Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-08-21

nOur ago ne was the most m1Sera bic
man on earth, now he was perfectly
happy; there was nothing left for
him to wish for.
The boat was drifting now, and at
| a place where the rocks shelved over
the bank it stopped suddenly. The
Devil whistled, waited a moment,
then whistled three times in rapid
succession. 1t seemed to Mcnamara
that the whole side of the cliff opened
to them and gave forth light so
dazzling in its brightness that he had
to close his eyes. The Devil picked
him up and carried him into richly
furnished room and put him down on
couch piled with cushions. There
| were ribbons, laces, satins and silks,
in chairs, on tables, everywhere in
elegant profusiOn and confusion, but
what impressed Macmanara most and
what he could hardly take his eyes
from was a table in the center OF
| the room on which was piled, as gem
erously as pebbles on the beach, every
known gem. Diamonds, rubies, opals
and pearls threw a shade over their
| smaller sisters and tried hard to out
shine each other in their fascinating
glow and glitter.
"My angels are out tonight on 9TH
er missions, but L shall do my best
to entertain you, and shall be more
sorry than l can say if l fall and
/ the Devil bowed courteously to his
guest.
While he was speaking he placed
diamond scarfpin and opal ring on
the table. They Immediately began
to sparkle challenge to their neigh
bors What familiar look they had
to .Macmanara! The Devil drew a
chair close to the couch, picked up
guitar, and the last thing Macmanara
remembered was hearing rich tenor
voice singing popular melody.
The next morning when Mcnamara
awoke he was i'll his own rom. The
fire in the CRATE was burning cheerily.
and through the open door he could
see his valet preparing his bath. Out
side the sun was shining brightly,
taking away the snow as fast as it
had fallen the night before.
what dream!" Mcnamara
thought, as he sprang out of bed. His
clothes were hanging on the back of
chair, and there were tiny rivulets
where they had dripped the melted
snow. He went through his pockets
and his face fell. Yesterday he had
drawn $4,000 from the bank, vOwing
in his heart to go as far from Louis
vile as the money would take him.
This morning there was not dollar
in his pocket-not even the little
pearl-handled knife he had carried for
years.
When he went down to breakfast
his aunt, who was also his house
keeper, looked beyond him after say
ing good morning, evidently expect
ing to greet some one else.
How mistaken one can be, OTIS"
she said. 81 expected you to bring
company down to breakfast this
morning, for when heard you come
home last night 1 was sure some one
was with YOU"
maybe there was, anu maybe there
wasn't. What would you say, aunt, if
1 were to tell YOU l don't know?"
eff you were anyone else but Otis
Mcnamara l would say you were
drunk, but as you are Otis / shall say
you are poking fun at your old aunt"
When the papers were brought in
Mcnamara glanced over the head
lines of the Courier-Journal, as was
his custom, and the following fast
ened his eyes:
"AT THE MORGCE."
Found drowned in the river at two o'clock
this morning, the body of young man
of medium size, fair complexion ard Il
blond mustache. lace handkerchief
marked "Gracie" was all that was found In
the dead mans pockets.
That's the Devil" and with the ex-
clamation Mcnamara rushed for his
hat and overcoat, leaving his startled
aunt to think he had gone insane.
"Yes," the morgue keeper replied
to- Macmanara's eager questions, 'the
poor fellow was brought here at an
early hour this morning. This hand
kerchief was the only thing about
him that may lead to his identity.
and that has only one chance in a
| thousand. If his sweetheart reads
| the morning papers-and of course
| the handkerchief is his sweetheart 5
she will be here in a short while.
and, if she doesn't read them, he may
go to his grave unnamed"
Mcnamara examined the features
/ of the dead man closely. 1t was his
Devil of the night before. minus the
black hair, in place of which there
was closely-cropped blond head. As
Mcnamara was leaving the morgut
he almost ran over Grace Langdon
who caught his arm and cried out:
''Oh, Otis, it is really you, and yor
are not drowned, with my handker
chief in your pocket? 1 was going to
the OPERA" the little lady explained
land something got wrong with the
horses as we were leaving Chestnut
street. and the coachman stopped to
see what it was. My escort opened
the carriage door for the same pur
pose, when i saw you and droppeo
1 my handkerchief to see if you would
pick it up, and the way you bounced
upon it kept me happy for the rest
of the evening. l lost my opal ring
too, but I don't care, for it was al
ways bringing me bad luck"
| Mcnamara thought of the ring a.
he had last seen it fash by the sids
of his scarfpin on a table with thou
sands of other jewels, but he did no.
tell his wife-to-be of his adventure
| with the Devil, He asked instead: