Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-05-14


her eye and he sank back into his seat
Then she drew chair near to his and
between him and the door.
''You resemble him strongly" said
she. "The same noble features, the
same soulful eyes, the same pallor, in
dicative of the same sad fate. Are you a
genius? Do you write poems of the soul
as he did?''
Drane groaned.
81 knew it," she went on. stLisfen.
We were destined for each other. There
was small matter of property depend
ing upon our union-but never mind.
He seemed to avoid mo at first, but at
length fate threw us together. Return
ing to his room one morning very early
he endeavored to enter the old-fash-
iOned clock at tho head Of the first flight
of stairs under the impression that it
was the door of his apartment. 1t was
the Observation-Disclosures of genius. All,
we'll! he and the clock fell down the
stairs locked in each others arms, and
when they picked him up one of his
limbs was broken. | came to nurse him.
For seven long weeks / was his con-
slant, his only companion. l read to
him, l talked to him-and then-and
then"
HE died?'
'No; he became a hopeless lunatic.
/ have never loved since then; but now
your face brings it all back to me. Ex-
cuse the outburst of my feelings"
She laid her head on his shoulder,
and cried into his collar. Drane could
feel his hair begin to turn gray but he
shut his teeth together with resolution.
The other fellow had stood it seven
weeks before he went out of his head,
and Drane believed that he could last
till jenkins came.
In fact he did; but it was a close
shave. Jenkins was tall and greedy
man, with hollow cheeks and a cheer
less smile. At his appearance the
woman with romance in her life
vanished In charge of her companion,
who proved to be the matron of the
house. Jenkins did not care to question
the new conner. He was satisfied that
all charges would be promptly paid, and
he at once escorted Drane to an apart
ment on the third floor. Here the un-
and tea, which, however, did not Who'll
ly sustain him against the horrors of
the night.
Jenkins made a casual inspection of
Drane's pockets before leaving the
room.
"You will excuse this formality,p said
he, ''but the man who occupied this
room before you brought in piece of
rope with which he hanged himself over
the headboard of the bed before morn
ing. We have had many cases of the
kind. Good night"
This was a cheerful subject of refiec-
tion to take to bed with one, and it was
still more consoling to hear the key
turned on the outside of the door
81 believe that / shall actually GO
crazy before morning." said Drane rs
he stretched himself upon the bed. 1t
was insufferably hot. The windows were
carefully barred and screened In way
which not only prevented the suicidal
egress of Jenkins boarders but denied
ingress to an adequate supply of the
::.aAa air of Heaven. After making this
discovery Drane returned to as - I'd,
Where he was soeR dreaming that the
dangling heels of his unhappy pre-
decessor were still knocking against the
headboard
From this nightmare he awoke
with a shi yer of horror He sat up and
listened. There was certainly strange
noise in the heavy air. Sometimes it
was like subdued voices; then 1t was
signing; and again it was a gurgling
groan- For some minutes Drane could
not summon up the resolution to in
gestigate, but at length he arcDe, and
quaking with horror he endcayored
70 trace the disquieting sonnd to its
source.
1t led him TO door which apparently
separated him from the next apartment.
What CHASTITY mystery lay behind it?
He hardly dared to think. He listened,
and the gurgling sighs made themselves
piainiF audible. Doubtless some un-
fortunate was leaving tLe Retreat by
the method Jenkins had described, and
bad failed to arrange his noosein an en-
tirely satisfactory manner. For what