The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-09

had left for a stroll and to give her oppor-
tunity to put his rooms in order, and when
experience with his ways made her sure
that he would not return for two hours
she cautiously began an investigation.
Finding that the figure stood squarely
upon its feet, without lateral support, she
gently lifted it from the trap-door and
drew it out as far as the cord would per-
NIT. She carefully loosened the noose'
which was outside 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 fright that
she dropped the figure, screamed with all
her might, and fell in senseless heap to
the floor. There she lay unconscious Tor
two hours, and there her master found her.
Upon seeing at glance what had happened
he became pale, and a look of singular fe-
rocity and malignity distorted his features
With his foot he contemptuously turned
the girl over, in order to get her out OF
his way, readiusted the cap and moose, and :
restored the figure to its original position,
and then picked up Jenny, laid her on a
lounge. loosened her clothing, sprinkled
water in her face, and brought her back to
consciousness.
After she had remembered what had
happened, and had seen the hard, reproach-
full glance with which Mr.. Wheeler was
regarding her, she began to cry and to plead
for forgiveness.
Had you forgotten" he asked, ''that
had particularly cautioned you never to
touch that figure.
"Oh. sir. she sobbed, 81 am so sorry
1t was very wrong of me, sir. You have
been so good to me Won't you forgive
me, sir p
The end of it was that he did forgive
her, and that she promised faithfully never
to tell any one what she had seen. But 1t
was many day before she could again en-
ter that room without fear and shudder-
ings. The slow, measured ticking OF the
clock was terrible, and the little figure
standing behind its closed doors was 81
lent and formidable mystery. \ thousand
times did she wonder what it all meant
what dreadful history it illustrated. For
months all her dreams were haunted by
that terribly realistic little face, every de-
tail of its strangely handsome features, dis
torted and discolored though they were by
death from strangulation, being impressed
) iueffaceably on her memory. In vague
: fashion, there had come to her certain
stories of strange tragedy far back in the
; life of her understanding about beau
tiful young wife many years ago, and her
death and her husbands terrible revenge
but what all that had to do with the ghast-
ly little figure in the clock, if anything at
all. Jenny could not imagine.
When Mr.. Wheeler, after having been
awakened by Iheophilus, saw that he bad
slept TWO hours instead of ten minutes,
and that the body of the little figure was
still quivering. as though it had but just
fallen through the trap, he was thrown
into alarm and CONSERVATION. He had
never oversight moment before. Exactly
at ten o'clock every night he had taken a
nap of ten minutes in his chair, had read
till eleven, and then had turned to face the
clock and steadily watch the hands as they
slowly went around to thirteen minutes
!, past eleven, when the little doors would
swing open and the figure would drop tc
the end of its cord, and there sway awhile
turn slowly about as man would In it'
place, and finally come to rest then Mr.
. Wheeler would replace the figure, close tho
doors, and 90 to bed If one had beer
present from eleven o'clock till the door
swung open, one might have made study
of Mr. Wheeler's face for it gradually
darkened and hardened, became flrmer
more haggard, mere deeply lined, more ant
more filled with hate and implacable vim
'e dictiyeness; one might have observed hin
le becoming rigid and breathless on the ev
y of the mock execution, the glowing look o
y triumph which Illuminated his face whei
'' the trap was sprung, writhing of the bod.
u and a rubbing of the hands as the fgur
y slowly swung about, and complete relaxa
u ton and peace when it had finally come t
- rest.
to On this night of this great surprise, MI
): Wheeler at first unable to trust the evi
n dence of his senses, felt his pulse, and find
ing it bounding with alarming violence
e concluded that he was i'll, and that his i'll
10 ness had caused him to oversleep. Bu
lie what explanation could be found for tn
in singular conduct Of the cat and the sway
le ing of the figure? MIR. Wheeler examine
I'd the doors of his rooms and found ther
IN lockod-no one could have entered. n
at draught which might have made the bod
lie sway after it should have been still nearl
I'd half an hour was discoverable. Nothin
ne that might have caused the cats uneasi
is ness was visible. Could it be possible tina
x some supernatural agency was at work
P Mr.. Wheeler was too hard-headed ma
al to entertain that idea for a moment. S
IS he finally tried to satisfy himself with tn
1t explanation that he had been taken i'll i
ne the first minutes of his slumber; that The
ne ophilus had become uneasy at his lon
IN sleep and this violent breach of his habits
lie and. associating the clock with his ma: