Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-10-14

the host of perplexing and even awe
inspiring thoughts whirling through
ones brain under these conditions,
remembered that pocket letter case
containing the two one pound sterling
Scotch bank notes Where was FTP I
had not seen it for weeks After rest
lessly striving to drive away the desire
to get up and get It, 1t mastered me,
and out of bed sprang. For fully an
hour l carried on the quest, but all in
vain. Every conceivable corner, draw
er and pocket was ransacked. The key
of the escritoire had been mislaid, so
could not examine that; but knew it
contained little else but papers.
At length, entirely exhausted, irri-
tated and fevered, and with the cham
Der candle expiring with q sputter,
flung myself on a couch in the drawing
room. Dawn had not yet broken, but
in few minutes, as lay there coiled
up In my dressing gown, I unexpected
ly fell asleep-a restless, dreaming
sleep, full of fantastic, wierdlike. indie
scribable shapes.
When l awoke it was daylight,
though the room was still shadowy and
obscure, save In one spot close to tho
long window, where the Venetian
blind was partially raised-the win
dow nearest that dark corner oc coupled
by the old escritoire. The head of the
couch was toward the mantelpiece, but
almost facing the door from the land
ing on the further side of the wall
At the moment l opened my eyes
with feeling of relief at having just
escaped some visionary peril, to my
amazement 1 saw that door slowly open
and the figure of q man stealthily en-
tering it 1t did not make the faintest
sound on its hinges, nor did he with his
footstep-not so much as the creal1-
ing of a 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 gen
eral looks of the man seemed to be
not altogether unfamiliar, could not
In the least tell who he was The first
impulse, of course, was to SIT up and
call out, but for some inexplicable rea-
son / restrained it-perhaps because
the thought instantly crossed my mind
that here was the thief, and upon that
suppose rapidly concluded to watch,
and pretended to be still sleeping.
However this may be, 1 did not move
as observed him creep noiselessly
across the room to the end of the man
telpiece farthest from that where was
lying. He appeared not to notice me,
and after feeling with his hand for
moment between the edge of the look
ing glass and the wall by the mantel
shelf, he took something away, and in
stantly crossed back to the window by
the escritoire. He passed the little
gap of light so quickly into the dark
corner that still failed to recognize
him. Then could dimly make out that
he was apparently unlocking the lum-
bering piece of old furniture, though
still without making the slightest
sound.
'Hoi ho!'' thought l, my fine fellow,
now I've caught you, have II You
have found the key, and are going to
exercise your calling in that direction,
ehP Well, there's not much that is
worth your attention there; you won't
find that a profitable hunting grOundp'
was not long, you may depend, In
coming to determination. While he
was still fumbliDg at the escritoire I
rose, and, stealing softly up behind
him, suddenly seized him by the back
of his collar. He endeavored to writhe
out of my grasp, but turned him
round SO quickly that we both stag
gered and fell on the floor In huddled
heap together-heu ndermost. In the fall
struck my forehead severely against
something, probably q projecting chair.
For the moment the blow seemed to
blind me; but as we had rolled over
into the gap of light from the window
caught sight of his face, turned up as
1t was toward mine, and saw-whose
face think you? Why; no other than
my own-yes, my very own, as 1 well
knew 1t in the looking-glass.
That one instant Of amazement and
CONSERVATION in which, as by fash,
made this recognition, was followed by
o total oblivion of all surroundings.
The face and figure seemed to fade
away beneath me and to vanish with
my consciousness.
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 remem
Der nothing-how came there or what
had brought me to such pass Only
very slowly did the circumstances re
call themselves. What on earth did
they meanp My forehead was unmis
.akably cut and still bleeding; indeed
there was q patch of CONCEALED blood
on the carpet plainly visible in the
broad food of early sunlight now
streaming In beneath the half-raise6
blind. Had been dreaming2 More
likely I had had At; anyhow, was
so utterly bewildered that 1t was some
time before my thoughts became CO
Bcious for the first time in my life thai
must be seriously i'll or laboring an
der some mysterious mental alteration,
rose from the door and sat down Il
an adjacent chair.
AS my eyes wandered vacantl
around they fell upon the circular to
of the old escritoire. 1t was PARTIAL,
open. Some one had been at 1t; tina
was clear! That was no dream, n
thinl1-at least, not of the sort ha
tremblingly thought of Yes, an
there was the missing key IN the lock
When these facts had been fully brokeI
in upon my cobwebbed brain, they LEI
TO but one idea Acting upon 1t,
pushed the lid full open, and with tn
rapidity Of thought pulled out on
drawer after another, and there, i
most of them, were deposited lot O
the articles and objects had so lon
missed-there, in this neglected. use
less piece of old furniturel turne
them all out in confusion worse cor
founded than my thoughts But Their
they were-almost every one; ciga
case, silver match box, trinkets, locke
} and pocketbook containing the Scotc
bank notes
Then how on earth had they come I