The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-12-18

crn sky, and could SEQ surrounding
OBJ Gets. though in dim. uncertain
way. / was lying bcs dc the fallen
coach and its dead horse; the driver |
could nowhere see. NY first impulse
was TO rouse myself. tottcr on my legs.
and discover where was hurt. or il
any bone was broken. To my great
del ght found myself whole and sound,
with the cx, option of n slight spran in
my right foot at least so | thought at
first; but rs put Gown my hand to
touch my injured foot n hcavy, rcd
clotted drop of blood fell upon il.
lifted my hand to my forehead, and
found there u deep cut. from which the
blood was oozing thickly. instantly
took out my handkerchief and boun d it
tightly round the wound. so rs, if post
siblc, TO stanch the blood till / could
get assistance. But where was |. and
where was the driver? "Thanli God"
l cried aloud. "that am at last rid of
that madmanr' looked round TO see
what sort OF a place the wretch had en-
shared me into.
Ii was an unfinished suburban street,
with raw brick skeletons of houses.
their fra drcary walls up
into the misty morningair Some were
Gagged in with scalold poles, others had
great heaps of mortar still piled up in
front of them. Unfinished iron ratings,
doors daubed Ike clowns faces, with
patches of rel; windows with white
circles in their pancs; gatcwnys with
gaping pits where steps were to be.
everywhere met my eye. In front of
me on Il dead wall "Alpha Terrace"
the name OF this future paradise, was
written in staring whtcwash letters.
The only sound could hear far or near
Yves the restless twittcr of the wakenng
sparrows. touched the horse he was
dead. cold and already stiflcnjng. The
coach lay on its side, rising like wall
before me at the bottom of ncw-dug
foundation, some twelve feet from the
roadway. 1t was wonderful how had
escaped.
But the wrctchcl maniac who would
have taken my fc, was he living crushed
beneath the cabo must rouse myself
and see if | could find any trace of him.
though doubtless he believed me dead.
If unhurt he had fed, howlng and ex-
uliing, TO meet with that certain detec-
ton he had not cunning enough to es-
cape: if injured. he had crawled away
to obtain help.
AS these thoughts passed through my
MUD l stopped painfully over the dead
horse, and exclaming: Thank God.
he is gone!" walked round to the other
side of the cab. which hitherto had been
hidden from me. Good heavens! what
did see? My enemy the mailman. sit
ting down between the upturncd wheels,
with his back against the body of the
carriage, quietly cutting II leather trace
into two long flexible strips. On his
face, which was smcarcd with blood and
gore. there was IL hidcous smile of NAL
ice as his eyes met mine.
Ivy, hello. Lushington!'' he said, not
appearing in the least alarmed or sur
priscd and continu NJ his task, "this is
q rum start of yours. isn't it? Vot are
YOU a-going to give me tor my fare?
I'm not going away, Colney Hatch.
without getting paid for your mad
capers. don't think it. Mr.. Hanwell.
So now, then, Crazy Bill. stump up -
at is you who are mad" / sad, "and
l leave you TO your keeper. y
u IL ScC llltt, SitNt tlC VII
lain, slowly getting on his legs and ad-
vancing toward me, with the two leather
straps, that he had now knotted into
one long cord, dangling behind his
back. 'You must come off with me to
Bedlam. my man; you amt safe at
large; n cold-shower bath is what you
want, old Billy Bedlam. Now, cas- v
hiss-casy.
"Lunatc." l cried. beware of a
desperate man."
There's two on us desperate, as fur
as that goes, my customer" sad the
wretch, leaping on me to bind my
hands
God forgive me for it, but rs the fell
low advanced, and ere he could seize
my throat, drew long, broad knife
quickly from my trousers pocket and
stabbed him under the left breast. He
threw up his hands and scrcamed: "The
mailman has done It!' and fell dead on
his face.
| stood for q moment spell
but the sigh1 of Il red stream of blood
winding toward my feet aroused me.
was murderer; my brain was on fire;
those drear, gaunt houses seemed dane
ing round me: the earth was heaving
into graves. 1 erased the number of
the cab. 1875, to avoid detection, then
threw down the knife. and fled, knew
not where, with the speed OF an escaped
malefactor.
shall never know where | ran. l
passed through streets where shops were
beginning to be opened in the bright
morning sun; people called on me but
1 never stopped: l leaped over gates
and chased through the rank grass of
lonely meadows. There was dead
stiffness at first in the air. and I thought
had escaped; but presently sound,
at first no louder than the bay of a
Watchdog. seemed to gradually swell
into the ciamor and cry of vast pur-
suing mob. l could hear voices and
the tramp of feet; the wretches had
dogs with them; they were tracking
me. How strange that among them |
seemed to specially d stinguish the
voices of DR.. Plcdgett and his daughter
Nelly! What had they to do there? l
saw the mob breaking through q dis
tant orchard, and thou ght had beaten
them off like SO many wild ours; but
suddenly in front of me, at turning
could not avoid, ran three men. They
point to dead, bleeding man lying on
the ground. ] dash ut them. There
ere blows that fall crashing on my head,
then there is a great darkness.
When i awoke it was soft spring
morning; was in bed in room l had
never seen before. Oh, so neat and
trim! A goldiinch was singing pleas
antly at the window. and there were
bouquets of violcts on the white cloth
of the dressng-tablc. A bright,
rosy cloud ripnlcd oycr the sky;