The suburban citizen., 1900-09-01

But here another surprise awaited
me. The bedstead was immOvable. 1t
was rather a heavy structure, certain
ly, being of the old-fashioned oaken
kind; but it must weigh a ton. l
thought if 1 could not, under the ner-
vous excitement that pervaded me,
raise one end of it; and yet all the
strength could exert availed nothing.
Further examinations showed that
the legs Of the bedstead were secured
to the floor by small iron knees
screwed in solid
1t was evidently time for serious re-
Election. why was this movable socket,
ahd this immovable bedstead. con-
structed? The first was to admit Of
easy ingress to the room, and the sec
ond to hold the bedstead in a certain
place for a certain and, 1 was now
convinced, terrible purpose.
Removing my boots, carefully tray-
ersed the room, pressing against the
sides Of the wall in all directions for
some secret or sliding panel.
Failing to find anything of this char
acter, l examined the bedstead still
more closely, removing the coverings
and even the mattress; but aside from
the fact of its being riveted to the
floor, there was nothing peculiar about
it.
Fixing a chair in the centre Of the
bed enabled me to reach the ceiling
and l could then see that what had
appeared from the floor to be small
assures in the wall were straight lines
running parallel to each other and two
feet apart, and covering the entire
width Of the bedstead, with transverse
lines at each terminus
Bringing the candle still nearer dis
closed the fact that these lines were
formed by sharp iron edges, forming
an oblong box setting flush with the
wall, and covered with white paper in
imitation of the ceiling.
Puncturing this paper showed the
affair to be some murderous machine,
that could be dislodged from above,
and come down on the bed with suffi-
cient force to smother the occupant
and pin him down until death cnsued;
the width Of the missile making its
action sure, no matter upon which
side Of the bed the sleeper might be
resting
"A long sleep, and pleasant dreams
to you" In the light Of my discover
les, the words were Ominous, indeed.
1t was plain that l was in q den of
most terrible character, and that, If
repose was sought on that bed, the
sleep would in truth be a long one.
Another struggle for life" / said to
myself, for 1 well knew that, after the
machine had fallen the assassns
would enter the door with the yielding
socket, and finding the trick had failed,
would see the necessity of making
short work of the man who had dis
covered it.
My plan was quickly formed. First
eXtinguishing the light, divested my
self Of all superduous clothing, and ar
ranged the bed to show as nearly as
possible that it contained an occupant;
and then retired to a corner of the
room best suited to concealment, to
await developments.
The storm had not yet entirely sub
sided, and under the circumstances,
the occasional flashes Of lightning lit
up the room with a glare that made
It look wierd spectral and unearthly.
My revOlvers were in capital work
ing order. They had been MY friends
in many a deadly encounter, and l
trusted to them and a genuine bowie
to pull me through.
The hours wore away slowly. AS
near as 1 could judge it must have
been about two o'clock in the morn
ing, when, completely worn out with
the fatigue Of the day and the excite
ment of the night, nature succumbed,
and 1 fell into a slight doze.
From this / was suddenly brought
to full consciousness by a rushing
sound that sent a thrill Of horror
through me. Then there was a dull,
heavy thud on the bed, and the clank-
ing Of chain, indicating that the
machine had fallen.
Inc SHeHl suspense IN Wnlcn 1 was
kept during the next ten minutes made
them seem like so many hours; but it
could not actually have been more than
ten minutes before the glimmer Of a
light through the chinks of the door
convinced me that the assassins were
coming to add robbery to the crime
Of their supposed murder.
The spiral wire in the bolt socket
SNAPPED with a sharp click as they
pressed against the door, and in
moment afterward the old man entered
the room stealthily with a huge knife
upraised, and behind him came the
son, carrying an iron sledge, and hold
ing a candle aloft, and both father and
son gazing intently upon the bed.
The survey seemed satisfactory, for
the work appeared only too well done.
The old man chuckled horribly, and,
dropping his knife. bade the younger
to put down the candle and sledge, and
aid him to raise the box. The order
was obeyed with alacrity.
The position had assumed before
their entrance had served to place mo