Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-16

OF me; and there, but few feet away.
stood gray, silent human figure
Felix. Is that yoaE" | said. And
won't be positive that there was not a
| suspicion of culver in my voice
There came no answer to the question.
| and the figure commenced To glide away
| down the passage.
Without waiting to get thoroughly
| frightened. | followed it. quiezcninS my
| pacv little. The mysterious form did
the same. Along and along We went.
twisting and turning among the labyrinth
Of passages. and then NJ last, coming
round Il sharp corner. there was shaft
| OF light through half-open door-the
door OF the library, where my husband
was.
darted forward, feeling quite brave.
now thai | was in the vicinity of Felix.
But l was too late The form glidei into
IN" room. silently closing the door and |
heard the key turning in the lock.
stood there for 4 moment or two
| puzzled. doubtful, alarmed Al at once
there rushed upon me a horrible pre-
sentiment of impending doom. and with
it Il wild. irresistible desire to learn what
Was going on in that room.
/ tried the door. 1t was securely
| locked. \ few yards down the passage
| nigh up IN the wal, was a small win
dow looking into the library. Directly
! underneath it was a heavy oak table.
I
| glued my eyes to the dust-dimmed pane
Shall l ever forget what | saw?
! nave dreamed of ii a thousand times.
and aWaked shuddering in an agony of
! terror.
Felix. Fciix, turn round! Look"
| those were the words | shrieked rs
| dashed nay bare hand through the win
/ dow. and withdrew it. bleeding.
| And nay warning was not Il moment too
| soon. As my husband kuelt in a corner
| over pile OF books. the tail. white
! haired figure was already close on him.
! an upralsed weighted stick in his hand,
ne raging fire of insanity cleaning N
| his eyes.
But | was Just in time. On hearing
| my voice, my husband sprang round,
| caught the descending stick on his arm.
| anu closed with his adversary in fear
| ful life and death struggle
| Nh!ch was worse, / wonder-tO gran
| PIE with that mailman, to have his eyes
| staring into yours, to feel his hot breath
| on your face. and to know that gradu-
| ally he was OyCrpowering you; or to be
! the one who looked on. to see the being
| You loved best on earth fighting desper-
ately-tighting for very life-and YET to
stand there utterly impotent?
| But no. THank heaven, | was not
| entirely lmpotent. With a cry of en-
| enlargement to my husband, | snrang
| down, punched up my skirts. and raced
| back along the passage. | ran as | had
never run before. | knocked against fur
niture i'll the darkness. | stumbled and
| fell; but still, impelled as by a supernat-
ural force, | rushed on
| Through the picture gallery | went.
| down the second corridor, across the hall,
| into the drawing room.
! ! must have looked a remarkable fig
ure as / rushed in among my guests. NV
| hand was bleeding, and the blood had
| stained my white evening gown NV
! hair was half down. my dress was torn.
| But what did appearances matter to me
The mailman" | gaSped. painting for
| breath The escaped mailman, He
| has got into the east wing. and Felix
door open. Come, Gomez
! IAN eyes were turned on me, but not
soul offered to move.
Don't you understand me-" | cried.
wringing my hands in impatiencc.
There is not Il moment to lose. My hus-
! handis fighting for his life. Why don't
you come? Mr. Fleetwood you hear
me? Have pity-have PITY
| sprang ON Charlie Fleetwood like "A
| tigress, and stroye TO drag him from the
room by main force. What diabolieal
! spell possessed them all that they We're
so indifferent to my appeal? 1t all
seemed like a horrible dream-unreai,
grotesque.
You will be too late" l screamed in
perfect frenzy. Felix will be dead
strangled by that nadmans fingers
strangled. strangled"
l repeated that awful word. scarce
| knowing what | said. The blood was
rushing wildly in my head, l began to
reel clutching desperately at the air.
! And then. of Il sudden, a strange. half
remembered sound rippled through the
/ >
! first, Yet giving me i'll the end an inkling
of the truth.
Ii was the sound of hands clapping in
applause. They thought / was acting,
| stormcd and raved and shrie1ed as
| surely no actress could or would. | en-
treated and implored, and struggled the
| while with the feeling of faintness and
numbuesS that was stealing over me.
! And then. at length. seeing that my of
forts TO make them understand were ut
tcrly useless, | suddenly stopped, and
| summoned up n smile as | listened to
their applause and congratulations.
Somehow or other l induced them TO
! follow me from the room. telling them
that had something to show them in the
east wing further entertainment,
| which my husband and | had prepared.
Their curiosity was whetted. and they
consented to dawdle along behind me,
| laughing and chattering the while.
Only when they heard that last de.
spairinS cry of Felix did Fleetwood and
one or two of the other men begin Ia
gain a glimmer of the truth. 1t was with
evcr-incrcasing alarm that they hurried
| forward and tried to force the library
door; and, finally, using the oak table
as Il ram, burst il open.
All OF which / recollcct as something
that happened when | was in semi
trance. | have vague memory of look
ing into the room and seeing several per.
sons there. and 4 struggle going on.
can recall the sight Of Felix running out
pale and limping. but smiling, and Of hi-
holding out his arms to me. | went &c
meet him, and then-L swooned.-An
| SWCrs.
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