The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-03-10

monsieur knows the landlord went on
slowly. and looking little doubtfully
at me. that it is the room next to the
sickroom where that old man is lying
ILL
Il laughed, and l think the express
sion of my face reassured the land
lord as to my being completely indif-
ferent to such matters, for he went on;
Monsieur is man. The room is
ready, and at your disposal.
HE was going away, but came back
quickly. Only monsieur will pardon
me for reminding him that the doctor
has ordered that no noise shall be
made near the sickroom. He says the
old mans life depends on his sleeping
quietly 1t would be better, perhaps,
not to move monsieur's luggage down
till the evening"
''Of course assented; but feeling
desirous of seeing my new and much
coveted possession, and feeling sure of
my ability to enter it without making
any noise. | went UP stairs, quietly
stole down the corridor, and entered
the room without possibility of my
having been heard. 1t was large,
bright, cheerful apartment, in the
older part of the hotel. 1t was vain
scoted, with oak panels The window
was large, and, as have mentioned be-
fore, commanded one of the most ex-
quisite views to be found in Switzer-
land
Il looked around the room with a
sense of satisfaction. / have told you
| am observant of my fellow w-creatures;
| am no less so of inanimate objects.
have an eye in such matters a detective
might envy | soon saw a mark or
cut in the wainscoting on one side of
the room. 1t was SO small that | be-
lieve many men might have passed
days in the room without noticing it.
| am an inquisitive man, and / at
once went to it and examined it. 1t
was chink in the wood; stopped and
looked through. The whole of the in
terror of the sickroom was visible.
Three silent figures were the occus
pants. On the bed lay the old man,
sleeping, his gray hairs on the pillow;
at the side knelt in prayer his blind
daughter; behind the daughter-close
behind-was the wife, She alone
seemed living. She was drawing
Btealthily-oh how stealthily and slow
ly-a small round table laden with
jugs and medicine bottles across the
floor
AT first / did not realize what she
was doing. | knew she had every mo-
tive to be Silent in her movements.
but | caught sight of her facet 1t was
the face of a DEVIL Never were eyes
so hldeously expressive of murderous
hate! In flash l understood it all.
She was moving the table to po~
sitlon such that the slightest movement
of the kneeling figure of the blind
daughter, praying for her fathers life,
would hurl it and its fragile burden to
the ground.
i dare say you think | am callous
sort of fellow, but / assure you / was
horror struck | would have given
worlds to warn the poor child. but
knew not how. TO have called OUT
would have been as fatal as the catas~
trophe itself
L felt paralyzed. The
end came before my swimming brain
could find any way to help. The poor
girl rose, her hands still elasped. | saw
the table reel, and as I, sick with hor-
ror, withdrew my eyes, | heard the
crash, followed by piercing shrek
Menken paused. ~Give me the
whiskey, old chap Thanks"
Did he die?" | asked.
He was as dead as if you had fired
4 pistol through his brain, said Men.
ken, quietly.
After pause he went on: 81 slip
ped out of the room before the hub
bub began. No one ever knew had
been in it. | had, however. to sleep
in it that night, and though you know
am not a superstitious fellow at all.
l assure you it was very uncomfort-
able night. l kept starting out of my
sleep, thinking l heard the crash and
scream next door. 1t took me nearly
week to get over it.
We smoked in silence for some min
utes.
Il wonder what became of that wo.
mani" I said
oh, she married again The daugh-
ter died about year after this hap
pened, believe.
How did you find out?' I asked, a
little surprised.
Well, it was rather curious I went
to stay down in Devonshire last sum
mer in country house The first
person I saw was our ingenious friend.
the murderess, quite cheerful and iol-
ly | took her in to dinner"
Somehow | don't like Menken, but
he never bores me.
The Citrate of Alaska.
u, ii. g Il