Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-05-16
NEW SERIES, VOL. 1xXIv, NO. 20.

your being discovered while in a state
OF Inconsistencies. but not dead, and
the treatment they give you then is not
pretty. Many quick poisons are pain
tul, very painful, and in any case you
leave your body about after. So untidy
such want of neatnessl Every sui
| eide is anxious to wipe himself right
out. to get away from public attention
If he leaves that body about after, peo-
PIE sit on it and say that he was tenn
porarily insane, and one of the jury is
rude to the coroner, and the coroner is
severe to one of the jury, and the whole
thing gets into the papers and the fam
lily is disgraced, and everybody feels
that the death was grossly inartistic." "
81 don't know" said Streuth, "if
you imagine that by telling me these
| things you can deter me from the end
which l have in view. If SO, pray do
not waste your time and mine any fur
ther. i"
'I had no such idea." said Mr..
Blake. "All wish to do is to give you
chance of committing suicide in the
best possible way. No pain, no scandal,
no untidy body lying about afterward.
a simple, mysterious disappearance,
your own self respect saved, and the
feelings of your family spared.
''WeN, said Streuth, ''what is itP'
''Fire, plain fire. that is all. Near
Weybridge there is certain furnace
which is kept going day and night. Its
heat is enormous There are no half
measures about that furnace. The very
moment You go into it you are dead.
Half an hour afterward nothing of you
is left that is recognizable as ever hav-
ing been human. l will give you direc-
tions and admission card in exchange
for your check for So so soon as that
check has been cleared.
Streuth pulled five sovereigns from
his pocket and put them on the table.
81 viii take the directions and card
of admission now.
Certainly, said Blake. This lit
tie plan makes your way clear from
Weybridge station. 1t is six or seven
miles, and you will have to walk it
Cabs can be tracked. "
81 quite see that" said Streuth.
''For similar reasons you must not
inquire your way You cannot miss it !;
the plan is on a large scale and every
possible landmark is indicated. When
you reach the furnace (Which is sup
posed to be used in connection with
some brick works), you will find deaf
mute as night porter in charge. Hand
him the ticket, and he will show you
by signs what to do. ?"
Streuth took the ticket and plan.
shook hands and went out.
He was a passenger in the last train
to Weybridge that night
Three days afterward Streuth, with
smile on his face, called once more on
Mr.. Blake. Mr.. Blake did not seem at
all surprised to see him.
''Let us speak plainly, said Mr..
Blake "You were afraid of the fre2'
81 was, said Streuth
Every body is. 1t is the most awful
element, having in it something of the
supernatural l have sent 175 suicides
to that place and only three handed
their tickets to the night porter. .
''And did the three commit suicide2'
mol They came out again. Not one
of them has committed suicide or ever
will. You won't, for instance.
mo. said Streuth; common sense
has dawned. After all. = he muttered,
''she is not the only girl in the world.
MANY of my clients, said Blake
smilingly, give me some little present,
some trifiing souvenir on their return.
Streuth put his hand into his waist
coat pocket. AS he fumbled with the
coins he said, Suppose that one of
those three who did give up his ticket
to the porter had committed suicide,
you would have stood fair chance of
getting yourself into mess. -
mot at all, said Blake genially,
mot at all To prevent the possibility
of accidents there isn't any furnace. .
He swept the sovereigns from the
table into the palm of his hand.
"Most liberal of you, I'm sure -
Barry Pain