The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-04-18

turking murderer -. .
/ $40 tac, tiu-tac. tic.tac. tic-fac.
NY car had become 50 familiar TO the
hrisk movement OF my watch that the slight
ost sound was sudible abcYe it. And a
sound. slight indeed. heard. =. x
sins. Il sounded like the drawing OF adagger,
from Its sheath.
Turning my head toward the side from
Wnlen the sound seemed to proceed, fan
cied saw the heavy curtain move; IL was
between me and the lamp. Tho movement
was as slight as the sound. II Il was a fact
other.
drew myself up gradually, and. leaning
forward. suddenly flung back the curtain
with my left hand. There was no resist.
| ance to my hand; nothing 10 be seen bo-
yond but the lamp burning steadily on the
table. the saddle-back chair. and the dim
outline OF the big chimney piece.
got upon my knees and pushed the cur
tam nat against the wall, to be sure that
there could by no possibility be any one
concealed In the heavy folds-to assure my.
seli that my suspicion was utterly without
sssss ss:s s s. 5ss Asss Us ss$sssssssg
II tho curtain had indeed moved IL must
have been by q hand from under tho bed.
1t WIS easier to believe that had been mis-
taken In seeing the slight movement than
| to suppose had overlooked u concealed
| thief when looked under the bed to satisfy
| Van Hoeck; so let the curtain fall and lay
down again,
assassination. Setting aside the idea of an
intrigue in which Lola was concerned. there
was yet nothing preposterous in Van
Hoeck's presentiment. There were eight
or ten servants in the house. and undoubt-
| edly every one OF them knew OF tho mar
| velous treasure In my keeping. They would
tell their friends In the adjacent village, the
keepers, the tradcspcople-in few days
| -Nrlld hr in1 ohnt, nd A.,
known 10 hundreds: and was there none
among them whose cnpidity might take
practical forms
1t was quite possible that under this very
root there was one with tho ingenuity and
daring to plan and execute the robbery. A
servant intimately acquainted with the
arrangement of the rooms and the Pc
cultarities of the building would prob
ably know OF the external means OF
communication between the bay and the
4 orieA windows. Without this knowledge,
q sesped to me, would dare
and In tho dark; but with that knowledge.
and possibly some previous practice. the
feat WAS sufficiently practicable: In that
case, Edith might actually have heard and
seen what she had since attributed to
| imagination.
But what end could be served by these
repeated attacks upon her scnsibility2
A cause is sometimes discovered by ex-
amining the OBJECT Now. what effect had
been produced by these attacks2 The first
| had frightened Edith excessively; the Sec
ond had made a slighter impression. Thus
the third~-for only to n third fright could
attribute her scream OF terror-had brought
her father and myself from our rooms. In
stantly. something like the truth flashed
upon my mind:
To bring me from my room was tho very
object with which the attack upon Edith
had bcen made.
Unriddling the mystery with this key.
assumed that the thief had watched me
close the door upon Van Hoeck and return
to my room; that. after allowing me suf-
ilcient time to get into bed. but not to fall
into sound sleep, he had made the attack
upon Edith. opening her door beforehand
to provide speedy means Of escape and to
allow her cry to be more distinctly heard;
no had sped down the stairs In the left
| block passed through the library and din
ing-room. and assembled by the stairs in the
right block about the same time that l
might DO supposed to have reached Edith's
room. and that. reckoning upon my keeping
the Great Hesper under my pillow, and
leaving 1t there In my alarm upon Edith s
account, he had expected to have possessed
himself Of our treasure. II what thus as
sumed was the fact, then indeed this plan
might have succeeded but for Van Hoeck' s
prudent inslstance upon my strapping the
diamond to my wrist.
AS thus explained what had happened.
o more startling reflection occurred to my
mind. The thief had boon disappointed i'm
not finding the diamond beneath my pillow.
but he yet might not have relinquished the
hope Of getting 1t.
He might not have left the room. He
Il might be hidden there at that verysmo-
ment ss. -
What was more easy. being in tho room.
tfhat masked the oriel, the great chest. the
settle. the press. were all suggestive of that
course. The fellow might be under the very
bed was lying upon!
Tho movement had seen in the curtain
the sound similar to the drawing of blade
from its sheath (which might we'll have
been caused by the movement OF the heavy
valance Of the bed). strengthened the sus-
picion. Was he lying there waiting for the
that slept?
There was scarcely the necessity to wal,
for that, for what resistance could /, lying
upon my back there. make against Il foe
springing out OF the dark upon me?
thought Of the clasp-knife Van Hoeck
had given me, and. stretching out my hand
felt for IL where had stuck it-betweer
the mattress and the bedstead. could moi
find IL.
Pushing back the curtains so that the
light from the lamp fell upon the edge o.
| the bedstead, assured myself that IL was
not where had lett it. 1t must have slipped
through. or been, drawn out.
The latter supposition explained the
sound and movement had heard and seen
| Yet it might have made that sound in slip
ping through--its fall upon the floor dead
ened by the carpet. ca It's point sticking il
tfro -bvosdpy 4 forrofcd tifo fresryffs
was too wide to allow of its slipping
through.
To satisfy myself at once upon this point
leaped out OF bed. resolved to strike
match ana look under the valance. stood
for moment stupefied. The box of vesta,
was gone from the table. where was Ger
tain had laid them.
They must have been taken while la,
! screened by the bed curtains.
glanced over my shoulder.
The folds Of the curtain against the be,
were not tho Same as when pushed the cir
back to the wall; one fold stood ont at ar
angle; and as. slowly turning round.
looked moro closely. saw against the DARK
oak panel OF the wall, about the mid eigh
Of man. and protruding but an inch or sc
from the edge OF the curtain, tho bright
| point OF a knife blade.
Now. indeed, there was no longer any
doubt. The man who had come to rob was
there to murder me. Had stopped but
another moment on the bed he might have
knitted me.
I What was to do? I had him standing
there behind the curtain at q certain adj
vantage