The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-02-13
The Enchanted Doorknob-

/ way corner, giOdulS WITH 0aTeQ breath
/ and mouth ajar over the blood-curdling
adventures OF Diamond Dick, the Boy
Bandit of the Bad Lands"-dead to the
/ world, even obliviOus OF the shoulder
ing cigarette sticking between his nico-
( tine-stained fngers-funny how one al
/ ways associates cigarettes vita such
scenes-the fumes from which curl slowly
upward and enveloD the picture in a
blush haze. a degenerate.
But the effects Of such yellow liter
allure upon the more mature mind Of a
fully developed man or woman are much
more rarely enlarged upon, and YET they
are no less deleterious.
Having always been an ominiverous
and insatiate reader, have made it a
I practice to read an entire book through
at one sitting. Not being gifted with
/ a super-abundance of this worlds goods
/ and therefore, finding it necessary TO
i drudge over a set of nerve-racking books
( in downtown office all day 10 keep
( body and soul together, I am confined to
I follow my Denchant for reading in the
/ evening after I return home. SO, Just
+ as soon as I have finished my supper I
! betake myself to the sitting room and
+ settle myself in rocker TO enjoy the
book that I have probably that very day
/ drawn from the public library. And there
1 remain, engrossed in my story, quite
+ often until long past midnight
! On evening, rot so long ago, I came
/ home with a book Of short stories fresh
+ from the library Immediately after sup
per I made myself comfortable in the
sitting room and began to read.
Now. in this volume, the novelist had
followed his inclination toward the highly
sensational Judge from some Of the
titles-''Tne Gully of Blumansdyke."
My Friend the Murderer" They were
all written in that fascinating style, how
ever. that has won for the author his
large retnue Of readers and held my
attention until a very late hour.
The rest of the family had gone up
stairs to bed The night, out of doors
was cold and occasionally q furry of
sleet whirled in the sharp northwest
| wind. The FIRE in the furnace was evil
IDENTIFY getting low, for the room was be-
coming quite chilly.
I sivered and began to think of
warm bed upstairs. But had just start
ed another story-'Lot 249'-and it prom
ised to be a good one, so determined
to remain up until had finished it. So
read on. Soon, however, it grew so
chilly that decided to shift my seat
from the room into the hallway-the
warmest place in the house So, turning
out the light in the sitting room I went
into the hall, seated myself beneath the
large lamp pendant from the ceiling and
took I'D the thread OF my story where
I had broken off.
1t was a weird. gruesome tale, this
lot 249"
At an English university there were
three students who occupied rooms in
an old tower-lilSe structure Of three st0-
Ties near the campus. The man whose
room formed the middle story Of the
building was a mysterious sort of a fel-
low-learned in Eastern languages and
Oriental lore. All his movements were
shrouded in secrecy, and he made friends
with neither of his fellow dodgers.
One night when each Of the other two
occupants Of the tower was engrossed
IN his studies. there came a horrible
shrek from the room on the second floor.
The two students rushed out Of their
respective chambers and to their neigh
bor's apartment. On forcing the door.
they found him. pale as death. in
faint upon the floor, beside an ancient
sarcophagus containing 2 repulsive-1ook-
ing Egyptian mummy over which the un-
conscious man had apparently been at
work. An odor of myrrh and incense
permeated the atmosphere OF the den,
which was strangely adorned with all
sorts of curios from the Far East
hide0us little idols, fantastic pictures
queer vases. arms and implements-au
cycles old.
The students succeeded IN resuscitating
the swooning Orientalist. Hs thanked
them, hut not one word did he offer IN
explanation Of his scream or his fainting
spell
But in the course Of the story It devel-
oped that he has bysome cabalisttc rites
been attempting to bring the mummy.
Tot 2le"-so called because it was 80
numbered in an auction sale where the
Orientalist bought Ito life. He sue
ceeds The horrid creature is resurrect- (
4 and becomes q fend fncarnate that {
does the bidding Of IFS wicked master. /
committing a series OF the most mon /
strous heinous crimes.
With breathless interest I was eager T
~ absorbing the wildly exciting. vivdly
pictured details Of the monsters deeds (
when suddenly a slight noise IN the dead 4
stiffness Of the night startled me almost F
ont Of my wits. glanced ID. From .
where 7 sat my eyes would rest fun .
unon the front door II the hallsathe f
main entrance to the house. And as +
looked. 10 my amazen1ent I saw the big. (
shining brass doorlnob u1ove-noI seif ss- (
IL .sfeaIhilv. as though carefully turned /
bv soue body outside 7 sat trarsiXed. .
a burglar? The book slipped from NY f
hands int0 ny lap Had 7 seen arigat2
No. lmoossihlei Il could not BE- for
T myself had locked that door and SCI
the latch that made the doorkuoh rigid
Il could rot turn. even = there were
someone-but there! II turned again.
Yes Il turned.
There sat with nv eyes glued On
the doorknob- motioniess. saefchlass
-eqthiess. with not a sound ia ms ears
but the sough II the wind ard h
drsa-v, monotouous tick-tock- tick-tocs
- -ra 0f0-l- 1r-szfa{~r Nv brain uae