The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-07


ored stuff, after fashion which USED 70 DC
in vogue for dining rooms "hea was
boy. As | was passing the house, the cur
tain nearer me was dawn aside ana lace
peered out-such & face as frightens a
child in what are called its bad dreams "
Describe it, Mr.. Love-" said Attorney
Lang.
Il cannot" said the witness, puttlngou
both hands in a gesture OF repulslon thA'
was strangely energetic in man securing
Il so placid and unden-onstratlye; IL was
more of a mask than face Not one Vi
these grotesque masks. you uncersIanu'
but one of utter vacuity-a olshA' an
emptiness, a soulless nothing lie eyes
were big, wide open with the whlIe SNOW"
ing all around the pupil between the nAed
lids; the cheeks pale and faooy, tne nose
line, and the mouth half open, with the
lower lip dropping"
Here strange thing happened, for wh1le
the prisoner described the face his own to0A
on that Of the creature ne was deIlneating,
until in the place Of the llCtie old gentle
man of seml-clerical aspect there appeared
the doddling head OF a moving ldlot. Inc
red handkerchief had been snatched up
from where it lay smoothly folded over on
his knee and was now grasped IN Dotn
hands like 4 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 a garment--hke
dressing gown. After l lad moved on
few PAGES | turned round, for so strau
was the impression produced on me that !
can Eken 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 portrait done in oil painting al
ways seem to be, no 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 l managed to dismiss 1t with the
resolution that it undoubtedly belonged
to some poor, unfortunate being, whose
friends preferred to 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, found myself stupidity excited and
nervous as l drew near the house next
morning. Wen, sir-I mean your honor
the fellow must have been watching for
me, for as l came opposite the windows
again 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 a nasty smile in them and that
the dropping lower lip was shot out in a
grimace of contempt. had a stout walk
ing cane in my hand,' said the witness,
jumping up, "and l threatened the fellow
with it in this way" Here he shook out
the red silk handkerchief and waved it
rapidly toward the jury box as though it
were danger signal.
Control yourself, Mr. Love-" said he,
"and tell your story as calmly as possible"
Il will, your honor" he replied, with
meekness and an instant change of de-
meanor, although it was noted that great
beads of perspiration had broken out on
his forehead, and that, now and then, these
merged themselves one in the other and
then ran trickling down his face like an
Overcharged raindrop on a 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. 1t was a useless pre-
caution, however, for what had been day
horror now became nightmare. For the
first time in my life l 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,
meaningless face was with me in a hun
bred fantastic and distressing shapes, and
felt that | could have strangled the beast
of a possessor had he come within my
grasp"
The little mars voice rose into a screech,
the dull blue eyes flashed like a moving
mirror, and his chest heaved, while he
twisted the red silk handkerchief into a
scarlet rope.
"On the morning of the third sleepless
night" he went on, sinking his voice into
a hoarse " lisper, 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 determind to put an
end to it all. l took out a razor, threw
back my collar in this way, and was going
TO cut my throat, when the idea entered
my head that | would first 20 and squeeze
the life out Of my tOrmenting devil, and
then come back md make way with myself
Dressing hurnedly ran downstairs and
into the street. l was in front OF No S63
like a flash of double CREASED lightning.
Quick as | was the mOnstrous villain was
just as quick. Back went the curtains, as
| though jerked 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
hooking me now-mocking my misery,
hooking poor cid ME, who had been
cursed by it for 100000 years. l 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 n one, two, three, was in
the house, and with four, five, six, was
| squeezing his damned windplpe-like this"
Look out, judger' yelled Mr.. Lang.
/ while cry OF horror rose from the people.
/ The judge had been gently swinging
| himself around in quarter circle on his
! chair, looking keenly now at the curious
witness and now inquiringly at the prose-
! cutting attorney. As he swung around the
| last time the prisoner Ieaped out from his
| place, as though moved by a steel spring.
and flung himself upon the Judge like
| cat. The shock threw the Judge out OF the
| chair, and both went down together. There
were snarls and screams from behind the
| desk, and when the bailif lesPed IN the pris-
! oner had wound the red silk handkerchief
around the judges neck and was tugg:ng
at il like demon. A dozen other rescuers
were on hand the next minute, b1t 1t took
nearly the whole of their misdirected
strength to tear away the shrieking. froth-
ing maniac and carry him down stairs TO
| the safer accommodation Of the ''tanks-"-