The record-union., 1893-03-25

.LAtAS VI Ky pJ NlLlOuJ leaving n AIDGIlcd
with great care l again brought my
fingers into contact with the mysterious
substance and even pressed it gingerly. l
passed my fingers over it as delicately as
possible, and satisfied myself of two
things. 1t was a large body. 1t was
elastic. For awhile l pondered upon this
puzzle. And then, like an inspiration,
came the thought that perhaps there was
man under my bed. Who was the
man? Why should he be under my bed?
In moment l had framed answers to
these queries. The man was that blood
thirsty burglar who had not hesitated
when life stood between himself and
freedom. He had placed himself under
my bed expressly for the purpose of
securing my pocketbook.
did not doubt that I was correct in
my conclusions. They We're logical
enough. The burglar had escaped and
was at large. l had been collecting
money lately and had found my door
aJar. Surely the man could have hidden
himself under my bed with only one mo-
tive. With this conviction staring me in
the face | was remarkably cool and col
lected. In fact, / was under the influence
OF nervous tension. Not nerve quiv-
cred. My heart seemed to beat more
softly, as though to assist me by keeping
silent. How long l lay. thinking with
the greatest rapidity, devising and re-
lectlng plans for escape without running
a risk of being shot by the desperate
under the bed, do not know. At last l
remembered that Just over my head, on
the wall, hung my hunting parapher-
MALTA. There was a Winchester rifle and
hunting knife, a knife with a long
blade OF finely tempered steel which was
so keen that it would split a hair with
ease.
At first l decided to take the rifle from
It's pegs, slip out and creep silently to the
middle Of the room and fire 4 shot under
the bed. This plan soon appeared inn
practicable on account of the darkness.
1 could not feel sure that ! would kill, or
wound the burglar. Besides, he might
hear me, and either shoot me without
leaving his hiding place, or seize me by
the legs, throw me down and leisurely
pin me to the floor with bowie. Then
l decided that / must use my knife,
and in a few moments | had the thing
settled. | would assume a kneeliug posi-
ton on the bed and, with a sweeping
blow, drive the blade into the man 5
shoulder. Ii l did. not kill him at the
first blow he would certainly make am
effort to escape, and as he crept from his
hiding place I would leap down upon
him and stab MIN, not once, but many
times, until lie sank beneath me, a hor-
rid, bleeding, liteless thing.
Strangely enough, the thought that
was about to kill a man was not repug-
nant. There was no shrinking, no regret.
| had made up my mind, and l was al
most eager for the decisive moment to
arrive | was not at all frightened now.
The man under the bed was a desperate.
blOOd-thirsty brute who deserved killing,
and | would kill him, l raised the knife
slowly, almost eXultingly, and brought it
down with a swinging, murderous sweep.
hn flr ff-1i to lii
the mysterious body; felt it sink through
the flesh, grit against the bone and bury
itself in the SineWs. And then
And then the body seemed to spring
away and divide into two parts that shut
tied across the floor and were stopped
with a muf1led thud by the wall. And
then-silence. silence rs profound as the
deadly stiffness OF the deepest depths oi
the ocean. | could hear only one sound,
the beating Of my own heart and my
breath, drawn sharply. l had expected a
cry of pain, an oath, a moan, a frantic
struggle. but they did not come.
For Il minute-iJ seemed an age-I kept
my kneeling position upon the bed; kept
it until l could no longer endure the ag-
ony OF suspense. The nervous tension.
which had held me steadily, departed
and | was strangely weak. My limbs re-
fused to support me and | sank down
upon the bed. The knife fell from my
nervless fingers to the floor. l was un-
manned. y small boy could have over
powered me.
Ii tie man l had stabbed was mys-
terry before he was a greater mystery
now. For long time | iay very still and
thought about it. Why had he not cried
out, or made an effort to escape? Surely,
there was only one way in which to eX-
plain this: l bad Gealt fearful blow and
/ had SeCered tie head Jyo,h the body.
And then there came TO me the thought
nay, the conviction-that / had com
mitted murder that l had sent the soul
of \ fellow being, unfit and unprepared
to answer to its God. 1t was the soul OF a
sinner, the life OF a man who had stepped
himself IL crime, the spirit of a desperate
brute, without which the world would be
purer and better. But there was no COM
| fort in this thought. Was there ever 4
man who possessed for one brief instant
the right TO say, as God had said
| vengeance Is mine? Had | not made
myself as guilty as the man whom mad
slain? Would it not have been better if |
had lain still and left the burglar to fol-
low his own sweet will? Was it worth
while to jeopardize my own soul in order
TO protect few paltry dollars when there
was positive no proof that the man under
the bed was actually thief bent upon
thieNery? My own life was not in danger
unless 1 had chosen to make it so. [ had
saved my money, but at what cost. Be-
meath me lay corpse, an inanimate thing
that would forever cling to me, haunting
me unto the day Of judgnent-a hideous
| deYil-hsh that would entwiue itself about
my heart and strangle it. l had brought
| upon myself the curse of Cain, and with
the accumulated weight of centuries that
curse bore down upon me. 4 thousand
vipers sprang up before me, writhing
about my throat, kissing accusations, and
a voice cried out to me in thunder tones
why hast thou done this thingY' Woe,
woe unutterable was mine. Nv life
would | nave given to have restored the
life which l had taken. Like many an
other man who has morally damned him
self, cast his soul into perdition and fears
to meet his Maker or endure the pangs OF
! conscience, l thought of suicide as a
means Of escape from the years OF miser-
able anguish which L felt were now be-
fore me. But those who deliberately kin
| themselves are men with unhealthy brains
| it is impossible for perfectly healthy
mind to tolerate the thought of suicide
and perfect 1t. My brain was sound. and
| | did not entertain the thought of self
destruction.
| Gradually l became more quiet. and
| began to argue with myself Others had
| killed, had committed murders, had hid.
/ den the proofs OF their crimes, and had
escaped the penalty the law. The pen-
atty OF God would be inflicted on the dav
of judgment, whether or not mans pen
| atty had been dealt. Why should l moi
| escape mans penalty, which would mat
ter little for the salvation OF my soul, and
| wait patiently until the time came for me
| to answer before the Supreme Judge. the
] Lord of Hosts? 1t was comforting tC
| think that by years of patience, by Kind
| deeds, by labors performed for others. bV
meekness and humility, by prayer, trust
| toll and repentance 1 might so tighten the
| gravity of my offense as to be forgiven
and made clean again. l say it was a
| comfort to think of this, but ike a mill.
stone about my neck was my firmly es.