San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-03-31

angry at first, but as the wind lessened
to a breeze, and as the moon seemed to
mollify them, they became frolicsome
without malice, and at length, when the
merest zephyrs impelled their motions,
they gamboled lazily, good humoredly
above and around the couch of Mary Mite.
1t was midnight when man shot into
the open space around the cabin like a
missile. He ran first to the front of the
structure, where tarpaulin curtained
the shed for the night, and gazed for
moment blankly at this indication that
the hour was not one of business. Ire
mendous haste was denoted in his every
step and gesture. He plucked twice at
the canvas as though to pull it down.
Then he sbuTried around to the single
window of Mary's apartment, whose
only door opened into the shed, and
pounded with his knuckles on the i'll
fitted sash, making it chatter loudly. ST.
lence within followed this noise without.
"Hello! Wake up" he cried. Don't
fool for a minute. Wake up"
There was no response, and he skipped
to and fro in his Impotence. He was an
ordinary shoveler and FOUNDER, with
nothing to distinguish him from the mass
of manual laborers at Overlook, but I'M
like the usual man with an errand at the
telegraph station fourished scrap of
paper.
~ want to telegraph" he shouted, and
struck the window again. ''Get up,
quick! It's life and DEATH"
Mary Warriner was convinced that
her services were urgently and properly
required. She peeped warily out to in
spect the man, estimated him to be
merely a messenger, and then opened
wide the sash, which swung laterally on
hinges. Her delicate face bore the same
sort of calm that characterized it dur
ing business hours, but the moon shone
on it now, the hair had got loose from
the bondage of knot and pin, and for an
outer garment she was carelessly en-
wrapped in u white, feecy blanket. The
man did not give her time to inquire
what was wanted.
you're the telegraph girl, amt your"
he exclaimed. well, here's something
to telegraph. It's in a hurry, hurry,
hurry. Don't lose q minute"
81 couldn't send it tonight" Mary
said.
"You must!"
at isn't possible. There is nobody at
the other end Of the line to receive it.
The wire is private-belongs to the rail-
road company-isn't operated except in
the daytime. You'll have to wait until
tomorrow"
Tomorrow I'll be a hundred years
old or else dead" the man almost wall
ed in despair.
What"
II was only ten years old yesterday.
Tonight I'm sixty. To-moTown be too
late. Here-here-send it tonight, miss.
Please send it tonight
The mystified girl mechanically took
the piece of paper which he thrust into
her hands, hut her eyes did not drop be-
fore they discovered the insanity in his
face, and when they did rest on the paper
they saw a scrawl of hieroglyphiCs. 1t
was plain that this midnight visitor was
a 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 a stalwart fell
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 to
have come almost there when he heard
the outcry. Upon seeing the cause Of
the girls fright he dropped all perturba-
ton of his own and treated the incident
as matter of course. The lunatic wob-
bled like a drunken man about to col
lapse as he mumbled his request over
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 os +hay started off--one insist