Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-30
NONE But SKILLED OMAHA WORKMEN
EMPLOYED BY Us.

stood Illuminating q moment, after the
manner OF beasts. Presently he began
slowly to scratch his head. The woman
made a sudden movement toward him.
Give it to me!' she cried impera-
lively. ut is mine! l will have it!
You shall not put it in your head! Give
it to me! Give it to me !"
Hush, fool!n he said. and he raised
his hand threateningly. She covered
away from him and crouching in the
corner of the cell, began to cry bitterly,
wiping her eyes, now and then on n
strand of the long yellow hair that lay
on her shoulders. AS the keeper
opened h door to go out Il ray of sun
light fell on his rough hair which
curled thickly over his temples. The
girl bounded suddenly after him like a
tiger.
at is there!" she shrieked, shrilly.
All! the pretty thing! Do not crush
it," for the man raised his hand invol-
unfairly to the spot she indicated with
her outstretched fingers; then, recol-
Letting himself. he turned on her fierce
ly, and advancing deliberately. as she
retreated from him, until he had driven
her again to her corner, he stood a
moment quelling her with the cold
power of his eyes. 1t was an i~nstant's
silent STRUGGLED The force of reason
prevailed. She sank shuddering-con-
quered-in the angle of the smooth
stone wall.
''Geod!" he said, gruf1y. "And no
more of holes in the wall. Dost thou
hear? / shall look tomorrow and see
if the hole grows larger in the night.
To-morrow-aye! and again the next
! day and the next!' He thrust his ugly
face down to hers. She shivered and
shrank nearer the wall. ''Good!" he
said again. His tone was fatherly. 1t
was pleasant to him to see his power.
Ali they feared him-these poor, help
less, hopeless, miserable creatures.
He left the cell, turning his face
toward her as he closed the door. At
! last, trembling ray from the setting sun
died on the matted hair above his left
temple. A tremor shook the delicate
body huddled in the corner. More than
| two hours passed, and still the girl
crouched there. Her little white fingers
worked ~nervously. Her eyes were never
still. Her brow was drawn in deep,
painful lines, as though the poor disord-
cred brain beneath made some great
physical effort to form thought. And so
the darkness fell.
With morning came the keeper.
SIS there a hole in the wall?" He
laughed maliciously.. Then we can
have no bread to day, "and the excellent
man passed on we'll satisfied. Had he
not inflicted punishment when punish
ment was duo? And, moreover, his fam
lily lived on the bread which cost him
nothing.
June passed and July-long summer
days when the sun lay in the courtyard
and there was always a warm corner in
cell No. 80, where the beautiful insane
girl was kept. The keeper liked to go
there and lounge in the afternoons. She
was afraid Of him, and he found her ter
ror diverting. 1t pleased him to see her
standing with downcast eyes sending
out those strange CLEANS from under the
deep-fringed lids-with heaving breast
from which the breath labored heav-
ily-with trembling fingers locked so
tightly together that the little nails
grew white with the cruel pressure. 1t
was a tribute to his power. A more OBJ
servant person might have seen some-
thing here to suspect-might have an
alyzed this fear and found in it a trace
Of danger-might have declared this at
titude to be that OF a person detected-or
in fear of detection-in wrongdoing.
But the keeper, good man, was not one
to analyze. He examined all the cells
daily. 1t may be that his examination
was sometimes clumsy. But why should
he suspect this child? Or suspecting,
why should he fear her? A slender,
white-faced, covering thing who could
only pick a hole in the wall to hunt for
an imaginary May Bug! A poor, weak
imbecile creature who shook at the
sound of his voice! The keeper would