Evening journal., 1891-08-13

mad sast KIN nas saSsrs Bshning mas. What
ever fhs Gauss sf his doliberatioz Il wa
naddening. an0@aurabls.
Finally tore ePen the garrnaMt ever my
koarf and said
why doAit yea kin ma. n you wish 10
and have dsns vita itP'
With a half suppressed yell Of amaze
ment the man dropped his knife ane
sprang from nay hsdsida straight eui
through tho window.
Ny desperation had terrified Hy Tartar
friend into the belief that be had attempted
the life Of some deraon.
had hailed the drst sight Of the weapon
| with sort of fierce joy; It WINS a probable
| avenue OF escape from the miseries of unre
| Quilted vengeance.
But the grotesque performance whics
had been the result of any impatient words
aroused my mirth
For long time lay there, fairly shak
ing with grim laughter.
When this mood changed / sank into g
troubled sleep.
It was full Of dreamed plans Of retribu
tion on many persons for multitudinous
ofenses, but they all ended like my recem
reality-in the death Of an overjaded horse
at the supreme moment.
At length / was awakened by a sound
within my rodm. The moon was now So
far TO the westward that its beams fell
across the open trap above the ladder by
which had climed to my loft. And com
ing up, and half way through the floor,
saw the body OF another nocturnal visitor.
His face was Ia the shadow, but his
bulky figure satisfied me that it was my
host
In another minute be had completed the
ascent and was In my room, crouching on
the floor, his face in my direction.
Without arising, he finally started toward
me, creeping on all fours.
As he advanced / saw dangling from his
loose robes small, short handled ax-des
tined no doubt to make an immediate
plunge into my skull
This thought sent another fierce tide O.
desperation surging through me. Th,
sting and ehagrin of thwarted life pur
pose was likely to end that night after all
One resolution I made swiftly. This man
should not be interrupted by word on
mine. The silence should not be broken
by me-my experience with the Other
would-be assassin having ut least taught
me wisdom in that respect
Assassinl
The word startled me.
Would l not also have been an assassin
could my will have prevailed?
Most assuredly, now l came to think on
IL.
True, the man had SO long hunted, dc
termined to slay him, had imbued his
hands with the blood of my dear ones, ana
had even done them worse harm; but who
had appointed me administrator OF venge
ance, giving me power over life and death
and the right to answer crime with crimes
With this first true oOnfrontal of my
real position came an entire revulsion OF
feeling.
was glad, now-honestly, heartily glac
that my long cherished violent purpos.
had ended fruitlessly. The morrow-if til,
morrow ever came-shOuld witness for mt
return to worthier things than man hunt
ing. And with this feeling came another
which I had not experienced before in
months-an intense desire for life
This brought me to a recollection Of my
immediate surroundings, 5Md l cast an
other glance in the direction of my secono
visitor.
He was still cautiously approaching me. |
When directly before my bed, he sur |
pTised me by seemingly passing under it |
instead of arising to finish me with his ak
as had expected.
A minute passed, and another. Still |
there was no further sign nor sound Of |
him.
What did it meanS Was he waiting & |
enjoy hand to hand tussle with me whel
l awokei Or was he, Tartarlilxe, bsRt OF
getting double pleasure out Of his foul pur
pose-first by anticipation, then by reality
The suspense was maddening.
Soon 1 could bear it no longer.
Pulling myself together for a mighty ef
fort, sprang from my bed to she window
and plunged through it to the ground be
low.
A dense thicket was close at hand. ano
into this instantly betOok myself.
Scarcely was / out Of sight when the facs
of my host appeared at the window whenc,
l had escaped.
The evil working Of his dark features
which the moonlight plainly revealed, left
little doubt in my mind as to what my fats
would have been had l tarried in tina
dingy loft much longer.
Fortunately, had flung myself upoH my
bed with my clothes on, and so, with the
exception Of my hat and my saddle bags
was none the poorer tor my sudden flight
Whether my disappointed host attempted
to follow me have never learned. Any
way, he failed to overtake me, and long be
fore noon / was safe at Utch-glad, rather
than otherwise, of the trying circumstances
| which had taken murder out of my heart
Lew Vanderpoole in Buffalo Express.