The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-06-01

where bis friend kept the disreputabla
love letters, and then he Thought out
bis mean plot by which be effected the
scattering Of The letters. 50 that Mira
Goodwin. for Mr. Goodwin be knew was
| away, would be certain 10 discover
them the next morning Of course the
4 natural superstition would " that the
iIonse had been entered " A1conrnon
burglar. and that before he hal had
time TO steal anything nc had been
frightened away BY some noise Bat
in spite Of his preAautions the photog-
raPter failed % conceal his guilt, and
only part of what be desired hap
| pcncd The divorce was brought
about but Cailahans hope that he
migAt subsequently, marry Mrs God
win. and derive benefit from the large
fortune which she held IN her own
rigiit. was blasted He had cultivated
her husbands acquaintance for years
for the purpose 81 finding an opportrn-
ity for the qualification 81 his evil de-
sircs. Tho opportunity had at last
come, but In his attempt 70 use Il. he
had been thoroughly thwarted
Although he had stolen nothing. the
act Of breaking into the house constI-
tuted burglary and he was sent to
prison for a few years II Is here In
teresting 70 note that tho maneuvers
which brought ill-luck 70 Callahan
brought good luck to me. Soon after
he went 70 prison married Mrs God
win and have since lived happily with
her. During his imprisonment the
photographer brooded over his troubles,
and when he was released he was In
murtlcrous mood One evening, while
my wife and were walking In thiniy
settled district Of the city. we were
startled by two pistol shots fired 10
MS ! turned arourYd aud running q
few feet back grnppled with our as
sailant ! threw him upon tho ground,
and succeeded in holding him there un-
I'll two men who happened TO be In the
vicinity hurried TO my assistance. The
villain was Callahan, who had secretly
followed me and my wife until there
WINS favorable opportunity for him TO
attempt murder. He cursed me in n
frightfnl manner when he found that
he was prisoner A second time he
was punished by being incarcer-
atcd Three years later, know
ing that he had disease that
would soon end his life, he bequeathed
his remains for mathematical purposes
TO the physician OF the prison, TO whom
he had taken n great liking was
well acquainted with this doctor, and
as o token Of his esteem he presented
me with Cailahan's skull, he being well
aware that was at that time engaged
10 making choice collection OF skulls
of all sizes.
The skull was placed In my collcc-
ton, which was kept IN closet con-
nected with my Office, and thought no
more about II until one day was
seized with the desire to see how the
skulls would look when arranged 90
that they could all be seen at once.
Accordingly ! placed them In three
rows on broad table In my Office, Cal
lahan's being In the confer of the front
row, being accorded. as II were, the
place Of honor. had Just seated my
self in chair for the purpose OF gazing
ut the array In an admiring manner,
when messenger arrived and asked
me TO visit patient whose symptoms
had suddenly become alarming.
1t was late at night when returned
70 my Office. lighted gas Jet, but
turned on so little gas that the flame
was small 1 seated myself In the
chair which had left when disturbed
BY the visitor, and gazed at the skulls
which were about ten feet distant
They looked uncanny, unearthly, per
haps, Is o better word, In the dim light.
had always prided myself on not be-
ing superstitious, and had frequently
laughed at friends who stood In awe OF
the supernatural. But somehow ns |
gazed ut that CHASTITY array Of grinning
skulls, listened TO the solemn tick OF a
great clock that rested on top Of desk,
felt that was alone and that all OF the
people in the city except few W tch- /
men were sleeping, felt chill run
down my back and my heart began to
thump as the thought came to me, that
those skulls might move against me.
Might not Callahan, who had tried TO
kill me, who had hated me intensely
during his second term 6f imprison-
ment, be able to introduce his troubled
spirit into his skull, marshal the spirits
belonging 10 the other skulls, each
spirit in Its appropriate receptacle, and
as horrid deaths army, so to speak,
swoop upon me and quickly batter out
my brains 1t was a fantastic, an ut
terly absurd idea, but 1t was neverthe-
less the kind Of idea that disturbs a
person when the nerves are shaky.
II soon recovered myself, however,
and smiled with contempt for my mo
mentary weakness. But the next In.
slant frightfnl fascination compelled
me to stare at the skull Of Callahan
There was slight noise in 1t and il
actually moved a little The hdless
eyes appeared TO glare and the Jaws
about the gaping mouth tosmove up and
down sprang 70 my feet anil, grasp
ing the back Of the chair with both
hands, raised II in readiness for an At
tack. The skull moved again, more de-
cidedly than before, and trcinbled MI |
over. There was a loud rattle, n big
movement Of the skull, II crashed TO |
the floor and bounded to my feet
jumped SO high that my head grazed the
ceiling, and as came down the skull |
shook violently, turned over, and out
sprang big rat that scampcred across
the floor and disappeared
II felt sheepish enough had been
frightened hike child by something |
that was as far removed from the sn-
pefnatural as anything that could well |
be imagined I never dared sneak ~ I