The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-12-05


store along Pine street each morning from
my boarding house, at the corner of Lar
kin and James streets. On the 10th of
June last, or it might have been the 18th,
l noticed that No. 863, after having been
vacant for many months, was about to be
tenanted. The next morning, and it was
Friday l remember, my attention was
again attracted to No S63, and this time
by a very peculiar incident. The two win
dows on the ground floor, where the par
lor was evidently situated, were draped
with heavy curtains of some maroon col
ored stuff, after fashion which used to be
in vogue for dining rooms when | was a
boy. AS was passing the house, the cur
tain nearer me was drawn aside and face
peered out-such a face as frightens
child in what are called its bad Dreams"
Describe it, Mr.. Love-" said Attorney
Lang.
81 cannot" said the witness, puttingout
both hands in Il gesture of repulsion that
was strangely energetic in man seeming
ly SO placid and undemonstrative; cit was
more of a mask than a face. Not one of
these grotesque masks, you understand,
but one of utter vacuity-a blank, an
emptiness, u soulless nothing. The eyes
were big, wide open, with the white show
ing all around the pupil between the fixed
lids; the cheeks pale and flabby, the nose
a line, and the mouth half open, with the
lower lip dropping"
Here a strange thing happened, for while
the prisoner described the face his own took
on that of the creature he was delincating,
until in the place of the little old gentle
man of semi-clerical aspect there appeared
the doddling head of moving idiot. The
red handkerchief had been snatched up
from where it lay smoothly folded over on
his knee and was now grasped in both
hands like IL ball.
81 could only see his face" said Love
dropping back, so to speak, into himself,
because he brought the curtains close up
about his neck. like garment-like
dressing gown. After had moved on
few PAGES Turned round, for so strange
was the Impression produced on me that !
can li'len it TO little less than fascination.
The face had not uiOvc;i, but the great
staring eyes were still fixed on me as the
eyes of Il portrait done in oil painting al
ways seem tn be, TO matter where the OBJ
server may move. More than once during
the day | found myself thinking of this
vacant, fatUOus face, and then toward the
afternoon | managed to dismiss it with the
resolution that it undoubtedly belonged
to some peer, u!fort innate being, whose
friends preferred to take private charge OF
him rather than to send him to IN asylum,
and that his presence ut the window was
due to the temporary absence Of those
whose duty it was to look after him. But
with al this common sense view of the
matter, found myself stupidity excited and
nervous as | drew near the house next
morning. Well, sir-I mean your honor
the fellow must have been watching for
me, for as | came opposite the windows
again a thin, white hand parted the cur
tains ard the vacant face WAS turned once
more upon me- This time | thought that
the eyes, though fixed and wide open, had
the light Of Il nasty smile in them and that
the dropping lower lip YVES shot out in a
grimacc Of contempt. | had stout walk
ing cane in my hand" said the witness,
jumping u, land l threatened the fellow
with it in this way" Here he shook out
the red silk handkerchief and waved ii
rapidly toward the jury box as though it
were danger signal.
Control yourself, Mr.. Love-" said he,
'and tell your Story as calmlyas possible"
II viii, your homer" he replied, with
meckness ard an instant change of de
mcanor, although it WIS noted that great
beads Of Precipitation had broken out on
his forehead, AID that, now and then, these
merged themselves one in the other and
then ran tricilling down his face like an
overch&rgcd raindrop on a window pane.
"For two or three days | changed my
way TO the office" lie continued, "anG took
another street, SO rs to escape the sight Of
this oppressive face. 1t was Il useless pre-
caution, however, for what had been Il day
horror now became nightmare. For the
first time in ny life / became the victim of
insomnia The horrible blank features
covered the walls like IL patterned paper;
they were rs visible in the darkness as in
the light, they kept my eyes open aud
stared into them, and they covered me like
waves rolling over my led. The void,
meaningless face was with me i'll a hun
dred fantastic and distressing shapes, and
] felt that / could have stranSlcd the beast
Of p0ssesScr had he come within my
grasp"
The little mans voice rose into Il scrccch,
the dull blIe eyes flashed like a moving
mirror, and his chest hcaveI, while he
twisted the red silk handkerchief into a
scarlet rope.
ION the morning of the third sleepless
night" he went on, sinking his voice into
a hoarse whisper, while the crowd in the
court room leaned forward as one man to
hear what was being said-''on the third
morning | got up and Getermind to put an
end to it i'll. took out razor, threw
back my collar in this way, and was going
to cut my throat, when the idea entered
my mead that | would first go and squeeze
the life out of my tormenting devil, and
then come back and make way with myself
Dressing hurricdly | ran downstairs and
into the street. | was in front of No 500
like flash of double CREASED lightning.
Quick as | was the monstrous villain was
Just as quick. Back went the curtains, as
though jer,;cd by red Zamiel himself, and
out shot the face-a scarecrow that would
brighten the very blue birds of heaven. No
doubt about it, the ghost like thing was
mociing me now-mocking my misery.
mocking poor old me, who had been
cursed by it for 100000 years. don't
know what said. Call them black, bad
words. To hell with what thought! All
the blood rushed to my head until my
ears rang like the seven bells Of kingdom
come. With one, two, three, was in
the house; and with four, five, six, was
squeezing his damned windpipe-like this. "
"Look out, Judge" yelled Mr.. Lang,
while cry of horror rose from the people.
Tho iu6ua had hnpn gently SUinoino