The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-03-13

" Well said Eliza, i was going past
their room to-day after luncheon, when l
heard great noise. Somebody was scoid-
ing and somebody was crying. Then the
door opened and the old lady came out. l
happened to look into the room, and there
sat Miss Emily at her writing-desk. The
tears were streaming down her cheeks, and
her pen was going like wild-fire. The room
looked very queer. 1t was full OF books,
and newspapers and magazines were lying
all over the floor. heard Miss Emily talk
ing to herself. What she said | couldn't
make out. When | got upstairs lay down
for a nap Presently heard queer noise.
First ] couldn't think what it was, but it
seemed to come from the gas fixture. l
listened again, and then | made up my
mind that somebody was playing on the
bracket below as if it were a piano. I've
always said her actions were very strange,
and Mrs Smith says so, too. Fancy it
quarreling with her mother, and writing
like wild-fre, talking to herself, and play
ing tunes on gas fixture! tell you, that's
it, Ted. | tell you, Edward, that that
beautiful young girl, with golden hair,
great open blue eyes, and forehead just
like that of Roman Catholic saint, is crazy
stark staring crazym
g 'Fiddlestcks, Elizar | cried. You're
crazy. tell you there's nothing wrong
is about mine We argued and argued,
and argued. But of course didn't convince
Eliza, and she didn't convince me.
"Now must tell you, Bradford, how our
rooms were situated in that boarding house.
Old lady Marvin, being an invalid, couldn't
go up and down stairs, so our landlady had
given her back room on the first floor.
Eliza and | occupied the back room on the
second floor. Above our heads on the
third floor, was VIII Graham's room. We
had often seen him going in and out of the
door Just at the head of the staircase, and
n h1s,t1 rr,f ~
his love for Miss Emily the way he tramped
up and down that room at all hours of the
night with his boots on.
CAS- matter of course paid no further
attention to what felt certain was Eliza's
nonsense about Miss Emily's mind being
out of order. But one evening | went hur-
rIedly up to my room after dinner. had
just seen Miss Emily leave her mother at
the table and disappear upstairs. The
moment got into our room heard a most
peculiar noise. What on earth was it? 1t
sounded like Tick tick tick-tick-t tick
-tick-tick tick tick-tick tick tick and
1T came from the gas pipe. 'Ohon thought
!, there's EliZa's notion. She did hear
something after all. Somebody is knock
ing on that gas FIXTURE Playing tune
Eliza called it. Then all of a sudden a
strange thought came over me. Phewn /
gasped. It's so-it's so, just as sure as
you're bornp
ANON uluou OtlA NOu3 UudU
among my earlier experiences in this life |
was once telegraph operator. l didn't
work at the business long, and l was ex-
tremely stupid at it; but did learn the
sounds; | knew them all, dots and dashes,
just the horrid tick and succession of ticks,
and spaces between the ticks, that are
equivalent to the letters of the alphabet
And here | heard them again. Yes, that
was it. | saw through the whole business
at once, and as | did so | just lay down on
the bed and laughed until was afraid I'd
have every button off my waistcoat.
''Some one had told me once that Will
Graham was a telegraph operator. He had
evidently taught Miss Emily the art and
here they were communicating with each
other in the most satisfactory fashion,
while everybody imagined that they were
conducting themselves like perfect stran-
gers. o dear! oh dear how did laugh
Then l waited patiently to hear what was
being said. 1t was kind of eaves-drop-
ping, certainly, but how could help it?
The conversation l had happened upon ran
as follows:
GLOW are you this EVENING"
"'Awfully tired. And your
"'Tired too Mamma has been particu-
larly exasperating.'
'''Has she! Am 1 never to have talk
with you again.
4 don't know. Keep up your spirits
4" 4 will, but it's dreadfully trying
L Uulith SOluGDOuS , COulluS'
" % dearr
~ heard a door open and shut, and I
knew that somebody had entered the room
below. Conversation by the way of the
gas-pipe had ceased-for that occasion, at
least.
81 can't tell you how many of these con-
verSationS listened to. Every time that
mysterious tick tick tick, tick tick would
begin, l couldn't help pricling up my ears.
And o, the sweet things l did hear! One
phrase that continually palpitated down
that gas-pipe was: Emily, you are just
perfectly lovely.
The reply generally was: Now, Will,
don't be silly
"lnstead of producing any effect, this
usually brought out some such sentiment
as: / never saw you look so pretty as you
did at dinner
. Don't be foolish
81 will: I can't help it. If any other
fellow gets you l shall die
Don't talk nonsense. No other fellow
ever will
" Tell me you love me-
I" i WON'T
''After this, silence would generally en-
sue.
well, matters were going along in this
fashion when one day | began to think that
the lovers were giving new turn to their
conversations. Was anything going to
happen9 Two or three things were said
that didn't understand. One day heard
Miss Emily say to Will:
There's no use; I've got to do it."
"'Whatn
o xiii her.
Z" 'All right
" But hate to; and can't think how
"'Shoot her.
" 'NonSensen
AT this Point Eliza came into the room,
and she made such u noise that l couldn't
hear anything more. But not long after
ward there were more serious communi-
cations:
"'Dear, dear WILL
" What is itN
" I won't love you if you won't help me-
. 4 will help you-with all my might
"'Then tell me what is a good way to kill
an old womanP
"'Arsenic
"'That won't do at all
BLOW her up with gunpowder.'
" NONSENSE You don't help me one
Bit
"rll die for YOU
" Il don't want you to die. want her to
die, and don't know how to kill her.
We'll, kill her somehow, or she'll be the
death of both of us. Do wear your blue
dress to-morrow-you do look so pretty in
itr
''Be STILL
might after night this thing went on
saw the young couple every day at dinner.
Miss Emily still looked like an angel; and
as for Will Graham, he seemed honest
enough to be deacon.
Glow could these two innocent-looking
young people be depraved enough to plot