Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-11-05


iarly cheerful TO sit in the one little
wooden chair which the room afforded
aud gaze at the cheap wall paper COW
ering the pine partition, or the
'skled" picture Of flaming red, long
tailed bird Of paradise with his head
set backward on MS neck. NY books
we're in my trunk and there was moth
ing at hand to read except an old
spaper which was doing duty as
,,over to the washstand.
Glancing at this paper I saw that
the page exposed to view was made
up Of ''syndicato" matter and that the
prominent article was q startling coin
cidence, the story of an adventure
with a burglar. began reading it.
The narrator told how he found
himself IN strange room seeking for
a safe place to bestow his money for
the night; how he determined to
place it between the leaves of die
tlonary. and wishing to remember the
exact place be thought he would open
the book at the word money, but, be-
hold, when ne opened it, the first word
he saw was murder.
Here the narrative was broken by
soap dish, which adhered firmly to the
! pnper III spite Of my careful efforts to
remove it, and read no further.
| arose and shook myself. "Pshaw!'
| said, 'what u foei | am. He's prob
ably just an ordinary hostlcr come up
here to work, or perhaps to see his
old mother. No doubt ne s as honest
rs [ am. / wonder what word he
would have found if he had opened
the dictionary at Cash, soliloquizcd,
and ont Of mere idle curiosity / took
from my handing the nearest approach
| had to a dlct:onary--A little paper
covered book Of synonyms, and opened
it mt G..
Clutch -grasp-lay- hold-on = catch
seize.
This was the line that met my gaze.
I laughed, threw the book on the ta-
ble and began to nndress.
If anyone enters my room to-
night" l thought, rs l folded up my
vest and placed it under the pillow,
"Tll clutch him. grasp him. lay hold
on him, cntch him, seize him, and yell
for help.
When l went to sleep l dreamt that
| was wading up n trout stream fishing
for black bass with wad of money
for bait and that as fast as I canght
fish | was robbed Of them by n red
headed horse.
From the number Of fish [ had
caught Judge TINT must have slept
two or three hours; then | found my
and anxiou>lv smiling the air. | was
certain of two Things. Some one was
moving in the room. and / smelled
horse.
II IS easy 70 write Of this thing now
IN spirit Of levity. but | had no sncn
feeling rs | lay there strainiug my
eyes 10 no purpose IN the lnKy dark
ness but hearing that fellow move
about the room 30 diy. without cau-
| II II ii N ~ -
HIM, whether ! slept or listened.
If | move I thought. me is read y
with h, knife or club to silence me
forever.
did not know whether or not BIZ
had already taken the vest from IN
der my pillow and l did not care just
r then to investigate. moved not q
$ muscle, hut when the first tunuit o
sudden fright had subsidized I tired -
2 thlDk-.o reason.
z II am here tor my hcni;b. L 'horght
$ Now, won't 1t be healthier To lie still
and let hIm take my money than I,
| move n finger and let n,m take M
llfe-u hat little | have? How did il
e get IN? All. OF course tue window
a | couldn't bulge II, but he i mus
K cular. l should have thought o
that.
+ What was the man doiug? Tn
b sounds he made were exactly such a
y u man mahes III dressing Heavens
~ wunld be exchange c.otaes with me
II leaving his horsev Old suit IN th
.. room? He was =, the wash-stand i
~ | pouring out water - Washing Ii. hand,
d Nv fright was giving way TO anger q
10 the ccoI impu1euce OF the man
II Doubtless ne had on my clothes now
h including; The vest, with the wau !.
as bills in the outside pocaei. Cowar
n that l was 10 lie there and let hl,
ns take my property!
r. ! hesi,ated no longer. but spraD