The Portland daily press., 1891-09-21

But he never had the occasion to do so,
for It was during the night following the
visit of this distinguished guest that I
discovered who was the thief and ar
| rived at the secret of the mystery.
The month was August, the nights
hot and sultry, and less than ever condu-
Give to sleep. / had nothing to do that
evening, and although 1 turned in early
it was with the usual result. The clocks
had just struck 1, and had been in bed
since II without closing my eyes. 1t
was the old story; was accustomed to
it. Suddenly, amid the host of perplex-
ing and often awe inspiring thoughts
whirling through ones brain under these
conditions, remembered that pocket
letter case containing the two 81 Scotch
bank notes. Where was it? had not
seen it for weeks. After restlessly striv-
ing to drive away the desire to get up
and search for it it mastered me, and out
of bed I sprang. For fully an hour I
carried on the quest, but all in vain.
Every conceivable and inconceivable
corner, drawer and pocket was ran
sacked. The key of the escritoire had
been mislaid, so could not examine
that; but knew it contained little else
| than papers.
At length, entirely exhausted, irritat-
ed and fevered, and with the chamber
candle expiring with a sputter, I flung
myself on a couch in the drawing room.
Dawn had not yet broken, but in few
minutes, as I lay there coiled up in my
dressing gown, I unexpectedly fell asleep
"a restless, dreaming sleep, full of fan
tastic, weirdlike, indescribable shapes.
When awoke it was daylight, though
the room was still shadowy and obscure
save in one spot close to the long win
dow, where the Venetian blind was part
| ly raised-the window nearest that dark
corner occupied by the old escritoire.
The head of the couch was toward the
mantelpiece, but almost facing the door
from the landing on the farther side of
the wall.
At the moment opened my eyes with
feeling of relief at having just escaped
some visionary peril, to my amazement
l saw that door slowly open and the
figure of man stealthily entering by it.
1t did not make the faintest sound on its
hinges, nor did he with his footstep-not
so much as the creaking of plank. The
light in that part of the room was far too
dim to allow of my seeing what he 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, I 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 l suppose I 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 I 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 mantelshelf he took
something away and instantly crossed
, back to the window by the escritoire.
He passed the little gap of light so quick
ly into the corner that I still failed to
recognize him. Then I could dimly
make out that he was apparently un-
locking the numbering old piece of furni-
ture, though still without making the
slightest sound.
"Ho, HOP 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 a huddled heap together
he undermost. In the fall struck my
head saveralv AGAINST somathina nrnh-
ably a projecting chair. FdlP the mo-
ment the blow seemed to blind me, but
as we had rolled over into the gap Of
light from the window I had caught sight
of his face, turned up as it was toward
mine, and saw-whose face, think you?
Why, no other than my own-yes, my
very own, as well knew 1t in the look
ing glass.
That one instant of amazement and
CONSERVATION in which as by fash /
made this recognition was followed by
total oblivion of all surroundings. The
face and figure seemed to fade away be-
meath me and to vanish with my con-
seriousness.
How long I 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, l could remember
nothing-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 a
patch of CONCEALED blood on the carpet
plainly visible in the broad food of early
sunlight now streaming beneath the half
raised blind. Had 1 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 I 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
escritoire. 1t was partially open. Some
one had been at it, then; that was clearl
That was no dream, no fancy-scarcely
due to a 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 led to but one idea. Acting on 1t,
pushed the lid full open and with the
rapidity of thought pulled out one draw
er after another, and there in most of
them were deposited lot Of the articles
and objects l had so long missed-there,
in this neglected, useless piece of furni-
turei turned them all out in a confu-
sion worse COMPOUNDED than my thoughts.
But there they were-almost every one
cigar case, silver match box, trinkets,
locket and pocketpook containing the
Scotch bank notes.
Then how on earth had they come to
be in this place? A thief would hardly