The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-11-19

with hungry eyes
1 did not feel sleepy enough to go
to bed, neither did find it particu-
iarly cheerful to sit in the one little
wooden chair which the room afforded
and gaze at the cheap wall paper COW
ering the pine partition, or the
''skied" picture of flaming red, long
tailed bird of paradise with his head
set backward on his neck. My books
we're in my trunk and there was moth
ing at hand to read except an old
newspaper which was doing duty ,as
cover to the washstand. W.
Glancing at this paper saw that
the page exposed to view was made
up of Syndicate" matter and that the
prominent article was startling coin
cidence, the story of an adventure
with 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
tionary, and wishing to remember the
exact place he thought he would open
the book at the word money, but. be-
hold, when he opened it, the first word
he saw was murder.
Here the narrative was broken by
soap dish, which adhered firmly to the
paper in spite of my careful efforts to
remove it, and read no further.
arose and shook myself. "Pshaw!"
I said, "what fool am. He's prob
ably just an ordinary hostler come up
here to work, or perhaps to see his
old mother No doubt he's as honest
as am. I wonder what word he
would have found il he had opened
the dictionary at Cash, I soliloquized,
and out of mere idle curiosity l took
from my handbag the nearest approach
had to dictionary--a little paper
covered book of synonyms, and opened
it at G.
Clutch-grasp-lay-hold-o - catch
seize.
This was the line that met my gaze.
I laughed, threw the book on the ia.
BILE and began to undress.
eff anyone enters my room to-
night" I thought, as l folded up my
vest and placed it under the pillow,
''I'll clutch him, grasp him, lay hold
on him, catch him, seize him, and yell
for help"
{. When I went to sleep 1 dreamt that
I was wading up trout stream fishing
for black bass with wad of money
for bait and that as fast us 1 caught
fish I was robbed OF them by red
headed horse.
From the number of fish l had
caught Judge that must have slept
two or three hours; then found my
self suddenly awoke, listening intently
and anxiously snnfling the air. l was
certain of two things. Some one was
moving in the room, and l smelled
horse.
1t is easy to write of this thing now
in spirit of levity, but had no such
feeling as I lay there straining my
eyes to no purpose in the inky dark
ness but hearing that fellow move
about the room boldly, without eau
ton, as though it mattered nothing to
him, whether I slept or listened.
"If move" / thought she is ready
with his knife or club to silence me
forever.
did not know whether or not he
had already taken the vest from un-
der my pillow and I did not care just
then to investigate. I moved not
muscle, but when the first tumult of
sudden fright had subsidized tried to
think-to reason.
'Iam here for my health, II thought.
''Now, won't it be healthier to lie still
and let him take my money than to
move finger and let him take my
life-what little have? How did he
get in? All, OF course! the window.
l couldn't bulge it, but he is mus
cular. I should have thought OF
that
What was the man doing? The
sounds he made wen xactly such as
man makes in drea Heavens!
would be exchange clothes with me,
leaving his horsey old suit in the
room? He was at the wash-stand,
pouring out water washing his hands.
Nv fright was giving way to anger at