The herald., 1895-09-14

ing house. It's splendid place and near
at hand, too. Right here on F street.
"Well, Blackburn and I didn't 60 to
the boaraing house right off. In fact, we
didn't get around to the caravansarie in
question until about 10 O'Clock at night
1t was dark and had no opportunity to
study the outward evidences of my pro-
posed home. All knew was that Black
burn lived there. and that convinced me
that it must be eleagnt and sumptuous
and everything elss that gentleman and
a senator could wish for.
Come right in, said Blackburn,
you'll feel In week as if you were III
your own home
"Then he led me up pair of stairs
and | saw that whatever the boarding
building.
"The next morning I arose, and after
paying the landlady for a month in ad-
vance l walked out on the street. found
with some accession Of gloom that the
lower floor, that is. the store floor of the
block. was an undertaking establishment,
and that right under me-for my room
was on the second f1oor-was as elegan:
could ask.
"That night when was alone in my
room / got to thinking of those collins
under me, and every night after that
while l stayed my mind would revert to
the undertaking business down in the
room below, and l must admit that my
reflections in no wise frightened the joys
OF our boarding house.
1.-The undertaking business didn't serve
to depress Blackburn-cotfin had no ter
rors or him and he didn't care any more
abu... a corpse than he did about cold :.
But mine was a different case. Those
coffins preyed on me. l felt lonesom 9
and hom esick enough without them, and
at the end OF two weeks | had fully made
up my mind to get out at the end of my
month and hunt new place for myself.
| was getting the worst of the boarding
house. ANYHOW: Blackburn was getting
fat and 1 was getting the bones right
along.
1T was on Sunday night at the end OF
my second week. and l was sitting alone
in my room, forlorn and sorrowful, and
brood1ng over that stock of burial cases
just under my feet when In came a
young friend of mine from Missouri. He
had been in Washington several years,
however, and worked in one OF the de-
partm ents. He was light, easy talker
and had begun to cheer me up, when he
suddenly looked around the room with a
biidlike air and remarked: Your
room here is very familiar to me, sena-
tor. l used to be up here quite often.
g How was tnat?' l asked.
'' Why. went on my young friend,
this room used to belong to Jones. You
knew Jones-young Jones OF Sedalia-
used to work here in the war depart
ment. Committed suicide and all that.
Yes. indeed. committed suicide right IN
this room.
MY horror began to recur twofold.
My interesting young friend gabbled on.
- Certainly, l came up here one night
and lights were burning, the door was
ajar, but no one answered when [ raped.
After rapping while | pushed along in.
Here was Jones hanging by the neck
from that chandelier. Yes, indeed. cold
dead. We cut HIM down. | remember
the incident clearly, and how his head
rested on the figure In the carpet.
''It was at this point | interrupted
him. l told him l had business to trans
act with my landlady. called that good
woman and simply told her that she
might send my trunk the next oay to an
address l would mail her. AS for my
self, would change my boarding house
that night, and | did. To live over a
coffin factory. and in the actual room of
suicide was more than my nerve CO uld
bear. r."-Chicago Times-Herald.