Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-09-10
Madam, | Am Waiting For You.
By l.. B. FOSTER.


fro with eager, set faces, bent only on
soul-absorbing requirement Of wealth );
city where lives are ended, lives be-
gun, fortunes made and fortunes lost
IN one never-ending pursuit of gold.
Individuality seems extinct in the un-
ceasing dust OF pedestrians croWding
the streets OF the great city, and the
throng, seems as one, yet each individ-
ual has his separate aim in life, his own
aspiration of the individual, and of the
1real, and struggles to reach it, paying
no heed to his fellow men.
In quiet district of such a CITY
where the turmoil of surging humanity
has become deadened by intervening
masses Of manufactures, stores and
dwellings, and where rows of sober
residences face a narrow street, stands
mouse which can be distinguished
from its neighbors only by appearing
even more respectable and more dingy
than the others At a front window
OF this house, one afternoon in Novem-
Der, sat a young woman. With half
closed eyes, she was gazing dreamilv
out upon the street. On the floor by
FER side lay a paper-covered book
which seemed to have fallen from her
lap. She was in that state of half-con-
sclOus unreality upon which the most
trifing events make a deep impression.
She gazed into the empty street and
across 1t at the rows of grim houses.
each exactly like it's neighbor, and all
orI0 -,
ing November afternoon.
But what was that? Around the cor
ner of the street came two black hor-
ses, stepping slowly and drawing be-
hind them a hearse. Following this
came other carriages all drawn by
black horses moving with measured
and gloomy tread. The young woman
looked upon the funeral array, so I'M
usual in this dreary street, and a slight
tremOr passed over her With the
marked interest such function always
eXcites, she watched the advance of
this procession of death, and as it drew
nearer she could see that the hearse
was empty as yet. Upon the drivers
seat was tall mOtionless figure
Nearer and nearer came the hearse.
at last it was in front of thu neighbour
ing house. 1t was coming to a halt.
No, it came on until it was directly be-
fore the house from the window of
which the young woman had watched
its approach. Surely it was not going
to stop! This was not the abode of
death. She was alone in the house. 1t
was all horrible mistake. Yet the jet
black horses halted before the door,
then slowly backed the hearse to the
pavement before the house. The rest o.
the procession had stopped and stood
perfectly mute. No sound broke in up
on this hideOus silence, until the driver
of the hearse slowly descended to the
pavement, and walked up the. steps to
the door. The young woman saw it
all as in a frightful dream. She heard
the ring of the bell. For a moment
she regained her scattered wits, and
nervously walked into the hall and
placed her hand upon the door knob.
She opened the door and before her
stood the driver, clad in his sable gar
ments. His face was Iivid and from
over the right eye down upon the neck,
extended a horrible, purple scar. In
the gathering gloom this awful mark
seemed to stand out apart from the
CHASTITY countenance.
AS the young woman stood before
him, he spoke in deep, low tones:
Madam, | am waiting for YOU
A feeling of sickening horror came
upon the woman. She grasped the door;
black mist came before her eyes but
soon passed away, and she looked for
the corpse-like face of the driver but
was startled to see nothing of him
Nor was the hearse or any of the car
riages in front of the house. The street
was as silent and gloomy as ever,
save for cat which noislessly sped
across it in the fast gathering a..
ness. A breath of chill wind made the
seemed to loom before her sleepless
eyes and that unearthly voice to utter
those ominous words: Madam, l am
waiting for you" She rose tired and
unrefreshed in the morning, and went
about her usual occupation which car
ried her into the throng of the streets
of the great city. But she scarcely saw
the crowd about her. A haunted look
appeared in her eyes, and any sound
rising above the usual tumult of the
street caused her to start with nervous
dread For days and weeks, even
months, this went On. Her health was
affected. She was nervous and easily
agitated and could concentrate her
mind on nothing. She would sit by
the window of the Office where she was
employed, in one Of those immense
buildings known as "sky-scrapers,
and with unSeeing eyes look out over
the crowded buildings of the city. She
could not Danish the thought of that
phantom funeral procession One
morning after an unusually restless
night, she went to her work, and as
was her custom climbed the stairs to
the eighth floor, where the Office in
which she was employed was situated.
After another day of nervous, wearing
foreboding, she started at evening to
go to her home. She did not feel cap
able Of descending the eight flights of
stairs, and goingto the elevator shaft,
rang the bell. Four or five others
came up and stood waiting as the ele-
vatOr assembled. AS it came to the level
Of the floor the elevator man opened
the gate. With a stif1ed cry the young