Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-25

ear. snatching her franticaIly by the arm.
Go in ana lie down beside her. 1t will
keep her quiet, and then you can have your
sleep out
She obeyed me in the same dog-like
manner in which she had followed me
about, and although. in the face of this
dOcility it seemed a brutal act, l turned
the key securely upon her, feeling an al
most murderous thrill of satisfaction as
her murmuring died away in the denser
stupor into which the confined air of the
place plunged her.
And none too soon did those mutterings
cease, for l now distinctly heard steps
mounting the stairs. with evident care not
to tread too roughly Not daring to meet
any questioncr where I then was, [ rushed
softly into the hall, where the happy con-
Ception seized me of affecting to be just
the point of leaving the sick room. when
my visitor should come up. 1t well,
| though that the darkness IF the hall con-
cealcd my guiIt-stained features, or The
nerest child must have detected some mis-
| chief brewing.
rs that You doctor?" came IN 2 eroul-
| irg whisper from Brown. while a firm cool
! hand seized suddenly l all bat
| sErieked, shattered my self-control.
how? 1t sounded as though a pair of you
| were dancing the mnuet. | thought an or
| der for quiet was given"
And 50 it was l managed to say coldly,
| as a man without humor who feels himself
| affronted with a Jest, But !: hape that
| does not interfere with Mrs. Hoskins heat
ing hannels at my orders for your niece
| now that her fever has suddenly left her"
| Brown gave soft whistle. ITO be sure
not. he said, with more civility. Il in
! tended 5tsrospect I assure yoG. but
kindly ask Hoskins to tpe-and-heel iC in her
| stocking feet hereafter"
| Sir exclaimed | irritably.
I'm a wretched sleeper. he explained
coming hastily back to dienIied discourse
and Hoskins should know it. / can't I'M
agine how she had the temerity to g
| crashing about
Shivering like wind-swept reed, I
| waited for him to demand that he should
see his niece, or call for the disgraced Hos
{ Eins, but these trials We're not laid upon
| ne. for now with a restless yaWn he !eft
me. after mild hope Tor the further i'm
| prorement of his niece, and when the last
| echoes of his steps mad died away crep.
| back TO the room L had left and stood
trembling there for some moments before
| could be certain that he had really gone
| with no suspicion to bring him creeping up
| those stairs again.
For ten minutes 1 waited. while the house
was silent as the grave. Not a board
creaked, not curtain rustled. Then. draw
| ing off my shoes. | made softly across to
| window, which l reasoned must look out
| upon the place where the ferocious blood
hound lurked. Inch by inch. ike a trained
| housebrSaker. l raised the SASH my heart
| stopping dead still at the faintest creak
| then rushing on with congestive Jerks at an
| easy Slide until finally it was propped up
at height to admit of putting out my head
| and shoulders. r. al-,
| Cautiously | peered forth into the dark
! ness. for dark it was, with only a star glim-
| mering here and there and nothing but
| faint outlines Of the Jagged mountain peaks
| showing themselves against the sky The
| air was keen and cold. and the ground COW
cred with a skim of hard, dry snow A nice
| night indeed for. people to be launching
| themselves from second-story windows and
| taking to their heels through unknown
/ frozen districtstf ~
| wen end up at fhe bottom of a canyon
| with fractured bone or two for company"
| / muttered, as let my gaze roam despond-
| emily about There's the dog sure enough"
| as my eyes, becoming more accustomed to
! the darkness, made out a moving black
body the snow beneath
a second-story window and another and
| quite different thing to rid yourself quietly
| Of him. On ally other night 1 should have
! exclaimed Impossible" and tameiy closed
| the window But on this special night my
mind seemed fairly lurid with bright
table. clutched the napkin from my lunch
tray, and found that L had not exhausted
the generous supply of cold meat sent up
| for my refreshment. With trembling fin
| gers l spread out the contents of the medi-
cine chest upon chair close by and began
| In purblind fashion TO study the different
labels.
Confusion seized upon my mind at the
first row. How could medical men pretend
to understand such gibberish? My mind
had not been neglected in my youth, and
yet could make nothing of it. Defeat
| stared me in the face; but. with cold.
| proud smile, I counted the number of bot
ties had before me. Then with few bold
| slashes 1 had the meat quartered and lying
| ready TO my hand
This done. and the bottles divided into
four different sets and ranged conveniently
! about me- my real work began. The frst