The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1891-04-18

they saw scrawl of hieroglyphics. II
was plain that this midnight visitor wa<
q maniac. Against Overlook's civil and
sane men Mary had entrenched herself
confidently behind her apathy, but with.
in the round of the clock she had been
beset by agreeable sentiment, by violent
passion and now by irrational delusion.
She screamed for help.
A Waterman responded almost instant
ly to her call. He was q stalwart fel.
low, employed to guard the company's
tools and machinery against mischief at
night. and his patrol, since Mary inhab.
tied the cabin, had brought him very fire..
quently past the place. He CHANGED tc
have come almost there when he heard
the cutlery. Upon seeing the cause OF
the girls fright he dropped all perturba-
ton Of his own and treated the incident
as a matter of course. The lunatic wob.
bled like q drunken man about to col.
lapse as he mumbled his request owe,
and over again. -.
"Here now, Eph," the Waterman said,
with as much Of cajolery as command.
''you mustn't bother the young lady.
Amt you ashamed to scare her this way.
Get right out of this"
The Waterman took the other by the
arm, and as they started oh-one insist
ing, one objecting official looked
back to say. HE won't hurt nobody,
Miss Warmer; he's just little cranky,
that's ALL"
Mary watched them out Of sight, and
while she was doing so Gerald Heath
approached from the contrary direction.
He had heard the girls scream. Why
he was within earshot he might not have
been able to explain satisfactorily, for it
was not his habit to take midnight walks,
even when the air was 80 brightly moon
lit and 40 temporarily fine; but if cross
questioned he would doubtless have
maintained that he had sought only to
escape from the darkness and closeness
Of his shanty quarters. Besides, where
would he 30 likely wander in quest of
good sight and breath as to the spot
whence he could view the scenery which
he in vain asked the railway company to
exhibit to their passengers. As he turned
the corner of the cabin he saw Eph and
the Waterman departing, and compre-
hended the disturbance.
"Eph has been frightening you, Miss
Warmer" he said.
Mary screamed again, but this time it
was a low, musical little outcry of mod
esty. She had not observed Geralds APP
proach. She clutched the blanket closely
around her white throat. which had been
almost as much exposed as by an ordi-
nary cut Of frock, and drew under cover
the cleaning wrists which had all day
been barred to a greater extent by sleeves
of handy working length. Then she
reached out one taper arm and swung
tho sash around on its hinges, SO its
inner covering Of muslin made a screen
between her and the visitor. He did not
apologize for his intrusion, and she
pouted little, ON her safe side Of the
sash, at his failure to do SO.
II see it was Eph that alarmed you,
he said. "What did he do?"
She told him, and then asked, "Who
is he, and what ails llim?'
''Hs is q common laborer with an un
common affection" was the reply. "One
day an excavation caved in and for ar
hour he was buried. Some timbcrs made
little space around his head, but thu
rest of him was packed in earth. HI
had brcathed the inclosed air two o.
three times over, and was almost suffo
Gated when we got him out. He wa
i1,sensible. He never came back to hi
eenses. He believes he is living at the
rate Of more than q year every hour.
That il why he was in such hurry with
his imaginary message"
''Poor fellow" came from the diverse
side of the sash.
Eyes, poor fellow" the narrator as
sented. II understood his hallucination
at once. When man is suddenly placed
in mortal peril his past life dashes before
him. Half drowned men afterward tell Of
reviewing in minute the events of years.
It is curious mental phenomenon. Well
this poor chap had that familiar expert
ence, but with a singular sequence. The
impression that all his lifetime before the
accident happened in a brief time has re-
manned in his disordered mind. He be-
lieves that his whole earthly existence il
condensed-thatf future years as we'll a.
his past ones are compressed into days
and his days into minutes. Nothing Car
disabuse him Of this idea. Everything i:
to him cphencral. That's why namei
him Eph-short for cphemeral, you see
He doesn't remember his real name, anf
on the roll he had only number. HI
has done his work well enough unit
within few days, but now his malady
seems to have turned to the worst. H,
has talked wildly of getting some physi
clans to check the speed of time will
| him md IL may have been that he ,uiShaf