fidelity, and meeting her at
he haunted house that night under sus-
icious circumstances, in a fit of jealous
Try had killed her. As for him, he had
lready escaped to Texas, then the asy-
Inn for all sorts of desperadoes. He
fterward joined the Texan army and
,as killed in Mexico.
The evepts Of that night made per-
lament change in me. I was never
lore the wild, careless, scattered Drained
irl I had been. For many months my
leep was broken by horrible dreams,
nd to this day my nerves have not en-
rely recovered from the shock of my
errible midnight adventure.
An American Beauty.
Probably the most superbly beautiful
roman ever married in the United States
. foreign diplomat was Mrs. Bass, of
After having passed several |