Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-09-17

II.
For the next three days we saw moth
ing Of Kovno or the others, as we were
both hard at work at the art school.
On Saturday, however, my weekly al
lowance having arrived, l made up my
mind TO go down to the country for
n few days and make some studies.
Feel couldn't come, as Dora was sit
ting to him on Monday. So, while he
started Off to the art school as usual
in the morning, l sauntered out to in
vest in sketchbook. On my way back
met Kovno. / had clean forgotten
all about the wager, and, having an
hour CT so to spare, I walked back with
him TO his studio He was in con-
versational mood, and kept chatter
ing on about some wonderful master
piece he was starting on.
When we got to the studio-a great
big barrack of place, which had once
been used by sculptor, and stood in a
kttle isolated plot of ground back
from the road--he produced some
whisky and glasses, bade Inc help my
self, rolled a cigarette, and started
work. 1t was n very hot day, and /
had been working late at black-and-
white work the night before. leaned
back drowsily in rickety old chair
and watched him rapidly sketching in
his picture on a large canvas. lit my
pipe, and took a long pull at my
whisky and water. After that sup
pose l went to sleep (I found ou5 after
ward that the whisky had been doc
| tnrn6l Anyhow I
member is waking up with a horrible
shooting pain running through all my
limbs. 1t was pitch dark. tried to
move and stretch myself. l couldn't
bulge an inch in any direction. was
securely bound hand and foot. In an
instant the truth flashed upon me.
kovno had heard of my intended jaunt
to the country, had lain in wait for
me, and deliberately lured me to the
studio. What he had done then beyond
.drugging me, or where 1 was, l had not
the faintest idea. l was at the same
time immensely relieved and distinct
ly annoyed-relieved to remember that
it was only joke, annoyed to think
of the simple way in which had been
taken in.
Hours passed, and the pain of ropes
cutting into me was intolcrable. /
began to get furiously angry-Kovno
was carrying the thing too far. /
shouted and yelled till | was hoarse,
and stamped my bound feet against
the wall, to which l had rolled in nv
struggles. The air was close and
sitting, and there was foetid earthly
small hpnt ~ I
nerve. | tried to count, TO reckon the
time-anything to distract my atten-
tion; but to no purpose. At last, utter
ly worn out and exhausted, lost con-
sciousness again.
The next thing remembered YVES a
faint glimmer of light and Kovno
bending over me. He was laughing 81
lently, and his eyes glittered weirdly in
the uncertain light. Icursed him furi-
ously in no measured terms, but as he
only continued to chuckle to himself In
that hateful, silent manner, L got |
more and more alarmed. l implored |
him to undo the ropes, l promised to |
sign any paper he liked, and o confess |
that he had won his bet, but not a |
word would he answer. He merely |
bent down, and, holding the light |
nearer to me, gloated over my helpless |
condition.
His face was all distorted by the |
dancing shadows, and his eyes cleaned |
in a perfectly detestable manner.
Suddenly the awful, horrible '-eTGfh
dawned upon me. He had gone madl
His mind, always of bid turn, had
oeen unable to withstand the fasc ua-
tions of putting his theories into prac-
tice. The lust of secret crime had got
hold of him, and the man was to all in
tents and purposes raying lunatic.
AS soon as | recognized this my last
vestige of self-control left me, bab-
bled Mt him incoherently, begged, 1
prayed, 1 laughed at him, but all in
vain. After standing looking at me in
silence for short time, and evincing
Il keen delight in my mental agony, he
turned and left me without word.
Hunger and thirst soon added to my
tortures. Theu the earthly smell of
the place, and the absolute blackness
and silence, must have made me delir-
Dus. l remember nothing more dis
tinctly-save one thing, too horrible
almost TO mention. In one of my more
lucid intervals / became aware of
Kovno sitting a. little sketching
easel, a light beside him, calmly and
rapidly making sketches of my dis
torted features, muttering and laugh
ing to himself the while.
1t was only after weeks of delirium
that came to myself and found Dora
sitting beside me in my own attic in
Wandsworth, and it was from her that
learned the manner of my escape.
My absence, it appears, was not mo-
ticed for the first threeadays, and was
supposed to be in the country.
Then Peel got alarmed, and he and
the others held consultation. Two
more days passed, and at last Doras