The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1898-04-29
sick-roOm where that old man is lying

sick-room where that old man is lying
ILL.,
81 laughed, and think the express
sion of my face treasured the landlord
as to my being completely Indifferent
to such matters, for he went on:
Monsieur Is a mani The room il
ready. and nj your disposal
ale was going away, but came back
quickly. Only monsieur viii pardon
me for reminding him that the doctor
has ordered that no noise shall be made
near the sick room. lie says the old
mans life depends on his sleeping
quietly. II would be better, perhaps.
not TO move monsieur's luggage down
TIL the evening"
"Of course / asscnted; but feeling de-
sirous of seeing my new and much COW
eted possession, and feeling sure Of my
ability to enter II without making any
noise, l went upstairs, quietly stole
down the corridor, and entered the
room without possibility Of my hay
Ing been heard. 1t was large, bright,
cheerful apartment In the older part
of the hotel. II was wainscoted, with
oak panels. The window was large,
and, as have mentioned before, com
mandcd one OF the most exquisite views
to be found In Switzerland.
IL looked around the room with
sense OF satisfaction. | have told you
| am observant of my fellow-creatures;
am no less so OF inanimatc objects.
have an eye In such matters n detec-
tive might envy. | soon saw mark
or cut I'm the walnscotlng on one side of
the room. 1t was 80 small that l believe
many men might have passed days in
the room without noticing It. / am an
inQuisitive man, and at once went to
II and examined It. 1t was chink In
the wood; stopped and looked through.
The whole of the interior of the sick
room was visible. Three silent figures
were the occupants. On the bed lay
the old man, sleeping, his gray hairs on
the pillow; ut the side knelt In prayer
his blind daughter; behind the daugh-
ter-close behind-was the wife. She
alone seemed living. She was drawing
stealthily-oh, how stealthily and slow
Iva small round table laden with jugs
and medicine bottles across the floor.
AT first l did not realize what she
was doing. l knew she had every mo-
tive to be silent in her movements, but
/ caught sight of her facet 1t was the
face of DEVIL Never were eyes so
hideously expressive of murderous
hatel In flash understood 1t all.
"She was moving the table to a posi-
ton such that the slightest movement
Of the kneeling figure Of the blind
daughter, praying for her fathers life,
would hurl 1t and its fragile burden to
the ground.
81 dare say you think am a callous
sort Of fellow, but assure you 1 was
horror struck. / would have given
world to warn tho poor child, but knew
not how. To have called out would
have been as fatal as the catastrophe It
self.
II felt stupehed- paralyzed. The end
came before my swimming brain could
find any way to help. The poor girl
rose. her hands still clasped. l saw the
table reel, and as l, sick with horror,
NlllQitN my tl tof httllQ tIt OlbCn1
followed by a piercing shrek"
Menken paused "Give me the whis-
ky, old chap. Thanks"
ibid he die?" asked.
"IIe was as dead as If you had fired
pistol through his BRAIN" said Men
ken quietly.
After n pause he went on 81 slipped
80 40 k,rl H.
gan. No one ever knew had been in It.
had, however. to sleep in 1t that night,
and though you know am not super
stitious fellow at all, assure you 1t
was very uncomfortable night. kept
starting out Of my sleep, thinking
heard the crash and scream next door,
1t took me nearly week to get over It,"
We smoked In silence for some min
utes.
~ wonder what became of that
womanr' / said.
''Oh. she married again. The daugh-
ter died about year after this hap
pened, believe"
'How did you find out?7 l asked, a
little surprised.
swell, II was rather curious. l went
to stay down In Devonshire last sum-
mer in a country house. The first per-
son saw was our ingenious friend, the
murderess, quite cheerful and jolly.
took her In to dinner"
Somehow don't like Menken, but he
never bores me.
Paris Bohemians."
The painters, sculptors and poets OF
Mnntmartre nov the ..hnhnInln NJ lll1n Z