Evening capital., 1892-01-11

THE game was over. MY pockets
bulged with their load OF yellow French
coins, swept into them without counting.
Then more wine from the polite keeper.
and my head swan, and things dane q
around me. remember some one Of.
fering to help me and saying shouldnt
risk being murdered and robbed by 60.
ing home, aud telling me eoald have
a bed in that house. where | could sleep
off My excitement, and be safe.
II remember shaking his hand ana
vowing eternal friendship, and going
with him to a room upstairs and getting
into bed. and hearing him close the door
and leave me. Unjust have fallen asleep,
but slumoered not long. When Iawokes
though my head felt weak, il was clear,
and in a few minutes came to myself q
bit and lay there, trying 10 think il il
was dream or q reality. The room was
handsomely furnished and lighted by a
gas jet turned low. A picture hung on
the wall at the foot OF the bed-which !
noticed had four high posts reaching to
the ceiling, and holding canopy ex.
tending over the whole with short cur.
tains at the sides.
"The picture was watching listlessly
was figure of an old soldier standing
grimly, straight and stern. ] got tired
of the old fellow and shut my eyes
When opened them my grim sentiners
hat had disappeared. That seemeo
strange, and l closed my eyes again
When they opened the old chaps head
was gone.
II was puzzled, and wondered IL my
head was to be depended on yet. To
make sure, stepped from the bed to
the floor. The first thing that struck nae
was that the canopy top of my bed locked
queer. 1t seemed lower, and the four
posts holding ID seemed to have pierced
through its corners and into the ceiling.
While trying to understand, saw be
tween the canopy and the ceiling an iron
rod, grooved like screw, and twisting
noiselessly and slowly.
"At once it flashed on me that / wa
in peril.
"Soon Tsaw. The canopy was bogm
hiding q soft mattress or something,
which was being forced down by the
screw worked from the room above, and
intended to catch and smother whoever
was in thes bed. From the movements
the screw was making / calculated q
half hour must intervene ere my muir.
derers would pay me visit--providine
! didn't bring an attack sooner by alarm
ing them.
Without sound got window
open and gazed out in the darkness. The
wind was blowing and rattling shutters,
and might prevent the noise Of an es
cape being heard. Clouds were flying
over the sky. could see that my room
was in the back of the house just below
the attic, aud that I looked out on yard
bounded by wall too high to scale; no
doubt, made so purposely.
Beneath me on the first floor win
dow shot forth streams of light, iIlumin
ating the ground where should have &c
drop. Now and then moving shadows
there showed that inside the window
were my watchers waiting to dispose Of
my corpse as soon as it was ready.
"The house stood by itself, otherwise
might be able to climb into the next, as
had seen firemen do with ladder That
gave me an idea. II could rig a lad
der of that kind might reach the roof,
and escape by climbing down the water
pipe to the street, which probably l was
able to do, thanks to my athletic culture
"How quickly persons wits will &C,
sometimes when death seems near.
looked about the room for material to
make my ladder. Two bed Stats found
under my mattress. The wire which
hung the pictures on the wall bound
them together. had knife of many
blades, one of them screw driver II
the closet were large, strong hooks.
unscrewed four aud put them upside
down on my stats. Half dozen chail
rungs, which l pulled off the chairs,
bound at proper distances on the stats
with the picture wire, made my scaling
ladder.
II looked at my bed. The canopy was
three quarters of the way down. Ihao
no time to lose. Taking the gold, which
had been tied in my handkerchief and
placed under my pillow, / fastened il
about my waist, and in stocking feet
went to the window with my ladder
Peering above / could see the gutter's
edge; and raising the ladder managed tc
hook il fast.
@Trying it carefully with my weight,
nerved myself, and began my ascent.
Half way up / thought of the room
above where the machinery for my suffo
cation was being worked-but it was toe
late to retreat, and / must take the
chance.
~When my head came above the gut.
ter saw light inside that room, but
the curtain was drawn over the glass
raised myself on the gutter, and pull
ing the ladder after me crawled 10 the
corner Of the house As expected, the
mansard roof had the cutters ledge al
around it, but before / could turn it,
corner my escape was discovered, and
heard voices, evidently proceeding from
the window had climbed out of. IN
another moment men with lanterns aud
a fierce dog were searching the yard.
thinking, Of course, that must be in it
Not daring to move, hattened my
self against the roofs edge and waited
The moon burst forth. shining directly
where hid, and saw or felt that The
searchers had found me, for leaving tb,
yard they reentered the house, and
could hear them calling to'the worker ir
the attic behind noe. Like snake, but
quicker, squirFred around the house