The Princeton union., 1891-12-03

seen the shadow pantomime before
the same tragedy was being enacted
This time had arrived a little later
in the progress Of the scene, for all /
saw was the failing woman and the
withdrawn dagger in the hand OF her
companion. The man stopped as be-
fore, toward his victim and waited
to see him rise in hopes OF obtaining
some assurance that what / had seen
was real. saw nothing further. If
the shadoWy slayer had stopped to a
real victim he must have risen in such
a spot that his figure wasnot brought
again before the light and the curtain.
Filled with forebodings of new illness
| awoke Moss and told my vision.
We went to the window, looked to-
ward the lodging house and saw only
the faint gleam of unlighted panes.
Moss gave me an opiate and next
| morning the doctor had me removed
to the country.
l remained out of town all Summer,
boating and fishing. For three
months went to bed tired every night,
and slept ten hours. Then / took a
long voyage, and arrived back in
about the middle of September, more
robust than I'had ever been before.
| Moss and I laughed at the old halluci-
| nation, and the doctor rallied me con-
| siderably upon my detective spirit of
the Winter before. On the first night
in my lodgings forgot the fateful win
dow, and slept without disturbance.
The next night, however, came in
late, and yielded to a sudden whim
| that led me to the bathroom window.
AS I entered the bathroom 7 looked
over toward the lodging house, and
gave a little start at seeing q light in
the very apartment that had so long
possessed forme fascinatinginteres
| The night was warm, and the window
| whence the light shone was hoisted.
| The curtains were drawn also, and
could see pretty clearly man and a
| woman sitting opposite each other
| near the centre Of the room. / shiver-
ed a little on discovering that the cou-
| pie were very like those OF the panto-
| mines. The man was smooth shaven
| and we'll featured. The woman SEEM
ed older than he, and her face fitted we'll
with the names Of evil suggested that
| had seen in the vestibule eight months
before
AS I gazed / saw the woman sud-
denly start toward her companion
with some cleaning weapon in her
| appraised hand. l felt my heart
quicken and my breath come thick.
The man'rose to receive the attack,
and I saw shining dagger plunged
into her bosom. Trembling with hor-
| ror, was about to cry out. when a
hearty, natural laugh burst upon my
ear from the hall.
| On looking around saw my friend
Moss in the doorway.
"Merclful powers, man, did you see
that?" gasped.
Certainly" he said with another
laugh. - -:..#E-s.@ i.
"Then how can you stand there
laughing? If we both saw it there can
be no doubt of it's reality"
cit was real and unreal, old man.
Your sight is vindicated and the doc
tor and are put to shame, but there
is no cause for horror. See the light
has been turned out and there is moth
ing more to be learned. Take some
thing to steady your nerves, and I'll
| explain the mystery"
Wondering at his language, but con-
| siderably reassured, followed him to
his room and sat down.
"Now," said Moss, 'the thing you
saw tonight (I~shuddered again as he
| spoke land on two other occasions
is easily explained. James Case and
! his wife, who have lived in that apart
ment off and on for eight months, are
known to many theatre-goers here
| and elsewhere as Arthur Seaman and
| Mile. Picard. What you saw tonight
was the rehearsal of an incident in
play which is to be produced at the
L. Theatre early next week. You'll
lind the very scene on a dozen board
| lngs in the streets. It's a quarrel
The woman attacks the man with a
pair OF scissors, and he responds with
a. dagger. The play was produced in
the provinces last Winter and at one
or two popular watering places in the
| Summer. You've seen three rehearS-
ais" ...
"Moss, don't believe you," I cried,
as it flashed upon me that my old ill
ness was returning, and that Moss had
taken this method of diverting my
mind from the threatened calamity.
Moss promptly went over the whole
occurrence, and his description differed
in no important feature from my own
vision.
No the next day 1 went round to
my doctor, laughed at his learning and
accepted his apologies for the discredit
he had castsupon his visual sanity.
That evening at dinner while read
ing an afternoon paper came upon a
conspicuous heading in these words:
"Slain at Rehearsal" I started, read
on, and discovered that James Case,
alias Arthur. Seaman, had killed his
wife the night before in their rooms in
| W street.
Then [ knew that Moss had actually
seen the crime committed.
According to the newspapers ac-
count, Case. on being arrested, had
confessed the homicide and pleaded
self-defense. He had been married
five years, but he and his wife had al
ways lived a ,cat-and-dog life. After
! their rehearsal of the night before she
had called up an old grievance, and
finally in a fit Of anger attacked him
. with a pair Of scissors, the very weap-