The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-12
THE UNFAITHFUL

49, -
Wheeler had cause to feel alarm when.
upon opening his eyes. he saw the cat star
ing straight past him. every nerve in the
large brindled animals body on a strain,
the hair along his spine upright, his tall
slowly swinging to and fro, his ears rigidly
fixed in listening, his eyes glowing with an
unwonted light, and that low note OF
alarm, caution or d~istress-perhaps all three
in one-hning the chamber with its uncanny
effect. 1t was such a sound as you may
have heard cats give when worried by
dogs.
Mr.. Wheeler was wide awake in a mo-
ment. At first he supposed that the cat was
looking at him; but when. in strengthening
himself from a reclining position, he had
brought his face some two feet out OF the
eats line of vision, and observed that The
ophilus kept his gaze steadily as before,
and, moreover, gave no heed to a call, Mr..
Wheeler sent his glance in the direction Of
his cats, and, as nearly as he could judge.
found it TO rest upon the clock. Instantly
he made the startling discovery that in
stead of sleeping ten minutes. as had been
his unbroken custom for years, he had
really slept two hours, for the hands of the
clock indicated midnight. More than that,
he noticed that the little artificial figure of
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the clock was still quivering, as though it
had but that moment dropped to the end
of its string, whereas it should have been
perfectly still.
That the nature OF the shock which these
discoveries gave Mr.. Wheeler may be un-
derstood it is necessary to explain some
things.
To begin. Mr.. Wheeler was an elderly
widower. rather small and thin, highly ner-
vous. somewhat feeble, and possessed of
means sufficient for him TO live in modest
comfort without work. He was conspicu-
ously-indeed, painfully methodical, as
Jenny. the gffl who took care of his two
rooms. had reason to know. Everything
had to be 10 the place he had set apart for
it.: he went to bed. arose. had his meals,
took his strolls and maps, and ordered ev-
erything else precisely to the minute, one
DAVIS routine being just like that of all
other days. He had explained all this on
the score OF his health.
Jenny declared to her friends that he was
the worst kind of q crank but she would
add that so long as she did exactly as he
directed he was very kind to her. paid her
well and made her numerous presents. I'm
fortunately. she had never mentioned to
her acouaintanceS the only serious misun-
Outstanding that had ever arisen between
her and her employer. but there will be no
better place than this to insert it in the
narrative. It was thus:
The small figure of a man, TO which ref
e-ence already has been made, was a per-
feet representation of a criminal being
hanged. The clock, a large, old-fashioned
affair. had been let into the wall above the
mantel, bricks having been removed in num-
Der sufficient to make the face of the clock
flush with the wall. The ragged edges of
the mural incision had been smoothed with
plaster. which made a neat juncture with
the wooden frame OF the cloSk. The eX-
cayation had been extended = below the
clock, forming a narrow niche for the re-
ception of the figure. In this niche, at
tached to the bottom of the clock, was a
miniature gallows with beam, trap-door,
chanical devices employed in executions,
everything being. concealed by doors. AT
ism of the clock would open the doors and
ypring the trigger, whereupon the trap
door would fly open and the little figure
would fall through and hang suspended by
the neck. The figure was neatly dressed in
black. with a white shirt; it's arms were
strapped to it's sides, its hands to it's
thighs, and its knees and also it's feet to-
gether. To complete the picture, a hang
mans black cap was drawn over the head,
eoncealing the face.
Having accidentally opened the doors and
seen the figure one day, Jennie cherished an
u1CONITOllaDle CURIOSITY 10 see the face. 1t
so happened that she had never seen the fig
ure hanging. for that was always at half
past IL at night. For that matter, she did
not know that the trap ever opened. All
that she had ever seen was the figure stand
ing rigidly on the gallows waiting TO be
hanged. But the grewsome picture of the
little man standing there had always fasci-
mated her, even after her original sentiment
OF horror and repulsion had passed. Ac-
Mr.. Wheeler had left for a stroll and to
give her opportunity to put his room in
order, and when experience with his ways
made her sure that he would not return
Tor two hours, she cautiously began an in
vestigation.
Finding that the. figure stood squarely
upon its feet. without lateral support, she
gently lifted il from the trap-door and drew
IL out as far as the cord would permit. She
carefully loosened the moose, which was out
side the cap and which pressed it closely
against the neck, and then Slipped off the
cap. That which she then saw gave her SO
terrible q fright that she dropped the figure,
screamed with all her might. and fell in a
senseless heap to the floor. There she lay
unconscious for two hours. and there her
master found her. Upon seeing at a glance
what had happened, he became pale. and q
look of singular ferocity and malignity dis
torted his features With his foot he con-
temptuously turned the girl over, in order 10
get her out OF the way, readiusted the can
and moose. and restored the figure to its
original position, ana then picked up Jenny,
laid her on a lounge, lOosened her clothing.
sprfnkled water in her face, and brought
her back to consciousness.
AFTER Sne ndu remembered what had han
pened. and had seen the hard. reproachful
glance with which Mr.. Wheeler was regard
Ing her. she began to cry and to plead for
forgiveness.
Had you forgotten" he asked, that 7
had particularly cautioned you never to
touch that fgure?"
"Oh. SIR" she sobbed. II am so sorry! 1t
was very wrong of me. sir. You have been
so good to me, Won't you forgive me. si~2"
The end of IL was that he did forgive her,
and that she promised faithfully never 10
tell anyone of what she had seen. But it
was many a day before she could again
1ngS- The slow: measured ticking of the
CLOCK was terrible. and the little figure
landing behind its closed doors was q ST.
lent and formidable mystery. A thousand
times did she wonder what it all meant
what dreadful history it illustrated. For
rconths al her dreams We're haunted by
That terribly realistic little face, every de-
tan OF It's strangely handsome features. dis
tOrted and diScOlOred though thew were bv
death from strangulation. being IMMERSED
lneitaceaoly on her memory. In a vague
fashion there had come to her certain sto-
rfes of a strange tragedy far back in the
hfe or her master-SOmething about a bean
tful young wife many years ago. and her
death and her husbands terrible reyenge:
put what al that had 20 do with the ghaSt-
~. little ngure In the clock. if anything at
all, Jenny could not imagine.
When Mr.. Wheeler, after having haen
awakened by ~Theophiius. saw thai h mad
slept two hours instead of ten minutes and
that the body OF the little figure vas still
qutvering, as though IL had but lust fallen
through the trap, he was thrown into ala rn
and conSternatiOn- He had never oyersleDt
a moment before. Exactly at 10 O'Clock ev-
49, 1-IA