Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-09-19

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boat, and on the other wall was Geo
; Washington as a Free Mason will
apron and great many symbols O
the order fastened over the front o.
him. These were all old time print,
on which many colors had been Law
ished, and general air about them
of no expense being spared as far as
paint was concerned.
got into bed and left the lamp
burning, SO that in case there was an
attack l would not have to fight in
the dark. | remembered now, when
it was too late, that / had good deal
of money with me and that was
without any means of defense. was
to sail the next day and there would
be no one on earth who would be anx-
ious about me if they did not hear
from me for a couple Of weeks. The
assassins would doubtless understand
all that when they found the ocean
ticket on my body, and the time my
friends were making inquiries about
me ] would probably have foated
down the river and would be some
fow hundred miles out in the ocean
| cannot explain why it did 80, but
this train of thought made me feel
very uncomfortable, and sought in
vain for consolation in the pictures Of
Washington crossing the Delaware
and Washington as Free Mason.
Finding it impossible to sleep
turned over and was startled to see
what / had not noticed when | got in
to the bed, that there was a pole in
the center of it coming down from the
ceiling and evidently going through
TO the floor. This was so utterly un.
usual that | suspected that must be
asleep, and | touched the pole to make
sure that was awake. There was no
question about it being substantial
enough, and was further appalled,
to find when / touched it that it was
slowly and noiselessly revolving with
steady motion. My first impulse
was to spring out of bed, and l have
often thought since that it would have
been better if had done so. My
next thought was to keep quiet and
see what it all meant. Then new
discovery froze me with horror. The
bed was slowly but surely sinking
down through the floor.
l found myself in danger of becom-
ing panic-stricken, and l said to my
self: Now is the time to keep cool.
My life may depend ON keeping my
presence of mind" l thought that if
l stepped out on the floor l would
arouse the attention of those who were
working the arrangement down below,
or perhaps the very fact that my
weight were taken from the bed would
in some way be registered, for the
whole thing was very well arranged
piece of machinery.
Washington as Mason looked
calmly down on me from the wall,
but, although he got me into all this
trouble, he made no motion to help a
brother in distress. l resolved to lie
quite still until the bed got level with
the floor and then roll noiselessly and
easily out and make my escape, as my
assailants were evidently down cellar,
where probably they were in the habit
of committing their murders. l lay
there breathless as the bed sank down |
and down, until at last it was just lev
el with the floor. Then | silently
rolled out.
Lord. With what a crash came
down on that floor. My bones ache
yet when | think of il. The room
was dark, as the smoky lamp seemed
to have gone out, but the moonlight
came in and showed the bed in its
original position and the faint light
reflected from the moon-beams on the
floor quivered on Washington still
bidding farewell to the army.
In the morning the sun shone bright
ly into the dingy room. | pulled the
chest of drawers away from the door
and went down and paid my bill to
the sinister looking person at the bar.
| presume that to this day Mr..
Washington in various attitudes adds
decorative color to that room in the
fiftrclass hotel that overlooks the
Hudson at Newburgh. Luke Sharp
in Detroit Free Press.
Harold is getting old enough to as
tonish his parents occasionally with
an original remark. The other even.
b;e pootber said somethino IN L;s faith