El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-29
Ell PASO DAILY HERALD, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 49, 1892

Ing drOuuu anu OILY ueS All
there is a foul evil in the night. Away
and out, out of the housev'
With a rush l fought my way UP
step by step to the hall above and
CROPPED toward the dim light shining
pallidly through a narrow glass win
dow above the door. "Will it be lock
ed?' 1 thought fearfully to myself. 'Is
there not something following on my
track" 1 turned the handle and pull
ed it fiercely toward me. The door
yielded, and l rushed into the open.
"Anything wrong, 'sir?" And with
the words came a broad flash of light
which, settling momentarily on my
face, dropped as quickly to my bare
feet and back again. Anything
wrong, sir?' And the voice drew clos
er. the light flashing past me into the
dark hall behind. Then the outline of
q helmet and cloak doomed darkly upon
me, and L found my voice in the pres
ence of a constable of the law.
eyes; the house is full of gas, and
they've gone. I might have Eeen suf-
located. Perhaps they wanted to suf-
focate me. I don't know-I'-
"Who've gone? What's their manner"
the constable interrupted abruptly.
''The landlady-the landlord-the
daughter. 1 don't know their names,
but look here, constable" and 1 pro-
ceeded to give my late experience" to
him in a wool of words.
The man evidently did not know
what Interpretation to place upon Ell
Their me or my story, and small Won
der, 1 hardly knew myself, but extin-
gushing his lantern proposed that we
research the house together. This we
did carefully and cautiously. At the
initial stage Of our exploration we,
or rather he, discovered that the hall
gas burner was turned on full and the
gas issuing from it at a high pressure.
might have been blown out by the
draft" suggested the constable as he
turned into a sitting room, which l
had already searched, and threw open
its windows to sweeten the atmos-
phere. Eyes, it might" I assented.
respectfully if it was left lighted, by
the hall door, which, by the by, was
unbolted when 1 came down stairs
But to make long story a short one,
there was nobody in the house. Not a
living thing, with the exception of a
dog chained up in the back yard, which
was surrounded, so far as we could
see, by high walls. This was the poor
brute whose mOurnful bowling had first
aroused me and that now seemed fran
tic with joy at the delusive prospects
OF social termination to his gloomy
reflections. With the discovery of the
dog and the yard our search ended,
and the constable intimated to me that
be should summon additional assist
ance. A shrill call on his whistle from
the hall door translated the decision
INTO action, and with the arrival of
another constable upon the scene I |
was called upon for a fresh explana-
ton. The second official head threw |
no more light upon the case than the |
first, but offered a suggestion. Lets |
knock up the neighbors, p'r'aps they |
know summat about it,
To the right and back and then to
he left went that constable. Rata
at, tat-a-tat! went the knockers. Up
vent windows; out came heads
Who's there" What dye wantY'
What dye say-who's my neighbour?
What neighbor-what dye mean?
Ind then doors opened, and other
oors caught the infection, and they
pened. In short, there was a pretty
to do" and half dressed crowd soon
hivered around the steps Of No. 113
was quite harried with their Ques-
ions. I had no sooner arrived at the
nd of one series than l was plunged
ito another. 1 had no sooner satiated
ne individuals desire for knowledge
han 1 was called upon to feed some
ne else. Whether my brain and my
,mper would have stood the strain for
cry long 1 can't say, but L may add
lat this is difficult question to pro-
ound even to myself. Happily 1 was
1tricated from the unpleasant situa-
on by being led off to the nearest POI
&c station, to be detained there pend
g further inquiries, as the result of
lose just made showed the existence 4
a local caste feeling which took no Z
tie of the existence of the occupants
No. 113, and it appeared we'll to the
orce" under these circumstances to I
I'D me fast for the present. a
At the station 1 told the inspector =
duty all about myself quite like
tie boy. But he did not appear sat
led and muttered some word to him
Ii that sounded to me like "suS-
cious'' and which resulted in my Sc
Ision- 1t was but temporary, as the T
suit of the further inquiries proved
me, that is to say.
lis was what they proved: That my
ldlady, my landlord and their daugh-
. had left the house No. lib and had
t it in the night; that they had left
in the night because they were in
bit for their furniture (Which was
,eO and for their rent and because. r
and by the evidence of GER -
n tradesmen, they possessed no G
,ney to settle those vulgar claims. =
70 them my half a crown, paid in a