The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-12

tTOVlOenCe, Sdlu lttuIlolu'
with thousand dollars? And
most of that in non-convertable
checks?" I laughed. "You put Provi-
dence on par with Doodle aldermen"
Redmond smiled obviously. ITS a
foolish thing to do on the face Of 1t,
Morgan"
Nonsense I've slept with that box
under my bed for five months You
ought to know by this time that a ia
maica darky wouldn't dare to steal so
much. Vans and cocoanuts he'll help
himself TO fast enough, but not sixty
or seventy pounds in silver"
"Well, l hope you're right, old fell
low. It's your funeral. after all, as
leu say in the states. Take care of
yourself" and with wave of the hand
Redmond trotted off after the rest of
the party, while settled down to the
prospect OF two uninterrupted weeks
at the maps
We were running a flying line across
the mountains. Just to choose a route
for the projected railway, and often
had to cover a tract of country two or
three miles in width, so there was
usually a stack of Typographical notes
on hand. The other three white mem
bers of our party and most of the men
were going ahead to finish some inter-
mediate work before we jumped ten
miles to our next camp, while l. with a
cook and hostler, kept house alone.
There was no time to be lonely all
day. but when I had finished dinner
that evening, after once more assuring
myself as to the lack of my unread
novels, had subsided with my pipe into
a steamer chair, the house began to
seem rather desolate. 1t was a much
better shelter than we usually got
having a very large center apartment
which served as office, dining room,
ana sitting room, and two small bed
rooms on each side. The servants S
quarters were in the detached kitchen,
a hundred feet back of the main build
ing,
Having nothing to do l went to bed
early, noticing that there was a storm
coming up-apparently a heavy one,
from the watery bank of clouds off to
the east. The mosquitoes evidently
missed my companions as much or
more than I, for they We're waiing
and lamenting so loudly that my little
room seemed full Of them, and every
now and then they would make a des-
perate attempt to appease their hun
these assaults and sultriness, sleep
came reluctantly. Redmond'S warning
about the money would linger in my
mind, somehow. I was treasurer and
paymaster for the party, and the cash
box happened to be unusually we'll
filed just then. Upon thinking the
matter over, however. nervousness
seemed silly enough, for we feared a
money robbery so little that we never
thought of closing the outside doors
q night in good weather.
! had just fallen into a dozy, stupid
state, after a long vigil, when | was
startled by the sound of voices in front
of the house. Hastily rising, l listened
again, but could hear nothing. Ordin-
arily the occurrence would have made
little impression upon me. But Red
mond's uncomfortable doubts had
somewhat shaken my calm sense of
security after all. 1t could not be the
servants, for they were on the other
side, and all of them slept like logs, as
! had often discovered when wanting
some one to take care of my horse late
at night,
Standing there In perplexed uncer-
tainty, suddenly caught my breath
as subdued shutting noise came from
the office, I stole cautiously to the
shelf in the corner, picked up the six
shooter with which l had been practic-
Ing that afternoon, and felt around
for the box of cartridges. 1t seemed
strange enough TO remember after
wards that I did not begin TO be really
alarmed until 1 discovered how shaky
my hands We're. With every chamber
loaded, started back through the ad-
joining bed room so as to enter the of
flee at the far end, since the sound had
seemed to come from the corner by my
door. The moon was behind the clouds
leaving the room in utter darkness, anC
l stepped slowly along in my bare feet
fearing to run against a chair.
l had reached point which judged
to be about the center of the room,
and having heard nothing, had al
most persuaded myself that it was all
fancy on my part, when there was a
rustic ard movement apparently
ten or twelve feet ahead 1 stopped
short, with the hair on my head feel
ing alive and the rest of me feeling
dead-all but my spine, up which cold
chilis We're running in a most unnerv
ing way, and my heart, which had be-
gan to thump like a paving hammer
was horribly scared. If the thing
had been visible. it would have been
comparatively simple matter to tac-
kle il, man or beast, with a good pis-
tol, but the impenetrable blackness and
the diabolical possibilities coniured IN
by vivid imagination were almost
oVcrpowerinG.
Levelling my weapon, I called out
who Is that?' in a tone meant to be
commanding. There was one awful in.
stant of silence, and then the glare
from bulls eye lantern flashed into
my face. ! hastily pulled the trigger
and there was a crashing of glass as
the lantern went to the floor. Another
interninable moment, while / tried tC
decide whether or not it would be best
TO risk another shot, and then a great
band Of moonlight shot through tho
windows to the left-there stood the
motiOnless and indistinct figure of a
man few feet from me.
WHO the devil are you?" I cried
covering him.
He gave start and stepped forward
into the light. "Can you really see
me?' he asked, as if in astonshment
II can see you plenty well enough tC
put couple of holes through you II
you take another step this way"
Most peculiar" he murmured. 90
thought-ah, no; how stupid of me. /
was only the soul he wanted, not tn,
body"
This remarkable speech and the fel
lows utter disregard of the fact tha
my revolver was pointed at his head Sc
surprised me that involuntarily low
cred my arm.
For the third time-who are you p