Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-30

| Noe wheeled a Il BILE into the middle of the
| eor, seated hims II, took out check book
land laid it open before him. made a quick
calculation, from my best knowledge, of the
amount of our joint fortunes, handed it to
him. and, gathering the servants. gave them
some brief instructions. When / got back
TO my seat at the window the crowd had
grown till its limits could not be seen. Fill
ing the street, not long one, it reached
from end to end and from wall to wall, and
| judged by the sounds that more were gath
ering around the corners and in the diacent
thoroughfares.
You may have ssen a throng before lot
terry wheel, impatient, excited Some such
an aspect had the mob before our door, save
that IL was far more immense far more ex-
cited. There was occasional laughter, such
as We hear from drunken men. Every man
acted as one partially deranged; it was APP
parent that the str angeness of the situation
had its effect on the crowd. Two o'clock
struck. The first stroke of the bell was hard
ly heard for the murmur and excitement;
the second stroke fell upon the throng, as
still as though that second every man had
been turned into corpse. Every eye was
upon the door. Not IA motion was visible
about the house. The door was unlocked,
and a servant stood behind it, but made no
sound; nOta curtain stirred
| had expected when little time had
passed, and it was seen that the door was not
to DO thrown open, that there would be a
rush, and it would be pushed in. SO pres
emily observed that those far back now be
gan TO push forward. Those nearest the door.
too, crowded upon the stoop: but there every
man looked To his neighbor to first put hand
TO the door, but none did it, Then a terror
seized them and ran back through the peo-
Pile, and they fell back. Then arose a great
cry. l could not make out what it was, but
in the midst of il the first quarter struck.
Then there was silence, and for a long time
they did nothing hut wait, each for the other,
the crowd behind upbraiding those in front for
not pushing in. Our quiet house terrified
them by its very stiffness and helplesSness.
Again those in the rear and on all sides
began crowding forward. After two or three
starts they surged forward, but only for a
few feet, those in front Immediately pushing
back. This wave Ike movement was repeated
several times, the asst time the reacting surge
placing those in II ont farther back than ever.
They stood thus for n moment when the half
struck. Then the y crowded again forward,
but no man put hand on the door. Up to
this time there had been an appearance Of
good nature and raillery, though underneath
u WIS hl lilltust utSlueTNs. out now tueN
broke out into gu lrTeling. Blows were ex-
changed, and dark looks were everywhere;
but nothing was done beyond an occasional
surge for the dooi and a sweep back
Three-quarters past, and it was almost s.
when single n an assembled the steps and
knocked. The mob was breathless The door
was silently opened, the man went in or was
pulled in, and all vas as before Then what
cry went up And what a silence follow
ell But no secont man offered TO go in. The
first would be out presently, and would tell
what he had seen But ten, fifteen, twenty
minutes elapsed, and he did not reappear
The silence WIS profound. Half past 3. and
still no sign. A silver passed through the
throng. Not MAJ Y but thought Of possible
tragedy on the OF Ter side of that mysterious
door. The truth is the man had been usher
ell into the library, where he saw a se,iate
gentleman of 30 tting behild a table, who
asked him simply II he brought a statement
of his debts. For a reply he presented it.
The amount was small, and the gentleman
laid aside his cheCk book and handel him the
sum in gold. He was then invited TO pass
into the adjoining parlor and to he seated;
he was requested kindly 10 remain till
O'Clock, or until the crowd dispersed And
/, watching at the window, realized that the
slightest variation in the temper OF the mob
would sweep away every penny of our fam.
lilies wealth, for both Noble and | would
have died before We would have allowed a
demand TO 60 uni onored while anytkiig re
manned
IL was evident that We had been mistaken
when We suppose that the final anduniversal
verdict had been hat our notice was a hoax
We had not walked out the last night it
being Sunday. / we had done So It is likely
change. While almost all, l afterward
learned, had continued to ridicule the thing
and pronounce it humbug, there had been
n secret preparing Of statements and a deter
mination 10 be not far distant at the appoint
ed hour. This hnd been so general that it
had resulted in the immense gathering now
before me. But why did they not press iuI
II would have been supposed that their very
numbers would have permitted no other
thought. But 1t is likely that those before
the door feared that If they started it would
I've to go in alone; that those in the rear
would let them alone run the risk Of the jecrs
that would follow If it proved they had been
hoaXed. The fear of ridicule, so strong
motive ordinaril' before such a crowd, be
came superlatiyely powerful The sources
OF those impulses more contagious than pes
thence, that move vast crowds are generally
mysterious and indiscernble Fickleness is
the ordinary characteristic of n mob. In
the throng befor, our door, fear of humhuc.
and powerful dread of ridicule sIIperin-
duced by the COncourse itself, were the
causes TO which ! attributed the inaction of
the first hour But one man had the strength
TO throw off the general paralysis
But undoubtedly other causes came into
action the second hour. The house stood be-.
fore them, silen- and mysterious, the one
venturesome MAJ did not return, and the
strangeness OF the whole affair. the impossi-
bility of assigning any motive for the pub
lshed notice and the strange behavior of the
crowd itself, In every other member of which
each saw his doubts reflected, all conspired to
throw around an atmosphere of mystery and
underlined fear. Thus it was that the people
stood, while the church clock hands moved
on toward 4. Al occasional wave seemed TO
sweep over them, but left them standing as
before, under paralysis. Ten minutes to 4.
Every hope was now on the return OF the
man. Five minutes To 1. There was a lean
ing forward, but no man stirred foot. Three
minutes, two mil utes, one minute. The clock
struck 4. l rushel down TO Noble and caught
him in my arms. How we dancedl We went
up together To tn front apartment and the
window. Now II is stranger thnn anything
else connected with the affair that there was
no violence toward our residence But when
we looked out int the street, it was fast be-
coming empty. But of those we saw hasten
ing away, every me seemed to De possessed Of
the very spirit OF the devil. They were all
fighting, striking each other with their fists
sticks, stones, ami cursing like demons But
very soou the str ct was empty.
Such IS an esDteric account of an affair
which caused 10 small stir at the time
Noble and |, IN our nightly rambles, often
talk 1t over. Our experiment came near be
ing more serious than we would have liked.
IL the man who ventured in ever told any
one Of his reception, 1t never came to the
ears Of the publ C, and to this day London
has few mysteries more profound than the
episode known ~ THE Pudding Lane Hoax"
William Bayaid Hale in Harper's Weekly
Narrow Escape.
On the last day Of the year, while hunting
Tor my New Year skinner, an adventure befell
me which nearly closed my days with the
dying year had brousat down a buffalo,
t.fsHa md kal,, Il