St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-27

| hlgH Tile tlcklng IN the wall, which, he
said, means DEATH
THAT isan English superstition, toe,
/ said.
"Bah" said tie innkeener, with con-
centrated scorn; these are not times for
such foolish superstitions. Monsieur
has no such foolish fancies?'
II laughed. All! monsieur is brave
Look; the Austrian's room is that very
room monsieur wished to have when he
| first came. 1t looks out upon the gla-
cler, and is, perhaps, my best room.
Monsieur thought he would prefer one
| less expensive, on the floor above. Mon
sieur remembers? Well, courage de.
serves to be rewarded. Monsieur shall
nave the room for the same price as the
| one he has now"
| II thanked my friend the landlor'. Ii
was certainly room l had coyeted
| The view was superb; il was nearer
| the dining and smoking room; in every
way great Improvement ON the one |
was occupying.
"'Can have it at once? [ asked.
| "'Oh, certainly! OF course monsieur
| Knows the landlord went on slowly
and looking a little doubtfully at me,
| that it is the room next to the sick
room, where that sacre old man is lying
illr
Il laughed. and 1 thinl the ex res
| sion ofmy face treasured the Ia ..o.>.
as to my being completely j different 10
such matters, for lie went Oh:
Monsieur is mani enfin-a man
The room is ready and at your dis
posal.o
HE was going away. but came back
quickly. Only monsieur Will p ri, II
me tor reminding hinl that Ill, doctor
has ordered that no NOISE shall be made
near the sick room. lie says the old
mans life depends OH his sleeping quiz
city. 1t would be be ter, perhaps, not
to move monsieur's hg,age down Iul
the evening""
''Of course [ assented; but e. NC de.
sirous of seeing my new and much-coY-
eted possession, and feeling s1lrc ut iy
ability to enter it wi hOut making aEV
noise, went up stairs. Fquietly stole
down the corridor ana Ell. e cd the room
without possibility of my having been
heard. 1t was a large. bright, cheerful
apartment, in the older part of the
hotel. 1t was wainscoted, with oak pan
els. The window was large, and, as |
have mentioned before, commanded
one of the most exquisite views to be
found in Switzerland.
Il looked round the room with sense
of satisfaction. | have told you | am
L
not less so of inanimate objects. / have
an eye in such matters a detective
might envy. / soon saw a mark, or cut,
in the wainScoting on one side of the
room. 1t was so small that | believe
many men might have passed days i'll
the room without noticing it. | ain an
inquiSitive man and [ at once
went to it and examined it. 1t
was chink in the wood; l stopped and
looked through. The whole of the in
terror of the sick room was visible.
Three silent figures were the occupants.
On the bed lay the old man sleeping;
his gray hairs on the pillow; at the side
Knelt i'll prayer, his blind daughter; be-
the wife. She alone seemed living.
She was drawing stealthily-a small
round table laden with jugs and med
icine bottles across the floor.
AT first Ibid not realize what she
was doing. knew she had every mo-
tive to be silent in her movements. But
/ caught sight of her face, 1t was the
face of a devil! Never were eyes so
hideously expressive of murderous
hatel In flash understood it all.
"She WAS moving the table to a po-
SitiOn such that the slightest movement
of the kneeiing figure of the blind
udus ntols pray illS lOI uoI ldINerS lie,
would hurl it and its fragile burden TO
the ground!
Il dare say you think l am a callous
sort of fellow, but ! assure you 1 was
horror-struck. l would have given
worlds to warn the poor child, but knew
not how. To have called out would
have been as fatal as the catastrophe
itself.
81 felt tupefed-paralyzed The end
came before my swimming brain could
find any way to help. The poor girl
rose, her hands still clasped. | saw the
table IRELAND as |, sick with horror,
withdrew my eyes. heard the crash,
following by piercing shriek-"
Menken paused. ''Give me the Whis-
ky, old chap! Thanks"
ibid he die?" l asked.
HE was as dead as if you had fired a
pistol through his brain,'' said Menken,
quietly.
After pause he went on: 81 slipped
out of the room before the hubbub be-
gan. No one ever knew l had been in
it. had, however, to sleep in it that
night; and though you know am not
superstitious fellow at all, | assure you
it was very uncomfortable night. |
kept starting out of my sleep, thinking
l heard the crash and scream next door.
1t look me nearly week to get over
it."
We smoked in silence for some min
utes.
II wonder what became of that wom-
amp l said.
'Oh. she married again. The daughter
died about year after this happened,
l believe
How did you find out?' l asked,
little surprised.
"Well, it was rather curious. went
to stay down in Devonshire last summer
in country house. The first person |
saw was our ingenious friend, the MUIR
deress, quite cheerful and jolly. l took
her in to dinner"
Somehow don't like Menken, but he
never bores me.