Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-31

q massive hook which seemed to me
larger than necessary or desirable. 1
took it. however, without question. He
left me, and Richard, who had not be-
fore appeared, came out to where / was
waiting. He was more haggard and
wretched than I had ever seen him.
I do not think he had been asleep at
all.
"Oh," he said, with a CHASTITY smile
"you want to get an early start Old
Joe has found you the line, / see. 1t
is good and strong-I have used it my
self-oh, yes. but never-I never
caught anything-oh. no, not yet, but
you WILL I'm sure-you will-you can't
help it. You can cut a pole as you
go along-a stout one-a good stout
one for big catch, you know. A big
CATCH do you hear"
Suddenly he grapsed me by the arm,
while the expression on his face chilled
my blood.
Ben" he said hoarsely. do you
| know how a murderer feels?'
| 1 shook my head, too much astonished
to speak.
mot a murderer that kills in anger"
he continued. and getting moro excited.
but a murderer that Stays deliberately
| for money-that's what 1 mean. Do
YOU know how that man feels?"
1 was alarmed at his wild manner,
and drew away from him little, with
out replying. He did not seem to notice
the movement. or expect reply.
| No" he burst out. you do not, but
! I do know because I have dreamed
! it. I dreamed last night that I was
a murderer--I dream it every night.
! l dream that a pedlar who has lost
his way. follows the path and wanders
to this place. l dream that he carries
! a pack in which I think there must be
/ wealth. because I have always heard
/ that pedars are rich. and carry their
money with them. And then / dream
that the desire for wealth and the old
| life come so fiercely upon me that I am
beset with temptation to kill him and
possess his store I dream that I battle
with 1T and Yield My God. yes! I
dream that l kill him! Not face to face
and in fair fight. as the bandit kills,
but as the coward kills. from behind!
From behind! Do you hear? And then,
when l open his pack there are only
some tawdry trinkets. and few paltry'
cons.''
His voice fell to a harsh whisper, and
my veins curdled.
'Then 1 take the body and I hide it.
l. ,
and no one can suspect that the man
has come here-nO one! 1 fling the
trinkets and coins back into his bundle,
and 1 put in some stones, too. Then l
tie it to his shoulders and drag him to
ia the place, and tumble it all in to-
gether. I am safe nobody knows it
nobody can ever know-nobody but me!
But I know, and wherever I go I re-
member! I remember that l have killed
a man, and that he is lying there dead
where I have thrown him. I try to i'm
agine how he looks, lying there dead
and how much he has changed. Some.
times in my dream I have been to see
I have been there at nght-in my dream
do you hear? but grew afraid, and
came back without looking. 1t is all g
dream, tell you. A dream, but oh, mS
God-my God! l know, now, how a muir.
derer feels"
He turned away and strobe off into
the woods. I waited for moment
wholly at loss what to do. My
friends mind was indeed in sad con-
dition to be thus affected by dream
I set out for the lake at last. Old Joe
had given me directions. and 1 soor
saw it's CLEAN through the bushes.
J paused to cut small sapling for c
rod. and pushed on toward the water.
AS stepped out into the full view O.
it, shall never forget the sense of utte
loneliness that took possession of me
The lake, as it was called, har at som;
period been mere circular depression
on the top of the mountain, with an out
let or crevice somewhere at the bottom
For trees and bushes had grown ther'
when it was dry land, and it was doubt
less their leaves that in time had choket