Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-31

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from top to bottom.
But, all at once, I noticed an ex
traordinary circumstance. The glass
did not reflect the stove and chair
which were the only objects now in
front OF it, neither did I see myself
mirrored in it. On the contrary. ]
saw in it only bed and in the bed lay
a form-a woman's form. 1 could see
quite plainly how her black hair was
tossed about on the pillow in curly
disorder.
'It seems queer" said to myself,
with, must confess, very weird and
uneasy sensation; "deuced queerl"
J. should like to have done some
thing-turned on the light, rung q
bell, or, in fact, done anything but
what did do, stand there rooted to
the spot, with fascinated eyes fixed on
that glass.
Where the dickens did that bed
come from? And who was the woman
in it? TWAS not my wife, that I could
swear, for her hair was fair and fluffy,
and that woman's was black as night.
Then, as | watched my hair literally
stood on end with horror. L believe
[ was shaking with fright, for 1 saw
that figure sit bolt upright in bed, a
look OF such wild terror in her face as
[ shall never forget-never to my
dying day. Her eyes fixed on some
thing [ could not see, grew strained
and staring, in perfect agony of fear
and horror. / saw her open her mouth
as though to say something-to cry
out thoughtit was. saw the flush
of sleep fade from her cheeks, leaving
an ashy whiteness in its place. Then
she threw out her hands with a pas
sionately pleading gesture toward
something that was coming to her-a
very agony of appeal in her every
movement.
And at that moment there came
into the blaze of light tall mans fig
ure. He seemed to come from the
end of the bed, as though he had en-
tered the room by door Immediately
opposite to it. I'm fash of recollec-
tlon | remembered third door in our
room, opening directly opposite my
wife's bed. ] could not see the man s
face; he was dressed in some sort of a
dressing gown, and in his uplifted
hand he held a knife. He paid not
the slightest heed to the agonized ges-
lures OF the woman. He simply ad-
yanced to the head of the bed with
great strides. The woman crouched
back against the pillows, her poor lit
tie hands pitifully beating against his
shoulder, but he seemed utterly re-
gardIess of her terror or of her ap-
peals. He pressed her bacl1-farther
farther back against the pillows, and
l saw her white, upturned face gleam
in the flashing light. [ could see the
fearful, deadly terror in her dark eyes
as suddenly he raised the great knife
in one hand, holding the other over
her mouth-to stop her screaming,
l suppose.
But he did not, as I expected,
plunge the knife deep into her heart.
No, he lifted the pillow, like another
Othello, and pressed it down, down
upon her, till [ felt as if myself was
being suffocated. Then he lifted it
up again, and laid her down, and as he
did so and turned away, laying the
knife beside her on the bed, L saw his
face-a dark, evil, DEVILS face. 1t
seemed to glover at me out of the
brilliantly lighted glass just for sec
ond, and then [ saw his every feature
the black, evil eyes, the hard
mouth, the low forehead, over which
a straight lock of hair fell. 1 saw
how he lifted his hand to push the
hair out of his eyes--ard then, all at
once, the light faded out of the glass
and could see no more.
The room was in darkness, and,
sick with horror, shivering with a bor-
rible dread, l crept into bed again.
did not sleep another wink. L could
only lie and puzzle over the gruesope
thing had seen, and speculate over
and over again as to its cause and OBJ
iect. But [ arrived at no solution,
and never in my life have L been so
thankful as | was that morning to see
the gray dawn steal through the We
netians and to hear the birds calling
to each other in the garden below.
My wife remarked on my appear
ance, which was certainly noi alto
gether festive. Avoiding as best I
could my wife's anxious questions, I
dressed hurriedly, being above all
things anxious that she should never
know of the horror L had seen in that
hateful glass. [ went downstairs as
soon as ! could, and sought out the
owner Of the hotel.
He was not master of my Ian
guage, but, fortunately, am familiar
with his, and asked him quietly, but
with good deal of lordly severity, to
explain my extraordinary experience
of the previous night.
l think he meant at first to deny all
knowledge of the phenomenon; but
he had turned visibly pale at my al
lusion to it, and obviously knew all
that was to be told. And, with little
more browbeating, I got it out of him.
He apologized most humbly and pro-
foundly for having put us into that
room; but, as he explained, the hotel
was SO full that it was unavoidable.
He then went on to tell me that,