The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-25

He put out his hand inyoluntarily withdrew If for
a second and them with an effort placed ii on the
forehead of the man in bed. The touch was Jelly
cold. Down over the heart went the hand; there
was response from that fountain head Then
Jose knew he was not looking upon sleep. Murder
or suicide2 He threw off the bedclothes expecting
10 see blood, but there was none. Just then lie saw
sheet OF writing paper lying table by the bed
side Picking 1t up eagerly he read:
Dear Brother: L have been taken suddenly ill
tonight If the worst should happen, when you come
on go at once into the shaft. In the second drift
exactly twenty-fOur feet from the shaft Dig
IN an instant the paper crushed in his hand
and thrust in his shrt-bosom. FurtiveIy he looked
around, as If in fear of being detected. He never
thought OF the body in the bed until his wandering
gaze fell upon the pad face and the distended eyes
staring fxedly at him. Nervously he moved to the
door, the eyes followed him. He stepped almost be.
hind the bed, and yet felt himself within range of
the awful vision. Many dead men he had seen be
fore but some one had always closed their eyes for
them. These eyes seemed to move like those of
some old portrait.
1t was late in the afternoon when he notified the
coroner of his discovery. The body was taken down
to the undertaken and the decided an inquest
unnecessary. Sanders belonged to a Masonic order
that took charge of the funeral arrangements. The
fact that Casadra left Virginia the night of the day
the body was discovered noted by some, but no
special significance attached to his departure
Two months later in a gambling house at Ell Paso:
crowd of men sitting and standing three deep
about the faro table; the dealers pushing the cards
out of the nickelplated box, unconcernedly paying
the lucky bets and sweeping away the others; every
one oppressively silent; all eyes the different
stacks of chips and the before the deal
er; the moneydrawer Of the table pulled far out
closing the shining twentes and Jose Casadra keep
ing cases. betting heavily and losing.
But he too old a gambler to betraY by an
expression which way the weather of fortune
pointed and when he had lost three heavy bets in
succession not muscle of his face changed as he
calmly put large stake on the to win and "eop-
pered" the king for equal amount hand
reached over the fringe of the crowd and placed a
modest number of chips on the same cards. The ace
won the king Like all of his superstitious fra
ernity he quick to notice the slightest incident
connected with change of luck and waited
for the hand before making his next venture. Again
it came the heads of the crowd, and this time
played combination of the five six. seven eight
and nine to win and the queen and jack to lose In
stantly Jose had 5000 the bets. Once
he was successful. When it came TO cali the turn
the party behind him bet 'trey-deuce lose did the
The trey and the deuce out i'll the order
named. Then he cashed In his chips. winner and
getting up from the table pushed through the crowd
to who it he had so luckily followed.
The man in a distant corner of the room by
himself. Jose's dark face became suddenly Tvid for
he found himself looking into the eyes of Jim San
ders. The eyes in the head of tall. heavily
built and smooth faced
'Whe-are-your weakly gasped Jose backing
away.
who am I?' replied the other in jocuar way
although his eyes belied it. "Who L? Why.
don't you know me?'
''Not-not-Jim? came Jose's hoarse whisper as
he gazed in increduous fright. But the blood WAS
slowly coming back into his face The voice
different if the eyes not
sNo I'm Tom-Jims brother. Jm's dead. We
know"
Eyes. II know, but your eyes? Damn youl
Where'd you get those eyes?7 The other advanced
step "My Cod 1t is JimT' he almost screamed.
he cringed in abject terror against the wall
Say, what kind of a fellow We anyhow, to be
skeart about a fellers brother? SpOse l hev got
Jm's eyes? Amt they good enough? Jim he'd lit
tie the best o. me-he a half-hour older. jest
KEN from Virginny. Everybody thought Jim left
stake, but he didn't feller-eastways none that
could find, How long since you been thar
Some of Joses confidence returning. FTe
muttered unintelligble reply.
How much money you gotT'
The colossal mpudence of the question would
have astonished any stranger. Jose looked angrily
amazed. He started to reply with oath. when
suddenly his face changed
Don't look like that" he whined
man, calmly but remorseIessly.
Jose struggled with himself to keep silent; but
the cold, deliberate and judging eyes compelled him
to speak and tell the truth.
"Fou-thousand- dollars" he fatered barely
above whisper.
$50 you've got four thousand dollars now?' echo
ed the other, in tones of great satisfaction.
.Abject fright again swept into Joses face -Four
thousand? Why that exactly the amount he
= The thought not finished in his mind
He saw that the eyes read guilt in his own By an
almost superhuman effort he broke the hypnotic spell
of the dreadful gaze and looked hurriedly about him
for help He tried to cry out, but his throat was
dry Then his hand shifted nervOusly behind him
for his revolver.
'"None O. thatl None of that cried his captOr.
warningly. "Ive got my eyes on ye, and I've got
good eyes-Jims eyes, you call 'em. Jfm's dead. but
I've got his eyes in my head and kin see with EN-
too. l kin you're guilty-guilty o. stealing four
thousand O. Jm's good money. 1 want that foHi
thousand ye got"
Jose blanched and terror stricken, made gesture
of denial.
NO use O. denyln It," resumed his Nemesis. cold