Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-02-18

cottnht with ny eyes tlPhtiy liked on him
and my thoughts flying back. with some
thing OF regret, 10 the storm had come
through
But mans habits are not easily denied
At the end OF three minutes the dog had
not moved, and | was down on the door
mat unlaeing my soaked bodts Slipping
them OF and taking them In my left hand
stood up and tried to step toward the
stairs. with eyes alert for any movement OF
the mastiif; but he never stir red.
was glad enough, however, on reaching
the stairs to find them newly built and
the carpet thick. Up went, with glance
at every step for the table which now hid I
the brute's form from me, and never a
creak did wake out of that staircase till |
was almost at the first landing, when my I
toe caught a loose stair rod md ratified il |
| In way that stopped my heart, and then
| set II going in double quick time.
] stood still, with hand on the rail |
| My eyes were now on a level with the floor
OF the landing, out of which branched two
| passages--one by my right hand, the other
TO the left-at the foot Of ths next flight,
so placed that | was gazing down the
length Of IL. And almost at the end there
fell paralleogram OF light across 1t from
au open door.
A man who has once felt Ii knows there
Is only one kind of silence that can be fitly
called dead" This is only To he found In
a great house at midnight, For few sec
onds after ratified the stair rod YOU might
have cut the silence with knife. If the
house held clock II licked Enaudibly.
Upon this silence, mt the end OF a min.
, ute, broke light soundthe elink, clink
OF decanter on the rim Of wine glass.
, 1t came from the room where the light
! was,
Now perhaps IL was the very thought OF
!. liquor put warmth into my cold bones II
l Is certain TINT all OF a sudden Strengthened
! my back. took the remaining stairs ut two
d strides, and walked down the passage as
= bold as brass, without caring jot for the
: noise made
i In the doorway halted The room was
. long, lined for the most part with books
: bound in what they call divinity calf
n and Uttered with papers liRe "A barrister's
table on assze day. Before the fireplace
=. where few Goals burned sulkily, was
! drawn a leathern elbow chair, and beside
ii 1t, on the corner of writing table, were
! set an unlit candle and a pile of manu-
n scripts. AT the opposite end OF the room
III curtained door led las gnessedl to tn,
~ chamber that had first seen illuminated
~ All this took In with the tni OF my ey,
while staring straight In front, where il
"A the middle Of n great square OF carpet be
40 tween me and the window, was tabl
4, | with red cloth upon IL. On this coti
y were n couple OF wax can dies lighted i,
~, silver stands. tray and a decanter o
brandy.
Aud between me and the table stood
man.
"a He stood sideways, leaning little back
y az IL To keep his shadow oF the threshold
Il and looked at me over his left shoulder
a bald, grave man, slightly under the con
-, mon height, with lon clerical coat
NO preposterous fit hanging loosely from h
III shoulder, a white cravat black breechs
=. and BLACK stockings His feet were loosel
Ill thrust into carpet slippars. judged hi
m age at fifty or thereabouts. but his fat
10 rested in the shadow and could only moi
loo q pair OF eyes, very small and alert. twii
:. king above IA large expanRe Of cheek.
- He was lifting wine glass from ii
:, table at the moment when appeared an
al it trembled now in his right hand
~ heard a split drop or two fall on the ca
~ pet. and this was all the evidence /
"a showed Of dscomposure
~. Setting the glass bacH, he felt in
~ e breast pocket for handh erchief, failed
"a find one, and rubbed his hands together
90 get the liquor OF his fling FRS.
-, "You startled me, /" he said In matt
,r., OF fact tone, turning his eyes upon me
he lifted his glass again and emptied
~ How did you find your way inv
a by the front door" said |. wonderii
,..5 at bis nnconeern
-, lie nodded his head slowly.
III "Ahl forgot to lock L. You came
nj, steal. | SUPPOSED"
-, Il came because I'd lpst my way l.
,.n, been travelling this God forsaken mo
mi since dusk"--
with your boots in 20 ur hands" he p
rust In quietly
MIR Il took them off out OF respect to t
and yellow dog yon keep"
raj He lies in IA natural attitude, ehtn
,ust ''You don't tel. me he was stufTedl'
INV. The old mans eyes h|eamed with CO
temptuous pity.
an "You are indifferentiI sharp, my dc
va air, for "A housebreakeH. Come in. 5
il down those eonyietiHg boots. and doi
In. drip pools OF water IN thA very doorway.
sho all places. II must entertain bnrgla
,ha prefer him tidy
now lie walked To the fire. picked up pok
, 10 and knocked the Goals into "a blaze. IT
fell done he turned round on me. with I
i Of poker still In his hand The serenest gri
,aek ity sat on his large. hale features.
,nte "Why have | done thiafn he asked.
dow "fsuppose to get posses zion OF the poke
quite right May ! inquire your ne
feh novel"
the "whyf" said |. feeling in my pocket.
way carry pistol.
fol (which suppose 20 bt damp,n
the "By no means. | carry 1t, you see.
acre an oileloth case.
Not He stopped and laid tle poker careful
net In the fender.
H. | THAT Is "a stronger card than posse
1uSe | might urge that by Pulling the trigt
, be you would eersaiuly alar ia the house u
the the neighborhood and put halter arou
orse your neck | say ! might urge this, a
:, / assume you to be an ibtelligsnt audit
ligh But IL strikes me ~ "a Fer to assume y
uri capable OF using pistol with effect
three PAGES. With what might hapr
per. subsequently | will not pretend 10 he q
need cerned IL is sufficient that dislike
m u notion of being perforated The fate OF yc
D as neck he waved hahd. We'll, ha
he'd, known you for just five minutes, and
But but moderate interest 10 your neck.
"a q for the inmates OF this house, IL will
fresh ron to hear that there are none.
gate have lived here two years with but
sur. and female cook. both of whom dismiss
the yesterday At a minutes notice for condl
which will not shock your ears by
chea plicitly naming Suffice IL 10 say carr
hing them off yesterday To my parish chui
uud two miles away, married them, aud
nigh missed them in the sest1y without char
Iddi. ters wish you had known that butte