Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1895-01-10

| table with an armed lunatic, who tells
you in terrible earnest that he will
murder you if he beats you. What a
| fiendish whim Under ordinary cir
cumstances l knew / was liable to
make mistakes and lose game against
an inferior player, but ii is difficult to
describe what | felt at being obliged to
play, when false move might cost me
my life. A hundred thoughts flashed
through my brain. Could my grim
and terrible opponent really play, an
accurate game? If he could, should
be able to make stand against him till
someone came to my rescue? Even if
1 could beat him, what guarantee had
| that my life would not still be in
danger? And besides, | was morally
bound to prevent if possible the man
taking his own life.
looked up at him. His eyes were
fixed on the board with terrible stare,
and there appeared to be no escape from
the awful ordeal of being forced to
stake my life on game of chess.
Without consulting me he selected
the white pieces and moved first. He
played what chess players call an irreg-
ular opening, but there was nothing
remarkable or fantastic about it. |
tried to keep cool, but as | lifted the
pieces my hand trembled and my head
felt on fire.
| soon discovered that my opponent
knew perfectly well what he was doing,
and that whatever the particular form
his madness might take, it did not pre-
vent him from playing the GONE accu-
rately and in earnest. He quickly
forced an exchange of pieces to his own
advantage and secured vigorous at
l. 10 Il Thn ,,pcitinp,
doubt, was simple one to defend, but
my feelings had been wrought up to
such a state of excitement that seemed
incapable of analysing the most ordin-
airy combinations.
Suddenly l was startled by my oppo-
nent almost Kissing between his teeth +:
"Mate in six moves ~
Good heavens! This, then, was the
man of whom my host had been tell
ing. A cold shiver ran through me.
Those terrible words, "Mate in six
movesW sounded in my ears like a
death knell. What did they mean? |
asked myself Did the demented
wretch see his way clear to force a mate
in six moves IN spite of anything could
do? Or was he only uttering an, eX-
preston he was in the habit of using
which had no significance for the game
we were engaged in?
! tried to be calm myself in order to
examine the position on the board. So
far as l could make out it was impossi-
BILE to force mate in six moves, and
beyond that my opponent had some
advantage in the matter of attack our
positions seemed to be about equal.
After uttering the ominous words,
"Mate in six moves" my opponent
| cd in, hic oh an1 inHIlI~nI
in a series of horrible chuckles, which
seemed to make my blood run cold.
Then, resuming his former attitude, he
slowly lifted his queen. "OneW he
CRIED as he brought the piece down
with bang which shook the table. By
making this move he offered me piece,
which / promptly took, thinking he
had made blunder which would give
me the game.
"Two," said my opponent without a
moments hesitation, as he replaced one
of my knights with his own, while 1,
thinking it to be piece to the good, ac-
cepted the exchange and took the
white knight off the board. The mo-
ment l had done SO L realized that l
had fallen into trap. 1t was plain
that l must be mated in four moves,
and without doubt this cunning mad
man had foreseen the mate six moves
ahead.
!, "Threen' he cried, the white queen
, giving check to my king Great beads
of perspiration now began to break out
on my forehead / had lost the game
and unless some one came to my rescue
l thought L should most assuredly be
: killed. | pretended to be studying the
: position, but my head was busy trying
!, to concoct some scheme for Emy escape
from this terrible dilemma. Seeing
: however, thatmy opponent was getting
I excited, / moved my king to the only
, available square. 'EFour checkn he al
} most shouted as he moved his queer
> one square back. My position was nov
/ desperate. / could only prolong the
2 game by interposing my rock, and, a
| reluctantly pushed the piece forward
Y | saw with horror my opponent picl
l up the pistol.
7 give check!' and away went M.
: rock. My king had now only one move
: followed by mate. Never shall l forge
: what my feelings were at that moment
and now the time for action had com
j I felt powerIess to move hand or foot
/ My head seemed to reel, and almos
e mechanically made my last move.
e "Six, matev' he literally shrieked
anu saw nlIu raise lue revolver Oh
!, level with my head. Instinctively
d closed my eyes and the next instan
e there was a loud report and fell to tn
ground unconscious.
q X \ X x
n "How do you feel now? You certain
: ly had narrow escape"
o / opened my eyes and saw DR.. Char
/ lev bendinp over me
a ''Is that you, doctor?" I murmured
a cam / really alive? l thought l wa
dead"
n "You are not only alive, but unin
IF jured," was the comforting reply, an
d then my host told me that at the YER
r moment the mailman raised the revoly
n er to fire at me he had noiselessly en-
o| tered the room and was just in time
knock the would-be assassin's arm i
Y an upward direction, SO that the wear
It Oh went off without doing any NOR
it harm than little damage to the room
o l had simply been overcome and fallel
o down in dead faint owing to the meI
n tai strain that / had undergone. M,
d opponent had been Immediately ovel
1t powered by the keepers who were wal
n in readiness.