The San Francisco call., 1897-11-28
rim ging the cook

senses, who set about bringing the COOK
out of her trance.
| She succeeded finally, then directed her
| to carry the basket into my library. At
that the cook openly rebeled, supple
mentng the refusal with notice that she
was going to leave
When l returned home l received G
| lecture from my wife and the fnforma-
ton OF the cooks intentions. The cook
| was good one and 1 did not care to lose
her, so | undertook to explain; but
| nothing would satisfy her nor shake her
de eTmlnation to go. and | believe she
thought had brought the head home as
| a replenishment of the family larder from
dark hints she threw out while 1 was
| talking with her
| l carried the head. which seemed to be
pursued by some luckIess spirit that would
| not let 1t rest even in death, TO the loft OF
the stable where my colored ccachman
slept, and locked it in closet with set
| of old harness.
| Next morning l went to the office with
out giving the hidden basket thought,
and when | returned in the evening, nv
| wife informed me that the coachman had
not been seen all day. The coachman
was tall yellow fellow about 80 years Of
age, who had been in my employ two
| years Stealing came to him as naturally
as sleeping, and [ had on more than one
occasion traced missing articles OF small
value to his failing IN that direction.
figured it out that he had been too free
with some one else's property and landed
in Jail at last,
As L knew where be lived. concluded
TO drive over, at the same time taking the
head 10 the college.
l went to the closet and unlocked it.
The head was gone.
l could not account for it. as the door
was locked, and | could in no wise con-
meet its disappearance with the absence of
the coachman, knowing the negro's abb
horrence OF dead people III general 1 was
sati- fed that William had not stolen my
basket without first looking at the con-
tente, and one peep would have been
enough for him.
drove over to his house. Williams
wife came to The door, appearing very
nervous when l questioned her about him.
She said he had gone to the Klondike.
was surprised, for owed him a months
wages.
II was acomin' over T. y'alls in de
iud" HiH SIlN Sdlui CduSe L Adu CT mes
sage fo' yo' ali from Willie. He done sayed
t me t tell y'aIl dat ar basket O. yorn
what e borried is in the woodshaid back
O. de bawp."
l thanked her and told her to send Will
lie over to see me when he returned from
the kIondike and l would pay him. L
knew he had not left the city.
William had carried the basket to the
woodshed before looking into it, and
wnen be looked could not put it down
quick enough.
l searched the woodshed from top to
bottom, but no basket could l find.
Ny wife had engaged Chinaman in the
place of the cook. | asked MIN if ne had
found basket in the she he said he had
not.
| concluded [ would hear from it in
some way or another before long.
Two days laer my wife found roll of
woman's hair done up in a paper and
crammed into a tea canister in the
kitchen. She confscated it and showed
it to me. l recognized it as the crowninq
beauty of my severed head. confronted
the Cinnamon, who gloried in the name
of Peter, with the evidence OF his knowl-
edge OF my subjec-, but he insisted that
it was the hair of lady friend OF his.
That night l stopped him as he was
going out with bundle of napery on his
back. He smiled as ne explained that he
was carrying the soiei linen to his
cousin laundry at the order OF his mis-
tress. l told him l was acquainted With
the object of his errand, but thought
there was something in the bundle that |
wanted.
opened it and found my head done up
in newspapers, around which was rolled
tablecioth.
with it.
You callum woman" he retorted de-
family. me git p'leeseman.
Taking firm hold on the young mans
ear led him to The kitchen door. "Get
your Bag l said.
He came back pre- emily with his how-
cred bag, which l compe led him ito open
and empty. He complied with much dark
muttering and many unintelligible nasal
malediciions, no doubt cursing me by his
personal guardian spirit. | carried the
head to the college where its earthly mis-
sion was a last fulfilled.
My wife has been doing the cooking
since the Cbinaman left and lives in dread
OF coming upon some speciInen of the
human various" tucked away beneath a
mattress or buried in the -four barrel.
William has not returned from the
Klondike, at least he has not turned up to
ca i'm his wages.
Then the doctor blows smoke toward the
ceiling and laughs. G. w. o.