The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27

tnear teeth. Then she threw on her cloak
aad turned TO me. ! stood there, thrilling,
and shivering, and afraid to speak.
Sne was old. The bloodless leather of her
skin was broken by a thousand lines. Her
sack mouth was drawn into an evil smile,
and n the black opening one fang reared
IKE the tusk of wild boar. On her head
she wore, and her old arms and breast were
pare in the sagging waist
Who are YOU" / faltered, 'and why have
She threw back her head-the dogs
wnined under her laughing. Stupid one
she said, pouting her withered lips and leer-
Ing at me from beneath her baby curls,
don be angry with me-nay. Come in
and see hoy beautiful everything is
looked about. The hall was full of lamps,
globes of green and rose and violet, hang
ing in a solid cloud of color from the cell
ing. The floors were piled with rugs, one
Upon the other, ranging from the finest In
dian weaving to the cheapest factory Brus-
sells and the walls We're hidden under a
crust or brackets and clocks that all licked
together with a babel of tiny noises. The
woman dragged through the draped door
way into the parlor. Behind US the pack of
breath str RAINING against my hands. This
room was even more bizarre and extrava-
chair and sank down before me, her satins
giistening around her in yellow pool. The
dogs watched me;
angrily. looking around in hopes Of finding
a means of escape.
Over the mantelpiece hung the life-size
picture OF a woman; and as my glance rest
ed on it the blood leaped at my heart, for
how often had my eyes kissed that face,
red hair! A flood of joy swept over me; I
had found her at last-the lovely prisoner
of the glass eye!
rs she alive?" / gasped, pointing my
shaking finger toward the portrait.
The woman shivered herself, and again
the silky; chld's laugh dubbed up from
house, more beautiful than ever-she was
dead for SO many years, too-she has gold
beads now with blue things on them.
L drank in her incoherent words. May
/ see her?" 1 cried, starting up,
The old woman covered her face and be-
gan to sob. Her little shoulders heaved
piteously in the satin waist. An angry
shiver ran through the huddled dogs. Then
she stopped crying. ;, and, changing in a
you must be SO hungry" Rising, she
crossed the room and pulled an old-fash-
Toned bell cord. / heard the bell clamor far
away in the house, but no one answered
the summons.
She was therein the same house with
me! might see her at any moment.
have never been happy before and shall
never be happy again, but thank God for
that one night. Now | understand why
wise men have called life good
What the old woman was doing while
stood contemplating the picture 1 did not
notice. Presently felt her. tug at my
sleeve. She had drawn a table up before
me, and on it was tray piled with food
and medley Of glasses filled with clear
liquors that swung and Jared and sparkled
with every shake of the table, like goblets
full of fluid fire. 1 ate little and drank
nothing All through the meal we sat alone
that smirking, bediZened old maniac and
j, with the ring of dogs about u.s. watch
ing, their tongues lolling and drooling from
their big mouths Again and again tried
to find out from her something of that
other woman, whose painted smile Shone
down on me like starlight; but she avoided
my questions talked irrelevant nonsense
at me, like a guady little paroquet.
When the meal was over she took up a
lamp, and crossing the hail. she called to
in n T hnC n cd nf
then followed her for love of that other
woman. we went upstairs. The halls were
dark, with here and there the gray glmmer
of window. Finally we halted before a
door in an apparently unused wing of the
house. She opened it and motioned me to
enter. did so. The door slammed after
me- I heard the key turn and a wild burst
of laughter that shook the sinister echoes
down about my ears. Then came scam
and I was alone.
Where was 1? TIE darkness stuffed my
throat like crepe. l crawled slowly along
the wall for a few steps and listened, but
the silence was thick as the night. 1
moved along still further, feeling for a win
dow or door. The room seemed empty,
at least my sliding fingers met no resist
anee. At last l reached a window, and,
raising the sash, / threw open the blinds.
outside stretched the night sky, glossy with
star spangies. Nearer a tall tree swung
its black leaves against my hand.
The room was bare, as had thought, eX-
cept for an old canopied bed. 1 threw my
self down on it and began to think. After
bordering for half an hour, decided TO re-
main where I was and not try any plan of
escape. l was nearer the realization OF my
hopes than I had ever dared expect What
dogs? She had locked the door-well, per
haps that other woman would open It, so
I sat there and dreamed and waited, smll-
ing my happiness into the dark. remem-
Der hearing a, clock strike somewhere in the
house below me- OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
fled, booming tones.
&c he fit17n T hQ
for, though I did not hear her come into
the room when l opened my eyes she was
there aflame in the candle-Hght, just as l
had seen her once before in the last stare
of the glass eye, her withered body rigid
under her loose white gown her mad eyes
blazing red under her wrinkles, ana hlgn
above her stringy hair the thin glisten OF
a knifeblade. l caught at her arm as It
tbSoueb Ibe mattress and ring on the bed
springs. 1 struggled against her in a frenzy
OF terror, but she was as lean ana Stro Is,
faugtooth crunch through my coatsleeve.
and her scalding breath skunk in my face.
You devil" she Kissed, II knew you all
At last I twisted the knife from her; |
stabbed at her. She turned limp and doubled
over on the floor. L heard her coughing ana
splitting in the dark, then she sighed, a
great wrenching shudder, and lay stllI Inc
1 was Wild with fear. The noise of our
fighting had awakened the dogs, ana l
open window. caught a tree limb, ana,
holding fast, l plunged out. There was an
awful swoop and swing, the tWlgs neld
cut through my palm and broke with a
crackle fell heavily. For an instant only
| Law there then l bounded up and went
hvine through the garden.
cannot remember distinctly any incident
of my flight, only the rush of dim objects
by me- the snap of snarled grass roots ana
the ache of the breath that came pumping
into my lungs Hatless and shlverlng, L
boarded the midnight train. The sleepy
conductor took little notice of me. Soon
was at home in my own room, Washing
some wet, sticky splashes from my coat
sleeves. a
of NV story that makes it worth the pain
il has been to tell it. day or so after all
this happened l was sitting by my once
window Down in the street the newsboys
were calling an evening paper. | leaned ont
and listened. Here you are, all ABOUT the
murder of -" The name was lost.
hurried downstairs and bought copy.
Here is what J. read:
"Ofd Mime. CreSpo murdered-no apparent
motive for the crime-money ana leWelry
left untouched-a mans hat was round un-
der some rugs in the hall. stamped ana
torn to pieces by the dogs. This is the only
clew to the mystery.
s.Nnne Crespo, the eccentric widow OF the
late miser- millionaire Jacob Crespo hVeo
in her neglected country house outside the
he 10