Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-03-14
IN THE WRONG ROOM.
he sNUeaLED UP TO KEEP WARN.

In one of the big family hotels that
stands in the upper part Of the city
there happened, the other night,
mysterious incident that has kept at
least three people In state Of excite.
ment bordering on hysteria ever since.
On the fifth floor has lived for over q
year q gentleman we will call Albert
"A modest, retiring clerk in bank.
He has lately been induced into a
little private poker game carried on
in the house, and during q session in
the poker room has imb;bed more
whisky sours than his gentle meek
architecture is able to control. On
the fourth floor Of the hotel, directly
under Albert's room, there resides
Helen, relative of the proprietor,
and Emma her friend, who is Jer-
sey girl studying art here IN New
York. Emma is mstrimonially en-
gagged, and she frequently goes to
theatres with her fance, and returning
has bit of supper in the restaurant.
In the vestibule to which Emma is
escorted to take elevator, there is al
ways last little talk. Then Emma
goes up to her roommate, and the en-.
gagged man, full Of pleasing anticipa-
tions Of the hour when he'll take the
elevator, too, turns up his collar and
goes out into the silent street.
Albert has a roommate and chum
who has, however, nothing to do with
this story. Saturday night was in
clement, and after dinner Albert
smoked cigar in the reading.room,
and then went up to the little room
off the parlor where the friendly game
was in progress. He played with
variable luck until eleven, when, with
q last whisky sour, he withdrew. AL
bert is sure he was not tight He
knows he WAS sleepy, and that the
elevator boy was slumbrous. At all
events he went to his room where his
chum was in bed sound asleep. Albert
pulled of his clothes threw them about
the place, slammed things around
generally, wanted to wind his watch
but couldn't find key, thought he
would find spare one in the bureau
drawer, went to turn up the dimly-
burning gas but turned it short off,
said piously, 'cuss the keyl" bolted
the door, turned down the clothes and
slipped into bed.
He was just floating off into dream
haunted by fulls and hushes, when a
female voice, SO near his face that he
felt . warm breath on his cheek, said
"What fool you are, EN-; you've
been talking at that elevator till you're
as cold as freq"
The Precipitation broke out all over
him; he lay paralyzed. He strained
his eyes into the darkness til they
became used to the surroundings.
Sure enough the window was not in
the place it should be; he made out a
sofa where it had not ought to be,
and made up his mind he was where
he should not be, and was a lost man.
On chair by the window was pile
Of white stuff, a monument erected to
the cardinal virtues of a fair young
girl. He made out the futing on a
petticoat the stripes on some other
garments. wire sort of cage on the
floor. Great Scottl he was in the
wrong room, the room of woman
in her very bed-and, oh! hair stand
ing conclusion, she had got there be-
fore him. There are no words in
which to picture his condition and
the frame of mind in which that pic
ture should be mounted. He lay like
the dead, revolving like q buzz saw
what he should do, what she should
do, till his hair turned.
Then the lady who addressed him
evidently thought she had been too
harsh for she had whooped over to-
wards the wall and said:
"Never mind, dear; hug up to my
back and get warm"
Albert couldn't tell under oath II
he obeyed this suggestion or not, but
certainly silence fell on that deeply
agltated young man who lay counting
his heart beat. A long breath just
bordering on a snore, another regular
even flow of nasal music. The friend
Of Emma slept. AS "Don Juan slip
ped half smothered from the bed," SC
Albert, bathed in cold prespiratior
from head to foot, gllded from be-
tween those sheets Swiftly and sill
emily he gathered his effects. He had
to carry even his hat, for his hair stuck
up so he couldn't get it on his head