Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-06-13
A ROMANCE.
ny jackson sturse..

AOAhs
Soon after our installation in the
house we learned that Mrs. Marvin
and her daughter occupied the two
back rooms on the first floor. Directly
over their apartments was our room,
and young man named William Ora
ham tried to make himself comforta-
BILE in the back room of the third floor,
directly over that used as temporary
nome by myself and Eliza, my wife.
1t did not need very sharp pair of
eyes to discover that Mr.. Win Graham
was in love with Miss Emily Marvin.
Eliza and understood it before many
days.
One day when came home a little
earlier than usual Eliza said to me:
Jack, l think there is something
very mysterious about Miss Emily. I
was going past their room to-day and
I happened to look in and there sat
Miss Emily ut her writing desk. The
tears We're streaming down her checks
and her pen was going like wild-tire.
She was talking to herself. When ]
got up stairs l lay down for Il nap.
Presently heard Il queer noise. First
l couldn't think what it was, but l
listened again and then made up my
mind that somebody was playing on
the bracket below as if it We're u
piano. l have always said her actions
We're very strange, and Mrs. Smith
says so, too. tell you Jackson, that
that beautiful young girl is crazy
stark, staring crazy"
AS a matter of course l paid no fur
ther attention to what l felt certain
was Eliza's nonsense about Miss
Emlly's mind being out of order. But
one evening soon after entering our
room heard a most peculiar noise 1t
sounded like "tick, tick, tick-tick,
tick, tick" and it came from a gas
pipe.
Now, must tell you that among
my earlier experiences in life was
once telegraph operator. l knew all
the dots and dashes and succession of
ticks and spaces, between the tick,
that are equivalent to the letters of
the alphabet. And here heard them
again. saw through the whole bust
ness at once, and as I did so just
lay down on the bed and laughed until
l vas afraid would have every but
ton off my vest.
Some one had told me that Will Ora
ham was telegraph operator. He
had evidently taught Miss Emily the
art, and here they were communi-
eating with each other in the most sat
isfactory fashion, while everybody i'm
agined that they were conducting
themselves like perfect strangers. I
then waited patiently to hear what
was being said. The conversation I
had happened upon ran as follows:
How are you this EVENING""
lawfully tired. And you"
"Tired, too. Mamma has been par
ticularly eXasperating."
''Has she? Am I never to have a
talk with you again?"
II don't know. Keep up your spir-
it's"
81 will; but 1t is dreadfully trying"
II think somebody is coming"
ooh, dear!
I heard door open and shut, and
knew that somebody had entered the
room below.
Well, matters were going on in this
fashion when one day 1 began to think
that the lovers were giving a new turn
to their conversations. One day
heard Emily say to Will:
There's no use; I've got to do it,"
"What?'
"Kill her,
GAIL right"
"But l hate to; and I can't think
how"
"Shoot her,
"Nonsensev'
At this point my wife came into the
room and she made such noise that
NOI1I6
not long afterWard there were more
serious communications:
"Dear, dear WHIP
"What is it?"
II won't love you if you won't help
me-"
II will help you-with all my might"
''Then tell me what is good way to
kill an old woman"
arsenic"
'"That won't do at all.''
elbow her up with gunpowder."
Nonsense! You can't help me one
bit.'
"I'll die for you"
Il don't want you to die. 1 want
her to die, and 1 don't know how to
kill her."
well, kill her somehow, or she'll be
the death Of both of u.s.
How could these two innocent-look-
ing young people be depraved enough
to plot the murder of a fellow being
in such a hear(iess manner? And who
could the victim be? Who but the
poor old lady to whom Miss Emily
owed her being?
Well, at last matters came to q crisis.
1t was one summers night. AS [ Law
in bed l heard q noise.
l listened inrently. Whether it was
q presentiment or not, l don't know,
but fell sure at once that something
dreadful was coming. 1t did.
"1've made up my mind, WILL" from
below.
"Well, to do what?"
"Just as you said. Shooting is the
best. She'll die instantly, you know,
and won't have any morbid fare
wells to go through. 1 don't feel I'D
to such thing-have never had any
practice in just that line"
Horrible" 1 thought "People do
not generally get any practice at muir
Idering their mothers"
Pm going to do it now, too. I've
Ia