The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-03-12
MY MURDERER.

NELLIE had n fancy for some fresh
eggs for supper that evening, and
as she seemed ~disinclined to venture
out, l offered to go for them. We were
e all alone in the house, for father and
mother had gone to the country for
a few days, and Tom, OF course, was
away at the office.
When L opened the door to go out l
found All Sin, our Chinese washer
man, standing on the door mat. He
could speak no English, so l did not
waste any words on him, but just mo-
toned him to go upstairs; he would
find Nellie there, l thought, and she
could give him the clothes. l did not
want the bother of going back. l did
not call out to tell Nellie he was going
up; l did not think it necessary.
l must have beer gone about three
quarters of an hour, for the little dairy
where we got the fresh eggs was four
long blocks away, and | stayed awhile
talking to the young girl who waited
on me. 1t WAS getting dusk when l
reached our door, and | remember be
ing surprised when looked up ut the
transom to see that the hall lamp was
unlighted-NeIiie had such a horror of
darkness. | was even more surprised
when | opened the door to see All Sin
disappear down the passage and enter
the kitchen-the kitchen, dining-room
and Toms room arc the only rooms
on the first floor. Did | only imagine
it, or was there something furtive in
the Mongolian's movements?
bah, how fanciful | am getting" l
thought. Nellie has told him to go in
there to get the soilcd kitchen towels"
| lighted the hall lamp. left the eggs
on the table and ran up the stairs.
When l reached the landing l saw
something which made me so faint that
L had to lean against the banister for
support.
So that you will quite understand the
position in which | found myself, | will
describe our upper hall and the situa-
ton of the oonS Directly opposite
the landing was a window overlooking
the back yard; the bedroom Nellie and
l occupied together was on the left
side, the door opening near the head
of the stairs; mothers and he
parlor were in the front, a passage
leading to them from the head of the
stairs. The hall was fioOred with white
marble-a curious fancy of my fathers.
In front of each door was Il thick
yyoolIv red mat. Now, all the rooms
were closed, and trickling from under
the doors of our oom was a thin red
. stream, which formed Il great pool, and
which, though it had seemed so dark
downstairs, was here quite discernible
in the half light which came from the
hall window.
In n flash l saw it all. The Chinaman
had killed my sister; it was her life
blood which trickled from the door and
Law in that CHASTITY pool on the white
marble. 1 gathered my skirts to step
over it and enter our room and verify
my awful fears, when l heard n
stealthy. muff1ed football on the stairs.
In the horror of my discovery l had
FORGOTTEN that the Chinaman was still
in the house. In a moment he would
he upon me, and l would share the
terrible fate of my sister, who must
be dead, for who could lose all that
blood and live? Being sure, then. that
she was beyond my aid, I felt that l
must try, if possible, to save my OWL
life. Blu: how? Outside of the hall
window was a wide stone shelf on which
we kept pot plants: near it was a sta