Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-12-18
afterw,rd was better able to cone with

afterwTrd was better able to cope with
his growing difficulties.
The pulse of the strike was growing
feverish, and night after night Shot
well had slept at the office. fearing
some kind of an attack on the premises.
By the end of the week worry and lack
of sleep had told heavily upon him, and
as he sat smoking in the mysterious
shadows he determined that this must
be his last night alone; he would get
Waterman to aid him. His thoughts
grew vague and mixed; his pipe fell to
the floor and made him jump, then his
eyes closed for moment. opened slug
gishly, dropped again and lie was fast
asleep.
With start and fearful sense of
oppression lie awoke, struggling wildly
in his chair-tried to cry out, and real
lied that he was tied down. a cloth
was wound tightly over his mouth,
while the room was filled with subtle,
sickly odor of chloroform. He heard
sneering laugh behind his chair, and
Well, Yer took a purity good nap that
time, didn't yer?' There was an an
swering erowl from anoeher throat,
and the two men came round in front,
both mufiled in heavy coats, and pieces
of cloth covering the upper half of their
faces. One of them carried small
black box somewhat glngerly to the
desk and sat it down in front of Shot.
well. He turned a little brass key In
it and hidden machinery began to tick
tack, tick-tack, like clock. He twist.
ed the box around and Shotwell saw a
small dial, with the hands pointing to
$3.50 o'clock. One of the men attached
one end of n string to lever on the
box, and with the greatest precaution
tied the other end to Arthur's left wrist.
Now, see here, Mr. Shotwell. you've got
just forty-slx minutes. and then that
thing goes off, and God have mercy on
your soul. If ye should want the thing
to go quicker just struggle hard and II
We manage to pull either of them
strings. well, guess it'll oblige ye"
Now, Bill, we've got no time to
waste. Here's the keys; you go for the
safe and III fix the desk
Inside of fifteen minutes Shotweli's
guests had gone, leaving little trace of
their visit except faint odor of chloro-
form, and that strengthening black
box, with its montonous tick tack. tick
tack.
The whole thing had happened so
suddenly, and his brain was so heavy
with the drug, that the men were gone
before he fully realized the horror OF
his position. AS 1t dawned on him he
could not believe 1t was true; 1t was
some terrible nightmare. He stroye to
shake himself, but the tightening of the
strings OH his wrists and a half lar in
the tones of that ceaseless tick-taek
brought him back to his senses with
a chill of horror. He glared terror.
stricken at the little clock that was
ticking off the moments of his life-a
second each time. A few more minutes
and then-he broke out into cold
sweat; an unmanning fear of this un.
known, cruel thing crept over him, and
for a while he sat huddled in abject
terror; then slowly the soul of the man
steadied itself; he closed his eyes to
pray, and the word that came was
Dorothy" With n fierce mental effort
he pulled together his shaken faculties
for her sake. For her he would die like
II man. Perhaps she would know he
had been no coward.
Tick-tack, tick-tack, twenty minutes
past 10. All! it was time to sit and talk
to "Dorrie." Well, he would do it.
would give to her those last twenty
minutes. And SO lie sat on, his face
drawn and ghastly, but his courage
firm-sat and babe a long good-by to
the girl he loved; thought strong, manly
thoughts to her, that kept fear from his
heart. But willie his inmost self talked
with "Dorrie" his flesh grew gray and
pinched, the lonely silence broken only
by the steady ticking of his clock of
doom.
Dorothy that night sat reading; then
later fell to wondering OF Arthur alone
in that great building. and at the
thought of his loneliness all her heart
went out to him: and perhaps some of
her soul, for her body fell asleep. Then
she, too, woke with start-a start Of
perplexity and fear; fear for Arthur
what was 1t? She passed her hand over
her forehead, bewildered. What was it
why could she not remember? Then
the ticking of the clock on the mantel
caught her ear caught it strangely,
and she listened, breathless, trembling;
tick-tack, tick-tack-what did 1t mean?
Then slowly and softly solemn voice
fell OH her inner ear: "Good-by, Dorrie;
good-by, darling"
'Ahr' she rose to her full height-was
rigid there for an instant, then quietly:
Yes, know; l understand" She
walked quietly to her fathers room,
took his keys, and, taking her hat and
coat. slipped unseen out into the night
Tick-tack, tick-tack. eight minutes
more.
Eight minutes; eight years; God.
Can wait? One brave spring now
would end the torture, and-no, no, for
Dorrie's sake, for the honor of love, I'll
live my life out to the last bitter sec
ond." Shotwsll closed his eyes a few
moments, then opening them, saw n
face in the doorway gazing at him; to
him 1t seemed the soul Of Dorrie, come
to say "good-by."