Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21


the end, and then smiled very wearily, but
without contempt, Tor he is man who un.
derstands things. "Stav on, he said, land
see what this thing means. All you have
talked about l have known since l took the
bungalow. Stay on and wait. Tieuen:
has left me. Are you going too?'
/ had seen him through one little affair
connected with an idol that had brought me
to the doors of a lunatic asylum, and / had
no desire to help him through further expe'
riences. He was a man to whom unpleaE-
antnesses arrived as do dinners to ordinary
people.
Therefore, 1 explained more clearly than
ever that liked him immensely and would
be happy 20 see him in the daytime; but
that L didn't care to sleep under his root.
This was after dinner, when TieUens had
gone out TO lie in the veranda.
"'Pon nv soul, l don't wonder" said
Strickland, with his eyes on the ceiling
cloth. "Look at thatp'
The tails of two snakes were hanging be-
tween the cloth and the corniee of the wall.
Thev threw long shadows in the lamplight
"ff you are afraid Of snakes, OF course--
said Strickland.
81 hate and fear snakes, because if you
look into the eyes OF any snake you will see
that it knows all and more OF the mystery of
that the devil felt when Adam was evicted
from Eden. Besides which its bite is gen.
erallv fatal, and it bursts up trouser legs. 3"
''You ought to get your thatch over
hauled" Il" said. "Give me a masheer rod
and well poke 'em down. -.
"Thev'll hide among the roof beams"
said Strickland. 81 can't stand snakes
overhead. I'm going up. If shake 'em
down stand by with a cleaning rod and
break their backs"
1 was not anxious to assist Strickland in
his work, but l took the loading rod and
waited in the dining room, while Strickland
brought gardeners ladder from the yeranda
and set it against the side of the room. The
snake tails drew themselves up and disap-
peared. We could hear the dry rushing
scuttle of long bodies running over the
bsggv cloth. Strickland took lamp with
him, while tried to make clear the danger
OF bunting roof snakes between a ceiling
cloth and q thatch; apart from the deteriora-
ton OF property caused by ripping out cell
.'Nonsgnse!' said Strickland. They're
sure to hide near the walls by the cloth.
The bricks are too cold for 'em, and the
heat of the room is just what they like.
He nut his hand to the corner of the cloth
and riDped the cotton stuff from the cornice.
1t gave with great sound Of tearing, and
Strickland put his head through the open
ing into the dark of the angle of the roof
beams. l set my teeth and lifted the loa2-
ing rod, for had not the least knowledge OF
what might descend.
"H'm," said Strickland, and his voice
rolled and rumbled in the roo. There's
room for another set OF rooms up here, and,
bv Jnve some one is occupying 'em.
"Snakes?" l said down below.
"No. It's u buffalo. Hand me up the
two first Joints of masheer rod and I'll
prod it. It's lying on the main beam"
/ handed up the rod.
"What nest for owls and serpents No
wonder the snakes live here" said Strick.
land, climbing further into the roof.
could see his elbow thrusting with the rod.
Come out of that, whoever YOU are! Heads
below therel It's tottering!"
l saw the ceiling cloth nearly in the Gen.
ter of the room bag with a shape that was
pressing it downward and downward toward
the lighted lamps on the table. 1 snatched
2 lamp out of danger ard stood back. Then
the cloth ripped out from the walls, tore,
split, swayed and shot down upon the table
something that 1 dared not look at till
Strickland had slid down the ladder and
was standing by my side.
He did not say much, being a man of few
words, but he picked up the loose end of the
tablecioth and threw it over the thing on
the table. s
1T strikes me-" said he, pulling down
the lamp. "our friend Imray has come back.
Obi you would, would you2"
There was a movement under the cloth,
and 4 little snake wriggled, out, to be back
broken by the butt of the mahseer rod.
was sufficiently sick to make no remarks
worth REGARDING
Strickland meditated and helped himself
10 drinks literally. The thing under the
cloth made no more signs of life.
sit is Imray?" l said.
J Strickland turned back the cloth for
moment and looked.
''Is it Imray?" he said, land his throat is
cut from ear to ear"
Then we spoke both together and to our
selves, "ThaI's why he whispered about the
house"
Tietjens in the garden began to bay furi-
ously. A little later her great nose heaved
open the dining room door.
She snuffed and was still. The broken and
tattered ceiling cloth hung down almost to
the level of the table and there was hardly
room to move away from the discovery.
Then Tietjeus came in and sat down; her
teeth barred under her lip and her iorepaws
planted. She looked at Strickland.
ITS bad business, old lady, said he
Men don't go up into the roofs of their
bungalows to die, and they don't fasten up
the ceiling cloth behind 'em. Let's think
it out"
Lets think it out somewhere else," L
said.
Excellent ideal Turn the lamps out
Well get into my room."
/ did not turn the lamps out. l went into
G. . Ill L
make the darkness. Then he followed ME
and we lit tobacco and thought. Strickland
did the thinking. 1 smoked furiousiy, be-
cause was afraid.
"Imray is back" said Strickland
"The question is-who killed Imray?
Don't talk, 1 have a notion of nv own.
When 1 took this bungalow took most of
Imray's servants. Imray was guileless and
inofensive, wasn't hep"
] agreed. though the heap under the cloth
looked neither one thing nor the other.
"If 1 call all the servants they will stand
fast in crowd and lie like Aryaus. What
do you suggest?"
"Call 'em in one by one," 1 said.
They'll run away and give the news to
eli their fellows" said Strickland.
1--WE must segregate 'em. Do YOU suppose
your servant knows anything about it?''
"He may, for aught know; but don't
think it's likely. He has only been here
two or three days," L answered. Whats
your notion?"
81 can't quite tell. how the dickens did
the man get the wrong side of the ceilins.
cloth?"
There was a heavy coughing outside
Stricklaud's bedroom door. This showed
that Bahadur Khan, his body servant, had
walked from sleep and wished to put Strick-
land to bed.
"Come in, !" said Strickland, ''I.t is very