The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-06


brain Her dead fathers hand Gould Il
be? She had heard Of mummies. She
had once seen a skeletoni She, too, felt
the horror dazed. Then Il sickly doubt
al which she clutched made her smile
in sickly manner. Then. believing It in
some fearful. mysterious way true. her
blood was frozen. The knowledge of that
hldeous crime fen on her. Six years OF
life had taught her that miracles are
real She had sold her own dead fathers
hand
"But-but I thought Il was go,d"
SILLY child-it could not be-"
The little lips grew stin. The eyes
stared traglcally. Ines face was pale
IS DEATH her mind cropping into this Sc
pulchral possibility ePut-the color Of
ltl" she barely whispered, scared as only
a child can be-
Her mother recalled that the brass was
a little tarnished. She did not under
stand Ines They ali turn 60" muir
INJURED she. dreaming OF past days, when
hanging thus. as the sad years 30 on
The terrihed Ines. her life a Wilderness
sprang suddenly, madly away
"All these things with which he fitted
up the home, at least-at least, these
can keep" wept the mother seated
alone.
Ines. a tiny ghost shivering. crept into
the pawn shop. The man there was very
fat and red. with the north-uf-spain com
plexion and jug of north-of-spain cider
IN his hand. The counters and shelves
were fun Of secondhand things, with
tickets on -goid-em5roiaered SOM
breros. silver saddles mantil as, conee
urns. everything. Ines could not speak
She orouched in frozen misery under the
counter. The man leaned far over; his
face appeared above her like The moon
what do you want2r asked he, and
grlnned.
'erhe-the--" Her whisper died. her
eyes we're Wild appealing, as she
crouohed there. a bunch Of pink.
"Ehgr The moon grew fuller.
II want the handl"
II sold Il, said he.
She leaped up IN a spasm. She beat tne
counter. She wept and stormed' her
panic was terrific.
I will have it'll Willl That was my
own dead fathers handr'
BUY II. then. from the man who bought
H." said he. "Juanl"
A dirty. sandaled servant with shrimp
IN his hand. came out OF the rear door.
Take this little earthquake where you
took the knocker."
Juan jammed a stupendous somorero on
his head and trudged out and away nom
| chalantly chewing his shrimp.
Noon had gone by. The early afternoon
strewed sweet. warm sunshine silently
through the trees Of sim streets. She,
her one grand grief towering rugged, aw-
ful In her life. went on after him, crea-
tnre OF tragedy Her eyes were hungry,
haunted. Her little face was thin. She
remembered that she had once seen her
father, when she was three years old. He
had been IN the patio. He had taken her
hand-a dark. tall man. lie had said, and
smiled though strangely. And you-for'
get me-forget me-little Inesi'
After that they said he was dead. But
4 his smile. and that alone-hls one strange,
last smile. she remembered. Her past,
her father-the hand Of the man who
smled-she had sold them all; and hor-
rible. revolving was the deed.
They came TO an old battered church
where the French had fought and cannon
AIDED IN the sixties. An ancient grave
yard was walled there. the stones crowded
and hoary. Juan. whistllng a dreadful
tune. trudged straight In there. She stood
spellbound on the threshold, under the
high arch. He was going on among the
graves. Here-here he would find her
fathers hand She sank down, fragments
OF mummy stories skeleton stories enact
Ing orgies IN her brain. Hoarseiy she
shrleked after the servant Terror could
go no further.
a q
out Of another gate She took courage.
flew among the graves. and leaped pant
ing. Into another street beyond There
stood an old. high house, colored dull
purple. with Imitation pillars OF deep, sum
set red. painted upon It's front The serv
ant was knocking.
I brought It here. according to orders. "
said he. and went away
The dosr opened and a mozo IN clean
white found her trembling there alone.
MY fathers hand." gasped she
sWhat?"
She half fell into the passage and sank
10 the stone. .'The handl The handr
muttered she.
"Oh. may be YOU mean the knocker my
master bought. Why. We saw Il in the
shop Ny msster has just come from Er-
rope He Is fitting up this house. lie
tcld ne he wanted knocker, and none
but this hanging band would do"
She was only staring at him, her eyes
dilating in face deadly pale.
Come IN TO him." said the mozo.
She arose and followed The servant
bowed her into a room ifty feet iorg.
where one tail man was seated by him.
SELF at a lonely dining table IN the huge
apartments middle His back was to-
ward hes. The servant went away; the
master had not head. She gazed at his
back She crept a little closer. and her
lilp trembled pidfuIly She waited a long.
long time. and crept little closer stnl
lie was not eating. His head rested on
his hand over an untouched plate. He
was reading a yellow and worn-looking
letter
She came creeping 70 the chairs side
Somehow her terror-stricien heart loved
this man IN a sudden, pitlful way. She
put her hand on the table. She brought
her face, without warning and quickly
close to his arm. and looked np into his
face.