Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-01-24

or my boots aud sat On the beds edge,
blinking At my candle ELL II died down Id
Its rocket, aud afterward It the purple
square OF window a. II slowly changed TO
gray with the coming Of dawn. I was cold
70 the heart. and my teeth chartered with
an sgue. Certainly never suspected my
boats word. but was even occupied In
framing good resolutions and shaping out
an excellent future when heard the front
door gently pulled to and mans foot
steps moving quietly TO sbe gate.
The treachery knocked me In heap for
the moment. Then leaping up and ding
Ing my door wide / stumbled through the
uncertain light 81 the psAsage into the
front hall.
There was fanshaped light over the
door, and the place was very still and gray.
A quick thought, Or rather sudden,
prophetic guess at the truth, made me tarn
TO the figure Of the mastfR curied uuder
the hall table.
laid my hand on the scruR Of his neck.
He was quite limp, and my fingers sank
into the flesh on either side Of the yerte-
br1. Digging them deeper, I dragged him
out into the hall and pulled the front door
open to zee the better
| His throat was gashed from ear to ear
How many seconds passed after I drop
ped the senseless lump on the floor. and
before made another movement, it would
puzzle me TO say. Twice stirred foot as
II TO run out at the door. Then, changing
my mind, stepped over the mastiR and
| ran mp the staircase
The light no longer sEone out into the
left hand passage, but CROPPING down it I
found the study door open as before and
passed In. A sick light stole through the
blinds-enough for me to distinguish the
| glasses and decanters on the table, and
find my way to the curtain that hung be-
fore the room where the light had first at
| tracted me.
| pushed the curtain aside paused for a
moment, and listened to the violent beat
Of my heart. then felt for the door handle
and turned it.
| All l could see at first was that the
chamber was small; next, that the light
patch in line with the window was the
white coverlet Of bed, and next that
| somebody or something lay on the bed
| listened again. There was no sound in
the room, no heart beating but my own
reached ont hand TO pull up the blind,
and drew it back again-I dared not.
The daylight grew minute by minute on
the dull parallelogram OF the blind, and
minute by minute that horrible thing On
the bed took something of distinctness
The strain beat me at last. fetched q
veritable yell to give myself courage, and
reaching for the cord, pulled up the blind
as fast as it would go.
| The face on the pillow was that Of an
old mana face waxen and peaceful, with
| quiet lines about the mouth and eyes, and
long lines Of gray hair falling back from
the temples. The body was turned little
on one side, and one hand lay outside the
bed clothes in very natural manner, bat
| there were two dark spots on the coverIet
Then knew / was face to face with the
real householder, and it flashed on me
that l had been very indiscreet in taking
service as his butler, and that knew
The face his ex-butler wore.
And being by this time awake to the re
sponsibiiities of the post, quilted three
steps at a time, not once looking behind.
Outside the house the storm had died
and white sunlight broke over the sodder
moors.
But my bones were cold. and / ran fast
er and faster.-Memoirs of Gabriel Foot
Highwayman, by 20"