Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-11-02
DURING THE NIGHT.
A Ledger Wakes and Smells Gas.
Nobody In the House and a
General Mystery.
BY NEIL WYNN WILLIAMS.

| N<E%.>(.>''%.H.r:%.T.<.Ss EsSSHXEEXIXESS
| have an affinity for awkward pre-
dicaments, and to submit to what /,
popularity known as an experience
is, if not exactly my daily lot in life
my very frequent fate. For the on,
that am about to describe paid hal
crown. The sensations that that hal
crown brought to me We're in excess O.
what had anticipated and strained
every nerve in my body. Yet am no
a fool, and no one Is in his own estima
ton.
Twas a November day; the time,
o'clock in the evening. | was in Lon
don street and had just viewed to my
satisfaction a bow window in which
was hung up card with departments
to Let" printed upon 1t. With the
knowledge that ! wanted bed for the
night md with the card before me
what could be more natural and with
in the ordinary lot Of man than to as
cend the fight of steps that lay before
me, knock ring. enter and secure bed
for half a crown, paid in advance! TIC
my mind there was such a plethora OF
vulgar incident in this that | remem-
Der the transaction but dimly. That
was received by landlady (she WAS
middle aged think and escorted by
her to n comfortable bedroom on the
second floor that | was left there with
pen and ink, that | called for some
writing paper and was waited upon by
a girl who aid that she would ask her
father for some. that when she had
brought it to me ! wrote several let
ters and aftcrward went to bed-all
this is fixed vaguely In my memory by
it's simlitude TO many another night
that | have passed under hired roof.
Then there ONES blank, which grows
into memory again with the lugubrious
sound of prolonged howl-a dogs.
1t was dark, so dark that the cur
tanned window of my room offered but
the faintest suggestion of the fog
swathed light without. Again and
again the oppressive silence and heavy
gloom around me were intensified to
my semiconsciousness by the howl
without dying down to a whisper, to
extinction. A nervous feeling took
possession of me, and, fed upon The
darkness, sat up in bed and drew a
long breath to free myself of it's incu-
bus. What was there foul with the
night that ii came so heavily to my
lungs? For the moment | was puz
zled, but only for the moment. and
then. half sufocated, calculated: 1T
is gas! There is an escape of gas!'
With a wave of my arm threw the
beiclothes to one side and with an ca
ger leg placed foot to the floor Then
l stood up and hesitated. Should |
ring, should call? ''No," l muttered
to myself as l reflected that it WAS
more than probable that the servant
would strike match in coming to
my room. Besides, the escape was
perhaps in my room. A step ana
grope would tell me. felt cautiously.
No; the tap was as it should be!
Then thought lapsed into instinct,
and action supervened. | crept quietly
to the door and. turning the key in its
lock with the caution of a thief and
drawing the door into the blackness OF
nv ROOM faced the blackness that
vaster lay outside it. Gently, gently,
with a hand touching cold wall, l
crent onward and to my left. My fin
gers were caught by projection. They
passed it by and sank into hollow
twas a door. l turned the handle and
whispered gently but distinctly through
the now half opened door: Its l, MIR.
Snipe, the lodger. Don't strike match,
There's an escape Of gas. The house Is
full Of it, Are you there? DO you
hear? There's an escape of gas
No answer, but again the deg howl
ed, and again felt nervousness
come over me as entered the room to
feel for the bed and found it empty.
In and out Of the walled blacknrss, to
another room ami another empty.
Then up the stairs. To- right i::.u lcrt
and back again nobody.
Down aud down through tie dark
ness. thp ghost Of light in hall LASS
with hero Il stumble and there a stun
ble-to the basement, warm and odor-
ifero,,s with kitchen odors tainted with
gas. Verify |. and only |. was in the
house. Suddenly the dog ceased to
howl. and ! heard the dripping OF
water tap drip. drip. drip. And with
the fall Of the water came to me
measure of time and thought again:
"Wl,u does it mean. this empty, black
house? Why is this sitting gas seeth-
ing around me, and only me? All,
there is foul evil in the night. Away,
and out. out Of the house"
with rush fought my way up
sten 'y step to the hall above and
c:aad toward the Gin light shining
pallidly through narrow glass win
dow above the door. "Will it be lock-
eJY thought fearfully to myself. us
there not somAhing following on my
t,arE?" turned the handle and pull
ed it tiercely toward me. The door
yielded, and rushed into the open.
"Anythng wrong, sir?" And with
the words came q broad flash of light
which, settling momentarily on my
face, dropped as quickly to my bare
feet and back again. Anything