The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-11-20


ewes fixed on him lest the intensity OF
her gaze should draw longs attention
10 herself. A flash of something bright,
Il long-drawn groan, short struggle
and then pillow flung over the mouth
which was still capable OF crying out
for help, and brawny muscular arms.
messing it firmly down till the convul-
sive heaving ceased, and all was still as
death. 'Tiiah closed her eyes with
one deep shuddering sigh and tainted.
When she regained her senses, she
feared to move or look at first, dreading
what CHASTITY sight would meet her.
She nut out her hand and felt about
cautiously. The dead form of Sleiman
was still beside her; the pillow rested
over the face; in the room no sound,
but below stealthy passing to and
fro-Tong and his wife preparing To
get rid of the body.
"'Tiiah paused, thinking what to do;
then she rose slowly and crept outside.
The door of the house was open. ana
/ Tong had evidently just gone out. She
caught UP a sarong (skirt) which lay
near her on the floor, and flung it over
her head: then, without backward
glance, she fled through the doorway
| and as fast as her terror-stricken limbs
would carry her down to the seashore.
If took no time to unfasten the koleh,
/ and in few moments she had grasped
the naddle and had set out in her tiny
boat to row over the miles of sea which
Law between her and her parents nome
in Malacca. 1t was frail bark Tor
safety; but she felt she could trust 20
IL sooner than to those bloodthlrsty
creatures she had left behind. long
wav she rowed, and the next day when
the sun got I'D and scorched her, she
nulled in her paddle and rolled herself
in her sarong and lay down in the bot
tom of the boat and slept. She was
aroused by the movement of her cookie
she'll 1t was night; breeze had
sprung up and a squat was coming;
white crests tipped the waves and
heavy bank of clouds obscured the star
light, and in a few moments a black
nall of darkness enveloped her. The
wind struck the fragile craft. whirling
II wildly round, and before she could
seize the paddle to try and steady it, the
boat capsized and she was flung into
the angry sea. She struck out boldly
and swan until her hands touched the
upturned bark, to which she chung, ell
deavoring to right it, Poor girl! she
knew not where she was, how far from
shore, how long her strength would
last. and whether there was any hope OF
Succor.
At last the squat passed over and the
water became comparatively calm, but
the moon had not risen and she could
see nothing. She began to get exhaust
ed and felt that she could not hold on
much longer and would sink and drown
unless Tuan Allah took pity on her.
She thought sadly that she was young
to die, and prayed for help. A small
thing as light as feather touched her
cheell-a mosquito. sent to save her
life. When she heard the sound which
Tuan cursed just ncv she knew that
land must be quite near, for mosquito
never flies out to sea. She let go her
anchorage, and. making one more eff
fort, swan bravely on, and very soon
her feet touched the beach.
meanwhile those cruel murderers
had finished their work. and before day
light dawned had got rid of every trace
of their i'll doing The neighbors in
quired what had become of Sleiman and
why he had come and gone so sud
denly.
"'Oh,' said Tong, 'he left hurriedly;
she took 'Tiiah with him and went away
in the kloeh at daybreak to catch
steamer which would pass there going
to Singapore
at was a very mysterious affair, and
no one could make out the truth; but
when the police had given up all search.
finding they could prove nothing. quite
unexpectedly the murder was found
out. A man of the village went into
the Jungle to cut wood, and at midday
he walked down to the creek to wash
after bis food. Coming back through
the swampy mangrove near the river he
noticed a very great swarm of flies!
They were like cloud, they were SO
thick What have we here? he
thought; some dead animal, perhaps
and went to see. Sunk in the mud where
the river washed over it at high tide he
found a barrel, from which proceeded
a very nauSeOuS Smell. HIS curiosity
was aroused, so he put in his hand;
feeling something hard, he drew it out.
1t was a skull, the skull of a man, and
projecting from the upper jaw was a
long tooth, like tusi. 'Aha!' he cried;
'Sleiman!'
,, Heywent and told the police, and they
came and took the cask, and the mur-
der was proved, because the clothes
| and the tooth were those of Sleiman.
So Tong was hanged and his wife is
in prison now in China Jail in Singa-
pore. She will never come out till she
dies.
'And 'Tijah is my wife, and love her
| and she loves me. and we are very hap
Ply. She is grateful to the mosquito"
"Thank you for your story, Mat,
which proves once more the old adage,
Murder will OUT feel special in
terest in Katiiah since you have told
me her romantic history. And now per-
haps those blessed mosquitoes will let
me have some sleep. Anyhow. I'll try.
and you had better do so, too"
And as we turned in Mat murmuretl
nee more: "Tuan."-St Paul's
RECENT PATENTS.
/ Two New York state men have Il