The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-31


 wife"
 "Yes, sir" replied the veteran, "and what tell you and everybody else. Do you doubt my word, sir2"
 "Oh. mo-" yawned Wilkins, 70 Don't mind him, but go on," chor- used the others, and threatened hostill- ties were once more aVerted,
 After dinner I met some acquaint- anoes and had rather long discussion on the probabilities of a general Euro- pean war, so that had forgotten all about the incidents of the day when turned In at about midnight. Now here comes the strange part of my adven- ture. I do not know how long l had been asleep, but was suddenly aroused by a curious noise at the door, as though somebody was trying the lock was only half awake, and looked at the door through half-closed eyes, won dering what the noise was about, and trying to recollect whether l had locked the door before retiring. I have a fool ish habit of leaving my bedroom door unlocked at times, due, suppose, to the indifference to danger bred by years on the battlefield, The noise stopped as l turned in bed, and l must have fallen asleep again, for it was certainly much later when I was again reused by the same noise.
 This time, however, I was fully awake, and jumped from my bed deter mined to investigate. l walked softly over to the door and opened it sudden ly, Before l could prevent t a white erliJ nl infn a md to iY, CT advantage of my astonishment, closed the door. I saw with amazed eyes that 1t was my travelling companion. She was In her night robe and her dishev- elled hair hung over her shoulders. She was such beautiful sight that, for the moment, forgot the strangeness and impropriety of her intrusion. Such is the danger of artistic feeling. Before could recover my senses she had pre- seEted a cooked revolver to my head, and I was powerless.
 "lNhe soft brown eyes were no longer melting and dreamy. Instead, they glittered with cold ferocity that chilled me to the bone The mouth, too, had lost its gentle curves, and all the sweetness had departed from her face. She held her body rigid. but leaning forward like beast of prey about to spring upon its victim. In cold, de- liberate voice she said to me: "'Give me five hundred dollars or will kill you. I am desperate, and | would just as lief hang for killing you as be sent to Jail for swindling the ho- tel. That story about my husband is a fake. l am alone in the world and l | must have money
 "I stared at her ,dumfounded. She spoke without accent, but convincingly. I felt that she would kill me If refused her demand, but the idea of being held | up in this outrageous way by a woman whom l had befriended was too repug- | nant for me to submit to 1t tamely. regained my self-possession, but pre- tended to be still dazed and frightened, and backed away from her apparently | cowed and submissive.
 Don't shoot!' said, in a voice that
 I made tremble, Twin give you what
 have
 q threw her a roll of bills that took ] from my trousers pocket, and ther ! opened my valise, as though looking foi more. Instead, I secured my revolver
 and, in flash, had it cooked and point ed at her.
 | Put down that weapon, madam ! said, commandingly, or l will put yot beyond earthly cares
 | With the infuriated cry of wilt
 beast she jumped at me, I tried tC | shoot, but the trigger refused to act
 and lost consciousness" l Good heavens! did she shoot your ! asked all the speculators at once. | The veteran hesitated, glanced l dreamily through the window, and ther | said softly:
 l Tt would have been more correct
 perhaps, if had said that I returned tt | consciousness at that moment. Yot
 see, l had been asleep and it was only
 vivid dream"
 "Oh!" exclaimed Wilkins, angrily
 and his companions looked unfriendly too.
 The veteran remained undisturbed however
 'T met her in the dining room tn,
 next morning." he added, "and when
 looked into her eyes again felt painet to think that even In a dream I should have doubted r."-New York Sun.
 .s..s.saas..s.sas.-...s~s