Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-08-13

The next moment I lay on nv
back, a gag in my mouth, terribly
frightened and sick at heart Over
me stood thepoliceman and the first
thing that flnctionary did was-look-
ing me straight in the face-to take
off his nose. He then rid himself of
his eyebrows, hair and cap, and be-
came a determined looking fellow,
with the eyes OF a fiend and the nose
of a Roman.
$50 you think" said the metamor-
phosed, in the tones of a gentleman,
chat nothing can save Joe Johnson
from the rope? Poor fellow! 1t does
look like it! But my dear professor,
Joe johnson is fortunate enough to
have in mea devoted friend as we'll as
brother. | have undertaken to save
him, and he shall be saved. In order
to accomplish this end it will be nee
essary to remove from the face ofthe
earth not only the stomach of his
miserable wife yonder, but also, my
dear protessor-I am sorry to be OBJ
liged to say it, for l believe you were
my brothers teacher and friend
yourself as WELL" saw that he was
in deadly earnest.
S7our death must apparently re-
suit from ACCIDENTAL least so it
must seem to the authorities. My
brother is in jail and they will not
suspect him, and they certainly will
not suspect me-"
What terrible deed was in this
brain hatching-was he going to
murder me? Was it myself who was
to hang, instead of Johnson?
No; yes. He placed the line pull
ley like over an arm of a hanging
chandelier. This was altogether to
slight a support even for one
of my tender frame. 1t was not to
be hanging, then. Under the weight
on the floor he placed a can of nitro
glycerine; l recognized the yellow
string; it was a fuse, and it would
burn in sixty minutes. 1t would run
across the marble slab; there was no
hope Of igniting any substance that
would warn my friends.
"Do you begin to see through it,"
asked Joe Johnson's brother.
believe Icursed him with myseyes.
[ could only breathe through my
nostrils, and great veins were swell
ing and growing hot in my forehead.
Drawing match from his pocket he
lighted and applied it to the fuse;
that little tyrant that gave a man
an hour to live, to kill him at the
end of it-that little irresponsible
terror that, less merciful than Provi-
dence, told the man the second he
was to die, if fright and horror SPAR
ed him to himself. Slowly the flames
crept snake like around the Irvine.
In one hour" said the prisoners
brother, "you will be in heaven or
hell. will watch with you for half
an hour, and the other half you will
spend alone.'
He sat down some minutes in a
chair watching the flame. Then he
arose and took piece of porcelain,
with the murderer's name thereon,
from the table. and shook his head
gloomily.
lam chemist enough to know it is
arsenic" he said. Eyes. those bright
metallic eyes, a betrayal of the
guilty! Science, thou wouldst kill
my brother-thou shalt save him.
Let me see in whose hands thou art
the most powerful
The half hour wore slowly away.
Oh, heavens! What agony did l suf-
fer! Notfor myself, but for my child.
The fuse burned on-on. The half
hour is up. The brother OF the muir
derer rises to go. Joy.
Commit your soul to Gods keep.
ing" he said. "You hold the evil
dence of my brothers guilt-noth-
ing can save you now"
With that he turned to take his
hat from off the table covered with
the crimson cloth beneath which hid
my priceless boy. Something at
tracted his attention. He held out
his hands and reached forward. I
though he bad discovered my boy.
No: he was lifting something in either
hand-the wires of the electric bat
terry In another instant my boy
had leaped from under the table,
and was turning the crank fast and
furiously.
The murderers brother was in the
power of my boy. He could not
drop the wires; ne was helpless. How
my boy cried for help! The old college
rang with his voice. The prisoners
brother added his voice to my boys
in his agony. In an instant a great
length burned away. 1t would just
last five minutes and no more.
'Father!'' shouted my boy, ''if no
assistance comes this villain must
die with us. | dare not free him.
Help! help! helpY'
Alas! / could not answer him.
Thank God! But some one else did.
The fuse is burned up. The door is
on fire-the nitro glycerine! The
door opens. Tom Richards, on a mid
night visit to the sick, has heard the
cry; he comprehends all; seizes the
can in his hand, the weight descends
I Z ! n = Il I