Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-09-19

storm, OF the suffocating heat, or of the
wine had drank, / felt strange melan-
choly-1 could not breathe comfortably.
| was about to set c1t for home how
ever, for it was late and my house was at
some distance, but they insisted that |
should stay 1t would be foolish to expose
myself TO such a tempest when was not
feeling well. The mother begged me with
such a good grace that l felt forced to r.
main and pass the night in the hospitable
house
They tremendously conducted me to nv
room and there wished me good night
even remember little Lizzie having fallen
asleep in her fathers arms. | kissed her
little cheek, paled by Sleep and her dimpled
little arms.
Left alone, | began to undress slowly
and wander about the room, as one always
does when one sleeps in a strange place.
felt as if | should smother in the close at
mosphere of the room. Before getting into
bed l wanted to inhale d little of the out
side air, and in spite OF the roaring of tine
storm | tried to open the window. 1t was
false one.
well, WELL" exclaimed, little sur
prised.
l thought l would remove the chimney
screen; it was a false chimney. | rushed
to the door-it was locked. Fear seized
me, and holding my breath / listened The
house was quiet; all seemed 10 be asleep.
Then | inspected the room carefully,
straining my ears for the least sound On
the floor, near the bed, / noticed spots:
they were blood-dried and blackened
blood. l shUddered, and a cold sweat stood
out on my forehead.
Blood! Why should there be blood theres
And l saw thata whole sea of blood must
-, Ill, g.
around the hard wooden floor had been
freshly scrubbed and scraped. Under the
bed | had seen man stretched ont, mo-
tionless as an overturned statue. With
trembling hands | touched the man. He
did not move. With trembling hands |
seized the man by the feet and drew him
forth-he was dead. His neck had been
clearly cut, as with one stroke of the razor,
and the head held to the trunk only by a
slender ligament.
l thought | should go mad. But some
thing must be done-the assassin might
come at any moment. l raised the body
to place it on the bed. | made a false step
and the head turned over, swung to and
fro for a moment like a pendulum, and
then, detached from the trunk, fell on the
floor with d dull sound.
With great difficulty introduced the de-
capitated trunk between the sheets |
picked up the head and placed it on the
pillow, like that of sleeping man. and
having blown out the candle slipped I'M
der the bed.
| did all this mechanically, without
thought of defense or safety. 1t was in
stinct that prompted me, not iutelli gence
or reflection. My teeth chartered My
| hands were wet with thick moisture. I
felt as if l had gone to bed in a charnel
house.
/ remained there in that awful fear for
minutes, hours, months, Years, centuries
do not know how long. / lost all idea Of
time and place. All was silent. From
without the noise Of the storm and the
| whistling OF the wind came to me softened
and sad, ike means.
l could picture 10 myself the assassin
who WAS coming-who was there, perhaps
In that state of horror | could see only lit
| tie Lizzie, fair, rosy and frank, with her
dol and her great hat. / could see her
| sleeping in her fathers arms. Now and
| then she lightly raised her eyelids and dis
| closed her eyes, which seemed TO me to be
bold, inplacable, cruel, murderous.
The door opened, but as softly As the
| scratching of a mouse / bit my lips till
| the blood came to keep from crying out
! Now Il man stepped in with a gliding
| tread, with infinite precautions to avoid
touching the furniture 1t seemed to me
| as if could see the cruel, clutching fingers
| gliding over my clothes, searching my
| pockets. Then the steps came nearer
seemed to Craze me. l felt that the man
was bending over the bed; that he struck
| one fierce blow Then l knew nothing
| more.
When l recovered consciousness the room
| had become silent again. But fright held
| me nailed TO the spot. At length | decided
to escape-with what caution you may i'm
| agine. On tiptoe / gained the door, which
| had not been closed. Not a sound, not a
breath. Feeling my way passed into the
! hall. waited to see head thrust sud
denly from out the shadows, Il knife CLEAN
! in the dark. But no; the brute glutted
! with crime, slept without reInorse. / de
| scended the stairs, drew tine bolt of the
door, and half fdnting, with the blood
| frozen in my veins, fell into the gutter of
| the deserted street.
DR.. Bertram has listened to my recital
| with the deepest interest.
And there l found you, Mr.. Furniss-
and in what ii state! Could you recognize
the house,"
YES l replied; but to what ends'
"Wcll, let me cure you, and then we will
| 60 together to the house of these assas-
sins"
Eight days later the doctor and stood in
Lower Abbey street. ! recognized the ter
rible house. All the blinds were drawn.
In front Of the door placard was placed,
bearing the words, ITO Lett
inquired of the former residents from
n neighbor.
''Tneg have been gone month and
more" she replied. Its great pity, for
they We're very nice people, Brook lyn
| Citizen.
| Slang in Stories.
Though many dialect stories may have
been OF use, as preserving to the student of