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

on mr. boots and sat on the beds edge, |
blinking At my candle till IL died down In |
It's gocket aud afrerw1rd at the purple /
square Of window as il slowly changed 20
gray with the coming Of dawn. was cold
TO the heart, and my teeth chartered with
an ague. Certainly never suspected my
hosts word. but was even occupied In
framing good resolutions and shaping out
an excellent future when heard the front
door gently pulled 10 and mans foot
steps moving quietly - the gate.
| The treachery knocked me in heap for
the moment. Then leaping up and fling.
| ing my door wide | stumbled through the
uncertain light Of the passage into the
| front hall
There was fanshaped light over the
door, and the place WAS very still and gray
A quick thought, or rather a sudden,
prophetic guess at the truth, made me turn
to the figure of the mastiff curled under
the hall table
laid my hand on the scruff of his neck
He was quite limp, and my fingers sank
into the flesh ON either side OF the verte-
brn. Digging them deeper, dragged him
out into the hail and pulled the front door
open to see the better.
His throat was gashed from ear to ear.
How many seconds passed after | drop
ped the senseless lump ON the floor. and
before made another movement, 1t would
puzzle me to say. Twice stirred foot as
II to run out mt the door. Then, changing
| my mind, | stepped over the mastif and
ran up the staircase.
The light no longer shone out into the
left hand passage, but cropping down IL
found the study door open as before and
passed in sick light stole through the
blinds-enough for me to distinguish the
glasses and decanters on the table, and
Z find my way to the curtain that hung be
= fore the room where the light had first at
trscted me.
pushed the curtain aside, paused for
moment, and listened to the violent bea
OF my heart, then felt for the door handl,
!, and turned it.
: All could see at first was that th
chamber was small; next, that the ligh
" patch in line with the window was TIN
white coverlet of a bed, and next tina
somebody or something lay on the bed
| listened again. There was no sound Il
the room, no heart beating but my own.
e. reached out "a hand 10 pull up the blind
and drew 1t back again. dared not.
~ The daylight grew minute by minute o.
u the dull parallelogram Of the blind, an
minute by minute that horrible thing o.
40 the bed took something OF distinctncss.
ut blIAH bssAt ilt az AftSAs tslIutu
IN yeritable yell to give myself courage an
70 reaching for the cord, pulled up the bin
al as fast as it would GO
- The face on the pillow was that of a
ca old mana face waxen and peaceful, wit
a; quiet lines about the mouth and eyes, an
% long lines OF gray hair falling back froI
,N' the temples. The body was turned a littI
ne on one side, and one hand lay outside I'll
bed clothes In very natural manner, bI
there were two dark spots on the coverle
Then knew was face to face with II
ne real householder, and ii flashed on N
st that ! had been very indiscreet in takiu
ice service rs his butler, and that knew
The face his ex-butler wore.
his And being by this time awake to the r
'ur spousibiites OF the post, quilted thr
AZ steps at a time. not once looking behind
let Outside the house the storm had die
on and white sunlight broke over the sodds
ell moors,
me But my bones were cold. and | ran fas
IN er and faster - Memoirs of Gabriel Foe
cut Highwayman, by %"