The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-24
A

II was a drrary night i'm the winter Of
16-. Outside a heavy fog filed the mar.
row, unsavory streets of the metropolis
and the lungs and eyes of such unfortu-
mates as chaiIctd to hc abroad. IL even
invaded the small, wooden sanctums al
the might watchmcn. interfering with the
slumbers tai which the inmates were both
by age and office entitled. Across the
river. i'm the dinRy. ill-paved lanes of the
borough, the fog seemed at its worst, n
light, warmish haze bcing the only n d
cation of the presence of those shops
which still remained open, and' round
which small, ill-c.lad urchins, with the
most unImistakablc intentions, persist
emily lowered.
self from IL chance r~rncontre with ~ post,
and felt his way along ny tapping with
ceesiing by which he had already severely
damaged the legs Of three of his suffering
fellow-crsaturcs, and poked IA large hole
in the kitchen window of u fourth. "And
now." he continued, talking To himself
for the sake of '.for home and
supper and ~ fire. All. and "a patient or
Al tine cheering prospect his spirits
rose, and he banged nightly at the wall
with his stick in until at
right, he turned smartly down, and hav-
ing made sure of his own door knocked
WHO'S there" cried "a shriI female
voice i'm response
"Its /, Bs:t," said her master. .'Opcn
the .S SSH + X Knows s"Ss i si.'; was III. cheering r.-
ply. "Tou take Yourself OIL. young man.
whoever you are. THERE'S two bulldogs
and three men with loaded guns standing
"Opcn the door, BetH' roarod her mas
ter ,hroug! the k.y-h"l". Don't 30"
''Is il ? o'clock or il il II propounded
the damsel; 'bccause il it's II O'Clock my
eyes deceive mc. and III it's y O'clock your
voice detectives me, for the doctor said he'd
he home at IL and not before, and, con-
artcr."
sharply. ..'l'm back already because my
patients dead. Come, open at once!'
There was "a cr,aking and shooting of
bolts az he finished speaking. and the
door bting cautiously opened discovered
an angular woman of some 81 years,
whose nervous face cleared directly she
saw her master.
"I'm asking your pardon for keeping
you so long, SIR" said shc. ''but one never
KNOWS who. who. and Judging by the
iIiRs round the corner Tonight"
"Anyi'ohy been here. Bet" ASKED the
AS 10 minutes, later, hc sat down
to q carefully grilIc,i chop
NOT "a SOUL" replied his handmaidcn.
And a nice person You would be to
"Oh. ] should have oIsnncd il at once"
Bet with decision. "Dircctly they had
used the worI accident I should have
IL and chanccsi it,"
Her master, smiling at her devotion.
drew his chair to the fire. and having
carefully tilicd "a long clay pipe, fell to
and content. Then, thinking il would be
extremely unlikely tina he would bc dis
at that late hour, he dismissed his
retainer tn her quarters in II ~neighbor-
house, and being left to himself,
into ~ brown study.
Ii might have been the fog or il NIGH
IA YEA lN.s.la TN. IN. - l.,A ~ Ita s,n-
whatever the cause. his thoughts
look "a very gloomy direction indeed, and
he shook his head ~dcspondingiy as he
thought of his future prospects. His
mood was not made more cheerful by the
which was large and dark, and pan
neled with oak and ~ornamcnted with bat
tered OIL portraits of the dead aud gone
y orthics with whom he claimed some kin
ship, more or less remote, who seemed to
at him tonight in IL particularly
ghostly. not to say wooden. manner. Be-
sides all this hc was in love, and he had
sooner built IA magnificent castle-in
b air-lnd placed her in il than AN any
thing but airy landlord called for the rent
and the dream WAS spoiled.
He had been sitting thus for some time
hot cognac which he had prepared. when
he was disturbed 10y a loud. imperative
AT the front door, whercat he
and marchG1 down the narrow stairs to
il. The feeble light of the candle,
strongly built man of middle age. whose
naturally fine proportions were Increased
by the fog, which clunH to them and ex-
agerated them. The surgeon noted that
he was richly clad, and also that the EN-
bossed hilt of "a sword protruded from the
skirts OF his coat. while his face, from
some powerful emotion, was pale and
drawn.
Are you the surgeon ." asked tn. new
conner, abruptly.
your service" was the reply. .'Come
in"
The stranger obeyed. and waiting until
the surgeon had secured the door. fol-
lowed him upstairs.
Examine mel" said he. taking OIL his
laced coat and standing pale and upright
before him.
.'Unfasten your shirt" said the other.
falling i'm with his strange hutnor and COM
pnencing n strange examination.
"Weli?" inquired the when he
had finished.