The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-08-24
THE MIRROR.
1t Told the Story Of a Diabol-
icai Murder.

will have that wardrobe moved, won't
you? If I were to wake in the night and
see my own face in its mirror should be
so horribly frightened. Do have it
moved, Jack, dearv'
The wardrobe, which had been placed
precisely opposite one of the two beds
| that jutted out from the wall between
| the door and window, was moved to the
| center near to the window itself, SO that,
| although from the beds we could still
catch glimpse of the glass, we could see
nothing reflected in it.
We were staying in big, pleasant no.
tel, the locality Of which matters little.
| 1t must have been very late before we
went up to our room. slept the sleep of
the just, as l usually do, and, l should
think, must have been asleep for some
time, when suddenly fash of light be-
fore my eyes woke me. My first impress
sion was that 1t must be lightning; my
next, that my wife had turned on the
electric light over our heads. But as 1
woke up finally realized that the room
was dark. From the bed next to mine I
could hear quiet breathing, showing be-
yond doubt that my wife was asleep.
But-but-I sat up in bed and stared,
for the long glass in the cupboard, which
had been moved that afternoon, was en-
tirely lighted up. As l have said, this
cupboard now stood nearer, and, though
1t was not opposite my bed, the light up
on the glass had evidently flashed into my
eyes and awokei me, but where in the
name Of fortune had the light come from?
rubbed my eyes, leaned little out Of
bed, as l tried to persuade myself that
some light from outside must be reflected
In the glass, though l knew perfectly
well that thisswas impossible, for not on
ly were the venetians closed, but the cur
tains inside the room were also drawn.
Then. tried to think that the light
opening into ours, but this was a still
more fallacious argument, for the door
in question was on the farther side of
my wife's bed, and nothing could by any
means have been reflected from 1t into
that glass.
SWELL" thought, II am the victim of
a most extraordinary optical delusion!'
for, while sat up in bed and stared at
it, that glass remained steadily lighted
up!
II shall get up and see if it is some
thing outside the window" I muttered,
and, creeping very softly out of bed, l
drew back the curtains and gently open
ed the venetians. Everything in the
garden was absolutely still and pitch
dark. Not sign was to be seen in any
direction Of light of any sort or kind,
and even the stars were blotted out by
great black clouds. ] turned back to-
ward the room. 1t, too, was entirely
dark, with the exception of the glass,
which was still brilliantly lighted from
top to bottom.
But all at once l noticed an extraor-
binary circumstance. The glass did not
reflect the stove and chair which were
the only objects now in front of it;
neither did l see myself mirrored in it.
On the contrary, saw form-a wom-
ans form. l could see quite plainly
how her black hair was tossed about on
the pillow in curly disorder.
ut seems queer" said to myself,
WITH | must confess, very weird and
uneasy sensation; "deuced qucer!''
should like to have done something
turned on the light, rung 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 +bot bod cono
fromY And who was the woman in 10
IT was NOT nv wife that 7 cnulI sworn
for her hair was fair and fury and that
womon's was black os niybt ~
Thnn ,s watched nv boir 1;+oro1I,
stood m cnd with hnrror hoIisro 7
was Sinking win FRIGHT For 7 cow thot
feure sit holt unright in bod n lool. ~
snch wild terror in hor f,ce nc 7 shall now
or forpnt-nevcr IN NV DYING dnv Uar
ewes fyed on something ceulT NOT coo
grow strained and e+orin,, In , nnrfnot |
agony of fenr md Lorror eau har
onen her month ns tbougb to saw soro.
thinr-to rrv out 7 thnnyht II vos
sow the fusb of slenn fade from her :
checks leaving an osbv wh;tenoss i, Il. !
nloce. Then she throw out hor hands
with n nossionotelv nleading rostura tn.
ward somothng that wos ce,n;nn 70 hor
a very oronv Of nnneal in ber ornrv
movomrnt
And ot tbot mo,nert +boro anna into
the blaze of lirht n tail mans Grnre Ia
seemed to come from tho and ~ ,ho bod
MS Though bc Ind enterod tbe room hy
door immodiotelv onnos;to =, II Go
aush NJ recollection / romon horod = t,,;rd
donr in our room ,non;nu d;.aot,,, 49,, N
sito nv wifa,s hal / on,,,d not ,o op H.
'N' N'"'u NV "ee 'he