Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-03-03
DURING THE NIGHT.
NobcGy In tho House and
General h-ystery.
BY NEIL WYNN WILLIAMS.

S,.Ss ~s<"rs-" . .
have an affinity FIR awkward pre-
dicamcnts. and to submit to what is
popularity knuwn is al "2Xp"rirncr'
Is, if not exactly my daily lot in life.
my very frequent fate For The one
that | am about to describe | paid EHlf
crown. The sensations that that half
crown brought to me were in excess "f
what | had anticipated and strained
every nerve in my body. Yet | am not
fool and 10 one is in his own cStna
ton.
Twas Il November day: the time. 9
O'Clock in the evening. | was in Il I.on-
don street and had just viewed to my
satisfaction bow window In which
was hung up II card with departments
to Let" printed upon 1t. With the
knowledge that wanted a bed for the
night and with the card before me.
what could lie more natural and with
in the ordinary lot of man than to as
ccnd the flight of steps that lay before
me. knock. ring. enter and secure Il bed
for half a crown. paid in advance: To
my mind there was SUch Il plethora of
vulgar inci,rnt in this that | rcmrm-
Der tie transaction but dmly. That |
was received by a landlady tShr WaS
middle aged. | thiniiD and escorted by
her to Il 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 said that she would ask her
father for some. that when she had
brought il to me | wrote several let
tcrS and aftrrward went to bed all
this is fixed vaguely in my memory 10y
its Smilitud" to many another night
that | have passed under hired roof.
Then there c0lScS blank, which grows
into memory again with the luguhrous
sound Of Il prolonged howl-a dogs.
1t was DIRK. so dark that the cur
tanned window of my room offered but
the fainteSt suggestion of the fog
Swathcd light without. Again and
again the oppressive silence and heavy
gloom around ne were intensified to
my ScmicOnsciouSn"ss by the howl
without dying down to whisper. to
extinction. \ nervous feeling took
possession Of me, and. fed upon the
darkness. | sat up in bed and drew
long breath to free myself of its incu'
bus. What was there foul with the
night that it came so heavily to my
lungs? For the moment | was puZ'
Zlrd. but only for the moment. and
then. half sufTocated. | calculated: 1t
is gas. There Is an escape of gas
With a wave of my arm | threw the
bedclothcs to one side and with an ca.
ger leg placed Il foot to the floor. Then
| stood up aud hcsitatcd. Should
ring. should call? NO" | muttcrrd
TO myself as | reelected that ii WAS
more than probable that the servant
would strike match In coming to
my room. Besides. the escape was
/ perhaps in my room. y step and q
/ gropc would tell me. | felt cautiously.
No; the tap was as it should be.
Then thought lapsed into instinct,
/ and action supervencd. | crept quietly
to the door and, turning the key in its
lock with the caution of thief and
drawing the door into the blackncss Of
my room faced the blackneSs that
vnstcr lay outside it. Gently. gently,
with hand touching n cold wall,
crcpt onward and to my left My fin
gers were caught by projection. They
passed it by and sank into n hollow
/ twas u door. ! turned the handle and
whispered gently but distinctly through
the now half opened door: ITS !, MIR,
Snipr The lodgcr Don't strike match,
There's m escape of gas. The house ls
full Of it. Are you there? DO you
hear? There's an escape of gas
No answer. hut again the dog howl
ed and again | felt Il nervousness
come over me as | entered the room to
feel for the bed and found it-empty.
In and out of the walled blackness, to
another room and another-empty,
Then up the stairs, to right and left
and back again-nobOdy.
Down and down through the dark
ness, the ghost of light In hall glass,
blc--to the basement, warm and Odor-
ferrous with kitchen odors tainted with
gas. Verify |, and only !, was In the
house Suddenly the dog ceased to
howl, and heard the dripping of q
water tap-drip, drip, drip And with
the fall of the water came TO me q
measure of time, and | thought again:
"What does it mean, this empty, black
house? Why is this stihing gas seeth-