The St. Johns herald., 1901-04-27

3 work?'
 7 AS I spoke he moved his gaze sudden ly into Millie's direction. That feel ing toward me more than friendly Wa: expressed in the girls face he was quick in discerning, and his anger heated into flame by his newly-fOunC
 clue to the cause of her rebuff of him
 showed itself in his answer to my ap
 peal.
 "Confound it alII'' he roared- What
 has Miss Warmers case got to do with
 you?'
 l could not deny my interest longer
 why should I?-sO, stepping to Millie's
 side, took her hand in mine
 Simply this" | replied, that she Is
 my intended wifer'
 All right" he muttered. shall ney-
 CT forget the terrible look upon his face
 as he watched us. Miss Warner, you
 have, I understand, some properties Of
 mine at your lodging. You will greatly
 oblige me by leaving them here this
 afternoon"
 Together we left the pIace-MiIHe
 and 1. She went home to hunt up the stage dresses-Bruer's property-she had at her lodging, and hurried of to make preliminary arrangements for our wedding, which we had just deter mined not to further delay. That evening as 1 hurried to the hall an unspeakable feeling of coming dan ger crept over me.
 Bruer performed quite up to his GUS tomary standard. His minor tricks bar- fled the audience more than ever He kept smiling curiously at me, and his pleasantly-spoken words before closing the coffin lid impressed me rather ia vOrably than otherwise.
 If she has gone" he said 'I will still have youI'
 Then the lid was tightly closed, and waited to hear the drawing of the sword-my usual cue to seek safety. The many different sounds without are quite distinguishable to ones ear when the aperture in the coffin lid is properly made. The faintly-heard sound of the steel reached me at length, and l fol- lowed the usual method by pressing my right arm against the usual side Of the coffin. What was this? It remained tight! 1 pressed harder-harder yet as 1 heard a voice seemingly a mile of: The ''NOwr' of the magician. Again tried the secret part, and the cold sweat stood on my forehead on its failing again. The seconds seemed to fly. Had there been foul work here? Yes, surely this could not be the ''property1 article in which 1 lay, for every part of the coffin I touched was immovable to my widest efforts.
 A prayer rose to my lips and 1 tried to forget my terrible position. FOrgetT Merciful heaven! and the terrible point of that sword slowly shutting out by it's entrance the tiny ray of light hitherto visible through the slot. Immediately above my breast, and no room to move myself-only to waitI Picture 1t, if you can! One thing remained by which to keep off the end for maybe a few sec Onds.
 1 wrenched my right hand upward on to my breast and gripped the horrible point of the weapon until the cold steel had cut deep into my fingers. With su- perhuman strength of wrist held the blade hard against a side of the slot Oh, the inexpressible horror of that mo- ment! A million fiends, each with the face and voice of my murderous mas ter, danced before my eyes, taunting me-drowning the cry of my soul for succOr.
 I could see nothing but them, but that steel, ever moving lower to its work, cutting it's way into the bones of my hand as it moved, kept me conscious. yet rObbing me of the last thing l then desired-obliviOn. Would the end not come soon?
 Bruer, now feeling the resistance to his thrust, kept pressing harder-hard- CT! And now the blade was becoming to hold, and slipped, inch by inch, through my seyering fingers. The whole thing took place in a few sec Onds, but how long 1t seemedI What was the curious noise from without! like a trampling of feet miles away-lOuder nOw-cOming near But now the weapon of death was sinking through my clothing now into my fiesh-now deeperI My body was covered with terrible-IOoking irebrands, 1 thought, whose flames were burning me to more speedy death. Suddenly my warmth vanished and my blood turned to icel Then, with the cries of that fiendish army ringing in my ears, travelled into the world of darkness!
 
 Yet I am alive to-day. If you ask my little wife over there, she will tell you what trifle it was that snatehed me from the jaws of death. She had post Doned returning Bruer's property dresses until the time due for the per formance of the coffin trick At the identical moment I got into that fearful Dox she placed the dresses in Bruer's ,tOrerOom, and then the carelessness which lost the mad conjurer his victim presented itself before her quick gaze. A tiny key is used in the trick, and he use of this Is to open the diminutive Ock releasing the coffin's false side, when the cOnjurer shuts his assistant n. This Bruer had not used, and Millie anne upon it as he had carelessly left t behind. Divining the mans awful ntent she ran screaming to the stage, md a few of the audience, realizing the errible circumstances, immediately eff thair seats and nuIIed the mad iIIu-