The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-09-19

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band was untrue to her. His intimacy
with Goodwin had enabled him to dis
cover where his friend kept the dis
reputable love letters, and then he
thought his mean plot by which he
effected the scattering Of the letters, SO
that Mrs. Goodwin, for Mr.. Goodwin he
he knew was away, would be certain
to discover them the next morning. OF
course the natural s%upposition would
be that the house had been entered by
a common burglar, and that before he
had had time to steal anything he had
been frigh ened away by some noise.
But in spite of his precautions, the
photographer failed to conceal his
guilt, and only a part of what he de-
sired happened. Tue divorce was
brought about, but Galatians hope
that he might subsequently marry
Mrs. Goodwin, and derive benefit from
the large fortune which she held in her
own right, was blasted. He had cult
waited her husbands acquaintance for
y Oo40S ~ ~ pun ROSO VI hLAOAhS I'LL
opportunity for the qualification of his
evil desires. The opportunity had at
last come, but in his attempt to use it,
he had been thoroughly thwarted.
although he had stolen nothing,
the act of breaking into the house con-
stituted burglary and he was sent to
prison for a few years. 1t is here in
teresting to note that the manoeuvres
which brought i'll luck to Callahan
brought good luck to me. Soon after
he went to prison, 1 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 a
murderous mood. One evening while
my wife and I were walking in a thinly
settled district Of the city, we were
startled by two pistol shots fired in
rapid succession by some one behind
us. I turned around and running a
few feet back grappled with as
sailant. I threw him upon the ground
and succeeded in holding him there
until 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 was a favorable opportunity for
him to attempt murder. He cursed
me in a frightful manner when he found
that he was a prisoner. A second time
he was punished by being ~incarcerated.
Three years later, knowing that he had
a disease that would soon end his life,
he b~equeathed his remains for anatomi-
cal purposes to the physician of the
prison, to whom he had taken a great
liking. | was we'll acquainted with
this doctor, and as a token of his esteem
he presented me with Callahan's skull,
he being well aware that I was at that
time engaged in making a choice col
lection of skulls of all sizes.
"The skull was placed in my collec-
ton, which was kept in a closet con
nected with my Office, and I thought
no more about it until one day I was
seized with the desire to see how the
skulls would look when arranged so
that they could all be seen at once.
Accordingly I placed them in three
rows on a broad table in my Office,
Galatians being in the center of the
front row, being accorded, as it were,
the place Of honor. I had just seated
myself in a chair for the purpose of
gazing at the array in an admiring
manner when a messenger arrived and
asked me to visit a patient whose
symptoms had suddenly become alarm
ing.
1T was late at night when I returned
to my Office. I lighted a gas jet, but
turned on so little gas that the fame
was small. I seated myself in the
chair which I had left when disturbed
by the visitor, and gazed at the skulls
which were about 10 feet distant. They
looked uncanny, unearGhly, perhaps,
is a better word, in the dim light. l
had always prided myself on not being
superstitious, and had frequently
laughed at friends who stood in awe Of
the supernatural. But somehow as l
gazed at that CHASTITY array of grinning
skulls, listened to the solemn tick of a
great clock that rested on top Of a desk,
felt that I was alone and that all Of the
people in the city except a few watch
men were sleeping, I felt a 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
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