The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-10-31

midnight was broken by the most hor-
rible yell that ever assailed my ears. 1t
fairly curdled my blood, so full of the
agony of fear was it, and l sat still and
neld my breath until a second and a
third, not less hideous, reached my
ears, and then l gathered myself to-
gether, rushed to the window and threw
up the curtain.
By this time all was silent again, and l
half wondered if l had only imagined
the cry. Hooked out over the field and
track, seeing nothing but the shifting
shadows, more bewildering han abso
lutte darkness, which a half moon throws
through broken clouds. 1t was a par
ticulariy CHASTITY light; there was not
a thing stirring, not even the wind, I'M
til suddenly the bending figure of man
at extreme speed emerged from the
gloom, sprang up the steps at a single
leap, and a second later the huge door
beneath my feet vas shaken in furious
fashion.
l confess to a feeling of relief as l
thought of its two-inch oak plank, nail
studded and heavy hinged, and knew
that the assailant, whoever he was,
could not gain entrance with anything
less than an old-fashioned battering-
ram. l was also a bit startled, for ]
could not at all make out what the
trouble was. The door-shaking cor
tinuing, accompanied by the kicks of 4
heavy foot and n series of yells, 1 seized
the heavy poker from the hearth and
hurried downstairs.
When 1 reached the door l hesitated Il
moment, wondering if the man was
mad, and then tried to turn the key with
my left hand, holding the poker firmly
in my right. In this l was u]nsuccess-
full, so tightly IA the door pressed by
the frightened man outside. 1 shifted
the poker to my left hand, and put my
shoulder against the door; there was 4
sharp click of the opening lock, and the
next second l was hurled like a bolt
from a %catapult by the heavy door.
AS 1 landed on my back, paddy the
Leaper" appeared with the suddenness
of a "Jack-in-tlie-boX." He slammed
the door after him, threw the bolt with
a single motion, and, slapping himself
on the floor, pressed his broad back
against the door as if he feared the fast
enings would not hold.
came to myself first, and was begin
ming to ask the crazy bog-trotter what
was the matter with him, when he sud
denly found tongue, and broke in with
Il husky: The saints Nv us! Howly
hiven hip us! Fur the luve av God,
Misther Brown, git up an put yer fut
ag'in the dure."
l slung the poker into the pit of his
stomach, got on my feet and gave him a
clip on the head with the fiat of my
hand that would have felled a man with
an average thickness of skull. The
blow from the poker resulted only in a
grunt. and while that of my hand re
lieved my feelings a bit,it seemed to hell
Paddy's added brains not at all. He
caught me by the leg, pulled me down
and sat me up against the door by his
side as if 1 had been 4 wax doll, saying
in a Numbering ard contented fashion:
Faith, thin, Misther Brown, it's now
we have it, an safe we are
Safe. are we? I'm safe enough; but
as for you you bowling idiot, if you lay
| your hand on me again, you'll wish you
had stayed outside
Suddenly he looked up to me arr
asked in a lord whisper: For the luvt
| of hiven, MiSther Brown, tell me wha1
was it?"
WHIT was it?" answered I. "What
was what?"
Sire it was" said he; and at thisre
markabledi dialogue seemed perfectly sat
isfied, began to room and rock again
and lapsed into a state of ~"innCcuou:
de~suetude," as before.
Deciding, at last, that the time 70!
heroic measures had arrived, I tool
hold of Paddy's collar with both by
hands, shook him violently for Il few sec
| onds, and then began to bang his heal
| against the door. 1t did not take many
raps against the hard oak to bring into
the vacant face a hint of reason. and, a
last. with a good blow of my fist, which
bowled him over, I told him either to tel
me at once what the trouble was, or
would open the door and throw him out
The last threat was enough, and hi
raised himself to the perpendicular
again, lifted his hands with a gesture
half resistance and half petition, saying
in an appealing fashion: Sure, you't
not hev the black heart to do it; an ii:
Gods truth I'll tell"
He told his story as follows, in
hoarse whisper, growing a little louder
toward the END of the tale: Its guilt.
av nothin' l am at all; twas walkin
home L was, all innocent an aisy loike
afther a bit av a picnic at Larry COST
gan's, the same thot lives forninst thu
junk shop by the river. l lift The
| street, TUX a cut acroost the TENN!
| courts to save me tonne (fer late it was
an Mrs. Dooley, me boardin' misthress
locks the dure at 12), an was a follerin
! the track along the stritch, whin on th'
suddint 1 heard futstips behindt, an
| whin 1 turned me head l saw (howly
| hiven guard her OWN a big, white spool
a-follerin' IN me track"
At this Paddy went back to his Groom
ing and crossing again, and l wa:
| obliged to administer another blow
and take a step toward thu
door, with a significant glance at tint