The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-09-03

his fingers lie then went back to the
cupboard and produced a candle,
which he buried half its length in the
sombre grains, and, striking a match,
deliberately set light to the wick.
mot a bad idea, Is it?" he said, ex-
ultingly, addressing me. "The taper
will burn for about half an hour, and
you can amuse yourself in the mean
time by watching the fame as it gets
nearer and nearer the powder When
it touches, goodby to you. Ha! Ha!
With fiendish laugh he glided out
of the room, and the banging of the
outer door few seconds later told me
he was in the street, and | was left
face to face with certain death.
My brain reels as | recall the awful
time that followed. Slowly, but sure
! ly, the candle burned away, each
flicker of its flame bringing me closer
and closer to the fate | was powerlesS
to avert l writhed and twisted at the
cords which bound me, until my veins
were nigh to bursting, but without
avail Call for help could not, for the
gag that the wretch had placed over
my mouth rendered breathing itself
matter of difficulty, and made shout
ing an impossibilty.
| Big beads of perspiration broke out
on my forehead as, more dead than
alive, / watched the receding light. Bit
by bit the taper dwindled away, until
half an inch of wax separated me from
my doom. The events of lifetime
| int 10 Of fpW n1inIIfag
and transfixed me with horror. Before
me was reflected, as in mirror every
scene in which l had ever played part
for good or ill. Each particular of my
career stood on the canvas, limned
in distinctive outline, and the record
of an entire existence was re-enacted
with as much fidelity as if they were
the original acts l was witnessing. En-
crossed, enchanted, my mind seemed
held by some magnetic spell, from
which there was no escaping
Suddenly Pickering at one of the
windows arrested my attention, and,
like the drowning man who catches at
a straw, | looked toward it. half hop
| ing to get rescue from thence. But 1T
was only moth fretting at the win
dow pane. and, sick at heart, l turned
my gaze away.
Yet, although at the moment | ex-
pected it not, it was from that insig-
nificant insect that deliverance came.
| There was a fracture in the glass, and
through it the moth presently careered
into the room. 1t flew aimlessly about
for a few seconds, until, attracted by
Turing light, it sped toward the can
die Hesitating an instant, it made
circle around the burning wick, and
then, with the mad impetuosity of the
species, dashed headlong into the
fame The fatuOus act cost the crea-
ture it's own life, but it saved mine, the
impact completely extinguishing the
light at time when it wanted but
few more moments to reach the pow
der and explode it!
This unexpected escape from what
looked like certain death had such an
effect upon my overwrought nerves
that / swooned right away, and when
consciousness returned to me daylight
was breaking into the room. With re-
newed strength l struggled at my
bonds, and at last the ring that held
them gave way, and | fell exhausted
| to the ground. Somehow l managed
to crawl to the window. and, after
while succeeded in attracting atten-
! ton. Soon after was free.
| A clue to the identity of the wretch
who had thus diabolically designed my
death was furnished by sheet of note
paper found in his room. 1t bore the
impress Of an address on the outskirts
of Paris, and proceeding thither in due
course, found it to be the locale of
private lunatic asylum. Description
and inquiries established the fact that
my assailant had formerly been an in
mate of that place, but had succeeded
in making his escape some time pre-
viously, and was entirely lost sight of.
| 1t transpired that he was an Eng
lishman by birth, but had lived for
time in Paris, where he lost a large
fortune in gambling. This fact had
| caused his mind to give way. A fea-
ture of his madness was the belief that
some one had robbed him of his les
tates," and his one cry was for revenge
| for this supposed injury. OF course.
| there was no foundation for his wild
| fancy. His ruin was due solely to his
| own acts, and no one else was in any
way responsible. But the fellow per-
sisted in his tale, and evidently be-
lieved in it implicitly. Sane in all
other respects, on that point he was
dangerous madman. Nemesis finally
overlook him, for some time later he
met his death in a railway accident in
Germany, whittier his wandering steps
seemed to have led him, and his Ca
ceer is now forever closed.-Tit-B