The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1898-04-29
SECRET WITNESS.

at Is not every one" snid Mcnken,
murder, but / have"
"YouT / exclaimed.
Menken nodded.
"About four years ago / was travel
Ing In Switzerland. In the course of
my rambles | reached Tauserwald. l
was much taken with the place; the
scenery was superb, the hotel old-fash-
toned but delightfully."- comfortable.
"Therc were several people staying
there besides myself, but as l am gre
curious sort of fellow. was rather
glad of IT, After had been there about
fortnight, on entering the dining
room for dinner, l noticed some new
arrivals. Among them was party Of
three English-an old gentleman, his
young wife, and daughter of the old
gentleman's by former marriage.
'The daughter, poor girl. was blind.
She was about 20, and looked delicate.
cannot say she was pretty, and yet she
was not unpleasng The old boy, her
father, was Just like other English gen
tlemen you see about
'The wife was decidedly pretty; she
was about 2S.
81 was not long In finding out three
facts. First, that the old gentleman
was madly fond of his wife and indif-
fercnt to his daughter; secondly, that
the daughter adored her father and did
not like his wife; thirdly, that the wife
hated them both.
zone morning, after the party had
been In the hotel about a week. the old
gentleman did not appear as usual at
breakfast, and In reply TO inquiries his
wife said that he was not feeling well.
In the course of the day the doctor-an
Englishman, by the way-was sent for,
and In the evening the landlord, who
was as angry with the old man as II he
had got his Illness on purpose, told me
the old gentleman had been pronounced
by the doctor to be Ill Of gastric fever,
and that the case was serious. The
landlords anxiety was not without rea-
son. The fact could not be concealed
and the visitors began to leave in haste.
Only a few besides me remained. l am
not In the least nervous about illness.
and l had no intention of leaving the
place for such a cause, n resolve which
raised me greatly In the landlords es-
TEEN.
"One morning, about ten days after
the old gentlemans seizure, l met the
doctor coming down stairs. He looked
much less anxious than for some days
In n To-,
almost of satisfaction on his face.
allow is your patlentY l asked.
"'rhe crisis is past, or almost past
he answered, cheerfully. He owes his
life, II he pulls through. to the nursing
of his daughter, who is n triumph He Is
now asleep. and upon that sleep every
thing depends II he awakens In three
or four hours of his own accord. he will
be safe, In all human probability. Ev-
erything depends on his sleep. l have
told the landlord to be most careful.
There must be no noise of any sort. If
he were wakened suddenly, the shock
would KIN him as certainly as II you
fired bullet through his brain. l have
just told his wife OF this. All that Is
wanted ls-sleep.'
''rhe doctor nodded 20 me as he went
down the steps from the hotel, smiling
as II anticipating a triumph for his art.
Monsieur said voice ut my ell
bow. l turned and saw my friend the
landlord. Monsieur knows said he,
smiling sourly, that Austrian count
who was going to be so brave? Who
had no fears for slckness7 Well. that
so brave man. he also is now frighten-
ed-he was gone, monsieurl He went
early this morning. making excuses
but he could not deceive mel He was
frightened. He tried to Joke; he said
he could not sleep; that he had heard
all night the ticking In the wall, which.
he said, means DEATH
THAT is an English superstition.
too said.
"'Bahr said the inn-keeper. with
concentrated scorn; these are not times
for such foolish superstltions. Mon
sieur has no such foolish fanciesY
Il laughed. All. monsieur is bravel
Look. The Austrinn's room Is that
very room monsieur wished 10 have
when he first came. IL looks out upon
the glacier, and is, perhaps, my best
room. Monsieur thought he would pre-
fer one less expensive on the floor
above. Monsieur remembers? Well,
courage deserves to be rewarded. Mon
slur shall have the room for the same
price as the one he has now
IL thanked my friend, the landlord.
1t was certainly a room had coveted.
The view was superb. 1t was nearer
the dining and smoking room-in every
way a great Improvement on the one /
was occupying.
"'Can l have It at onceT l asked.
"'Oh. most certainly. OF course
monsieur knows the landlord went Oh
slowly. that 1t is the room next to the