Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-03-03
FROsTBURG, Md, SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 1900.

Ing around me. and Dnly me? All,
there is foul evil in ti,n night. Away,
and out. out of TIE house.
with rush | fought my way up
step by step to the hall above and
CROPPED toward the dim light shining
palI.dly through Il narrow glass win
dow above the door. will 1t hc lock-
rd?' thought fcarfully to myself. as
there not something following on my
track" | turned the handle and pull
cd it fcrcrly toward m" The door
yielded. and | rushed into the open.
"Anythlng wrong. sr:" And with
the words came n bread fash cf light
which. srttlin" momcntarily 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 hail behind. Then the outline of
helmet and cloak loomcd darkly upon
me. and found my voice in the pres
ence of II constable of the law.
"Y"S; the house is full of gas, and
they've gone. might have been suf
focatcd. Perhaps they wanted to suf
focatc me. | don't know-I"-
"Who've gone? What's their name?'
the constable interrupted abruptly.
"Thc landlady landlOrd-the
daughter. | don't know their names,
but look here, constable" and | pro-
cecdcd to give my late "eXpcrirnce" to
him in n woof of words
The man evidently did not know
what Interpretation to place upon Ell
thcr m" or my story, and small Won
der, | hardly knew myself. but cXtin-
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 Il high pressure.
"Might hav" been blown ont by the
draft suggested the constable as he
turned into n sitting room. which |
had already searched. and threw open
its windows to swc"trn the atmuS-
phcrc Yes. 1t might" | aSS2ntcd.
respectfully if 1t was left lighted. by
the hall door. which. by the by, was
unholtcd when | came down stairs
But to make n long story Il short one,
there was nobody in the house. Not Il
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 drluSive prospects
of a social termination to his gloomy
reflections. With the discovery of the
dog and the yard Our search ended.
and the constable intimatcd to me that
he should summon additional assist
ancc. 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 |
was call"d upon for Il fresh cXplana-
tion. The second official head threw
no more light upon the ease than the
first. but offered Il suggestion. Lets
knock up the n"ighhorS. r'r'aps they
know Summat about it,
To the right and back and then to
the left went that constable. Rata
tat. tat-a-tat, went the knockers. Up
went windows: out came heads.
"WhO'S thcrc?" "What dye want?"
"What dye say-who's my ncighbor?
What nciShbor-what dye mcan:"
And then doors opened and other
doors caught the infection. and they
opened. In short. there was Il pretty
"tO do" and half dressed crowd soon
shivercd around the steps of NO. 113.
I was quite harricd with their qucS-
tiOns. | had no sooner arrived at the
end of one series than | WAS plunged
into another. | had no sooner Satiatcd
one Individuals desire for knowledge
than ! was called upon to feed some
one else. Whether my brain and my
temper would nave stood the strain for
very long | can't say, but | may add
that this is a difficult question to pro-
pound even to myself. Happily was
eXtricatcd from the unpleasant Situa-
tion by being led off to the nearest po-
lice station. To be detained there pend
Ing further inquiries. as the result Of
those just made showed the existence
of Il local caste feeling which took no
note of the existence of the occupants
of No. l13. and II appeared we'll to the
/ loItt lllltI ln'St circumstances W
hold me fast for the present.
1t the station | told the inspector
on duty all about myself quite like a
| little boy. But he did not appear sat
isticd and muttcred some word to him
self that sounded to me like "suS-
| piciouS" and which resulted in my Sc.
clusion. 1t was but temporary, rs the
result Of the further inquiries proved
satiSfact0ry-to me, that is to say,
This was what they proved: That my
landlady. my landlord and their daugh'
ter had left the house No. 113 and had
left it in the night; that they had left
1t in the night because they were in
debt for their furniture (Which was
hircd and for their rent and because,
presumably and by the evidence of GER
tain tradcSmcn, they possessed no
money to settle those vulgar claims,
TO them my half II crown, paid in
advance. had been half a crown. at
least so 1t was presumed, for their
whereabouts was never traced
Speaker.
Awakening of Conscience.
First Tramp-Iook, Tom, this is the
minister's house. The windows open
and all the folks are at church, and
i l.. 81,