The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-21
the furniture.


curled on a mat beneath the table. The
arch of his back was toward me, and one
forepaw Law over his nose in a natural post
ure of sleep. leaned back on the wains
coting. with nv eyes tightly fixed on him
and my thoughts flying back, with some
thing of regret, to the storm had come
through.
But a mans habits are noteasily denied
At the end Of three minutes the dog had
not moved, and / was down on the door
mat unlacing nv soaked boots Slipping
them OF and Is king them in my left hand
stood up ana tried to step toward the
stairs. with eyes alert for any movement oil
the mastiff; but he never stirred.
was glad enough, however, on reaching
the stairs to find them newly built and
the carpet thick. Up went, with glance
at every step for the table which now hid
| the brute's form from me, and never a
creak did wake out of that staircase till
/ was almost at the first landing, when my
| toe caught a loose stair rod and ratified it
! in way that stopped my heart, and then
set it going in double quick time.
l stood still, with = hand on the rail
Ny eyes were now ON level with the floor
of the landing, out of which branched two
passages-one by my right hand, the other
to the left-at the foot of the next flight,
so placed that | was gazing down the
length of it. And almost at the end there
fell parallelogram OF light across it from
an open door.
A man who has once felt it knows there
is only one kind of silence that can be fifty
called dead" This is only TO be found in
a great house at midnight For few sec
onds after ratified the stair rod you might
have cut the silence with a knife. If the
house held a clock it licked inaudibly.
Upon this silence, at the end of a min
ute, broke a light soUnd-the clink, clink
OF decanter on the rim of wine glass
1t came from the room where the light
was
Now perhaps it was the very thought of
liquor put warmth into my cold bones. 1t
is certain that all of a sudden Istraightened
my ba ok, took the remaining stairs at two
strides, and walked down the passage as
bold rs brass, without caring jot for the
noise / made.
In the doorway halted. The room was
long, lined for the most part with books
bound in what they call divinity calf'
and Uttered with papers like a barrister's
table on assize day. Before the fireplace,
where few Goals burned sulkily, was
drawn a leathern elbow chair, ana beside
il, on the corner of a writing taIJe, were
set an unlit candle and a pile of manu-
scripts. At the opposite end of the room
curtained door led las l guessed) to the
chamber that ] had first seen illuminated.
All this took in with the tail of my eye
while staring straight in front, where, in
the middle of great square of carpet be-
tween me and the window, was table
with a red cloth upon it. On this cloth
were a couple of wax candles lighted, in
sil Eer stands, a tray and a decanter of
bra udy.
And between me and the table stood a
man.
He TODD sideways, leaning little back,
as if to keep his shadow off the threshold,
and lool Ted at me over his left shoulder
a bald, z -ave man, slightly unrler the COM
mon height, with a long clerical coat of
prepostero us fit hanging loosely from his
shoulder, a white cravat, black breeches
and black stockings. His feet were loosely
thrust into carpet slippers. l judged his
age at fifty or thereabouts, but his face
rested in the shadow, and l could only note
a pair of eyes, very small and alert. twin
king above a large expanse of cheek.
He was lifting a wine glass from the
table at the moment when / appeared, and
it trembled now in his right hand. 1
heard a split drop or two fall on the car
pet, and this was all the evidence he
showed of discomposure.
Setting the glass back, he felt in his
breast pocket for HAND kerchief, failed to
find one, and rubbed his hands together to
get the liquor off his fingers.
"You startled me,~ he said in a matter
of fact tone, turning his eyes upon me, as
he lifted his glass again and emptied it.
How did you ind your way in2"
"By the front door," said j, wondering
at his unconcern.
He nodded his head slowly.
"Ahl forgot to lock it. You came to
steal, supposed"
~ came because I'd lost my way. I've
been travelling this God forsaken moor
since dusk"-
with your boots in your hand'" he put
In quietly.
81 took them off out of respect to the
yellow dog you keep"
"He lies in natural attitude, eh?"
"You don't tell me he was stUffedr'
The old mans eyes beamed with con-
pity.
You are indifferently sharp, my dear
sir, for housebreaker. Come in. Set
down those convicting boots, and don't
drip pools of water in the very doorway, of
all places. If / must entertain burglar l
prefer him tidy"
He walked TO the fire, picked up poker
and knocked the Goals into blaze This
done he turned round on me, with the
poker still in his hand. The serenest gray
ity sat on his large, hale features.
"Why have done this?" heasked.
"Isuppose to get possession of the poker"
"Quite right. May inquire your next |
move?"
Why" said l, feeling in my pocket. Il
carry pistol"
Which ] suppose TO be damp"
by no means. l carry it, as you see, in |
an ollCloth case"
He stopped and laid the poker carefully |
in the fender.
That is stronger card than possess. |
might urge that by pulling the trigger |
you would certainly alarm the house and |
the neigh borhood and put a halter around |
your neck. l say / might urge this, and |
assume you to be an intelligent auditor. |
But 1t strikes me as safer TO assume you /
capable of using a pistol with effect at |
three PAGES. With what might happen /
subsequently I viii not pretend 70 be con- |
cerned. 1t is sufficient that dislike the |
notion of being perforated. The fate OF your |
neck he waved hand. We'll, have |
known you for just five minutes, and feel |
but moderate interest in your neck. AS /
for the inmates Of this house, it will re- /
fresh you TO hear that there are none. l |
have lived here two years with butler |
and female cook. both of whom dismissed /
yesterday at minutes notice for conduct |
which will not shock your ears by ex- /