San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-09

ceedings we haven't said blessed word.
We've allowed you to put your man on the
witness stand with all the stage effect you
wanted and without boo, and now, be-
cause this poor, bereaved woman-this
heart stricken mother-gives way to her
natural grief when the damnable crime
that robbed her Of her darling is brought
to her mind, you, you, sir, who should be
the last man 10 make sound, go to blab-
bling about sensationalism. Why, sir"-
THAT will do, gentlemen" said the
judge quietly, but firmly, for Mr.. Lang
was actually bounding about in his anxiety
to make retort. go on, SIR" lac added,
turning TO the defendant, who during the
discussion had busted himself folding the
red handkerchief into a neat, square pack
age.
''Since working for Messrs. Rocker &
Co.," Cephss Love continued, Il have
boon in the habit vi walking down to the
store along Pine street each morning from
my boarding house, at the corner of Lar
kin and James streets. On the 10th of
Juno last, or 1t might have been the nth,
noticed that No. $685. after having been
vacant for many months, was about to be
tenanted. The next morning. and it was
y Friday, / remember, my attention was
again attracted to No. s6s, and this time
by q very peculiar incident The two win
dows on the ground door, where the par
lor wss 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 u face ~ frightens a
child in what are called its bad dreams +"
"Describs it. Mr.. Love-" said Attorney
Lang.
81 cannot" said the witness, putting OFT
both hands in gesture of repulsion mat
was strangely energetic in man seeming
ly SO placid and administrative; "it was
more of n mask than face Not one Of
these groteSQue masks. you understand,
but one of utter vscuity--s blank, an
emptiness, = 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 fiabby, the nose
a line, and the mouth half open, with the
lower lip drooping" ...
Here a strange thing happened, for while
the prisoner described the face his own took
on that of The creature he was delineating,
until in the place of the little old gentle
man of semi-clerical aspect there appeared
the doddling head of a moving idiot, The
red handkerchief had been snatched up
from where it lay smoothly folded over on
his knee and was now srasped in both
hands like ball.
II could only see his face" said Love
dropping back, so to speak, into himself,
"because he brought the curtains close up
about bis neck, like a garment-like a
dressing gown. After had moved on a
few PAGES turned round, for so strange
was the impression produced on me that /
can liken it to little less than fascination.
The face had not moved, but the great
staring eyes were still fixed on me as the
eyes of a portrait done in oil painting al
ways seem to be, no matter where the OBJ
server nsy 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 poor, unfortunate being, whose
friends preferred 20 take private charge Of
him rather than to send him to an asylum,
and that his presence at the window was
due TO the temporary absence OF those
whose duty it was to look after him. But
with all this common sense view of the
matter, l found myself stupidity excited and
nervous as ] drew near the house next
morning Well, sir-I mean your honor
tho fellow must have been watching for
me, for rs | came opposite the windows
again a thin, white hand parted the cur
tains and the vacant face was turned once
more upon me. This time thought that
the eyes, though fixed and wide open, had
the light of nasty smile in them and that
the dropping lower lip was shot out in a
grimace of contempt. had stout walk
ing cane in my hand" said the witness,
jumping up, land l threatened the fellow
with il in this way" Here he shook out
the red silk handkerchief and waved it
rapidly toward the jury box as though it
were a danger signal.
Control yourself, Mr.. Love-" said he,
"and tell your story as calmly as possible"
II will, your honor" he replied, with
meekreSs and an instant change of de
meanOr, although it was noted that great
beads of perspiratiOn had broken out on
his forehead, ana that, now and then, these
merged themselves one in the other and
then ran triCkling down his face Ike an
OverCharged raindrop on window pane
For two or three days. | changed my
way TO the office" he continued, land took
another street, so as to escape the sight of
this oppressive face. II was a useless pre-
caution, however, for what had been a day
horror now became nightmare. For the
first time in my life / became the victim of
insomnia The horrible blank features
covered the walls like patterned paper;
they were as visible in the darkness as in
the light, they kept my eyes open and
stared into them, and they covered me like
waves rolling over my bed. The void,