San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-09-29

dim TO allow of my seeing what ne was
like. His face was slightly averted also,
and, except that the general look of the
man seemed to be not altogether I'M
familiar, could not in the least tell who
he was. The first impulse of course was
to sit up and call out, but for some mex
plicable reason | restrained it; perhaps
because the thought instantly crossed
my mind that here was the thief, and
upon that suppose l rapidly con-
cluded to watch him and pretend to be
still sleeping.
However this may be, did not move
as observed him creep noiselessly across
the room to the end of the mantelpiece
farthest from that where | was lying.
He appeared not to notice me, and after
feeling with his hand for moment be-
tween the edge of the looking glass and
the wall by the mautelshelf he took
something away and instantly crossed
back to the window by the escritoire.
He passed the little gap of light so quick
~ into the corner that | still failed to
recognize him. Then ! could dimly
make out that he was apparently IN
locking the numbering old piece of furni-
ture, though still without making the
slightest sound.
'Ho, HOT thought |, my fine fellow,
now I've caught you, have |? You have
found the key and are going to exercise
your calling in that direction. Ell? Well,
there's not much that is worth your at
tention there; you won't find that prof
liable hunting ground"
| was not long, you may depend, on
coming To a determination. While he
was still fumbling at the escretoire !
rose, and, stealing softly up behind him,
suddenly seized him by the back of the
collar. He endeavored to writhe out of
my grasp, but turned him around so
quickly that we both staggered and fell
on the floor in huddled heap together
he undermost. In the fall struck my
head severely against something, prob
ably projecting chair For the mo-
ment the blow seemed to blind me- but
as we had rolled over into the gap of
light from the window had caught sight
VI ms l'tS-' III lICL u u IL w cio lONdLJ
mine. and saw-whose face, think you?
Why, no other than my own-yes, my
very own, as | well knew it in the look.
ing glass,
That one instant of amazement and
CONSERVATION in which as by a flash |
made this recognition was followed by a
total oblivion of all surroundings. The
face and figure seemed to fade away be-
heath me and to vanish with my con-
sciOusness.
How long | lay PROSTATE, face down
ward, on the floor, know not; but in
that position | found myself when my
bewildered senses slowly returned. For
awhile, of course, could remember
nothiug-how came there or what had
brought me to such pass. Only very
slowly did the circumstances recall
themselves, What on earth did they
mean: My forehead was Enthusiastically
cut and still bleeding; indeed, there is
patch Of CONCEALED blood on the carpet
plainly visible in the broad food of early
sunlight now streaming beneath the half
raised blind. Had | been dreaming?
More than likely | had had fit; any
how, was SO utterly bewildered that it
was some time before my thoughts be-
came coherent. Then, alarmed and fully
conscious for the first time in my life
that must be seriously i'll or laboring
under some mysterious mental aberra-'
ton. rose from the floor and sat down
in an adjacent chair.
As my eyes wandered vaCantly around
they fell upon the circular top Of the old
escrtoire. 1t was partially open. Some
one had been at it, then; that was clear!
That was 10 dream, no fancy-sCarcely
due to fit, one would think-at least
not Of the sort had tremblingly thought
of. Yes, and there was the missing key
in the lock. When these facts had fully
broken in upon my cobwebbed brain
they lei to but one idea. Acting on it,
pushed the lid full open and with the
rapidity Of thought pulled out one draw
er after another, and there in most of
them We're deposited lot of the articles
and objects had SO long missed-therC,
III this neglected, useless piece OF furmi-
ture, | turned them all out in COnfu-
sion worse confounded than my thoughts
But there they were-almost every one
cigar case, silver match box, trinkets,
.ocket and pocketpook containing the
Scotch bank notes.
Then how on earth had they come to
be in this place? A thief would hardly
have stolen them to conceal them thus in
my own apartments, unless-unless-
and then, very reluctantly, slowly, and
at first but vaguely, did | arrive at the
onclusion-unless the thief was myself!
Tar;l,r t;,;e ,,-oS an olor,nirr ~ Cr1,,Dnsi-