The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-14
THE WAYS OF WOMEN, A SKETCH

There was an awful scream. There was
the sound OF q dull. sickening thud as
If body had fallen. Then silence
| l sprans UP in the dark and listened.
What 1 heard was the voices OF the
two yellow haired girls in the room next
10 mine. They seemed tc be crying.
Perhaps some one was trying TO kill
/ them. Perhaps. taken with sudden fury.
they were trying 10 kill each other. Ordi-
narily they were exceedingly anectionate
for sisters; but anything might happen
! in the middle of the night.
/ 1 threw on a kimono. rushed 10 my
door, unlocked it. ran into the hall and
knocked at their door
Who are your they questioned in
/ sepulchral tones muhled with fear, and
the little one added in a hoarse whisper:
Are you a burglar?
Not that anybody knows Of" replied.
1T is I. It is T. and 1 revealed my
name.
They carefully opened the door wide
| enough TO disclose two disheveIed heads
and four frightened blue eyes extraOrdi
narily distended for that time Of night.
{ What was it?" they gasped.
! Leaving the girls l went TO the banis-
! tiers and looked over. l saw procession
variously and alarmingly clad forming az
! the foot of the stairs. Most Of them
were women. They were headed by wo-
man, the landlady, tall and fair-haired
and large. She approached and passed.
AS she passed I heard her say:
/ This is where we need the help of a
man" and I thought that in spite of her
/ size and strength and height her voice
had a trembie in it, indicative OF fright.
/ At the same moment there came down
from the upper region tail man curious
/ ~ clad in a bath robe of fantastic
stripes corded tightly about his wearing
apparel of the night.
i am here he said, and as he strobe
along with the wavering procession,
swathed in garments of every possible hue
and variety, ghostly in the half light
from the turned-down gas in the han. it
! seemed TO me a very manly thing, indeed,
for him TO say in that protecting tone of
voice of his:
Il am here"
ITS the man in the front room. third
I floor" whispered a voice from below
He grabbed his daughter. held her in
the air as high as he could and let her
fall. That was the thud we heard"
IT was crazy thing TO to-" 1 ventured-
What was the matter with him?"
Il think he must have had gin-hzz
or two too many came from another
voice, high up this time. Then he got
mad at her about something
No matter how mad he got at her. he
had no right to kill her. objected an
other. Had hep
4 head bobbed over the banister
His wife naturally took up for her
daughter" said the voice belonging TO il,
then he ran at her with the scissors and
tried TO put her eyes out"
1T was then that the girl screamed
bloody murder. declared a third, and
aroused the house"
AS a matter of fact" came still.
small voice in tiny whisper, the gen
eral opinion is that he was trying his
level best to kill them both.
'S-h-h-h.' warned a chorus Of voices
and, hushing, we listened
\ gruff voice held forth angrilv IN ey-
PLANTATION. Throughout this explanation
were sprinkled words which in expur-
gated editions are either rendered By d
dash or left out altogether.
These words were supplemented now
and again by the tones of the landlady.
firm, determined. clean.
Presently a door opened and steps came
along the upper hall. They descended and
the crowd made away.
They We're the steps of the disturber of
the peace and those of Mrs. Roth. Be
fore her walked this disturber, a thick.
short man. with a square face and muir
derous blue eyes.
Three feet back of the two stalked the
tall man of the bath robe who had said,
Il am here"
The three moved down the steps. along
the lower hall and a few moments more
saw the closing of the front door on the
thick, short man and the locking of it.
j. with the others, gathered around the
landlady.
What was the matter?" we begged to
know.
He was angry with them both about
something or other" she explained. Il
ron ffr1ff ID
rate, he was evidently endeavoring to the
best Of his ability TO put an untirnely end
TO their existence. Go to your
rooms. now. all of you. and go TO bed"
on the following morning the wife and
daughter appeared at the breakfast table
as ordinarily. Their lids We're red but
the tranquil resignation of their look and
manner somewhat left the impression
that the experience of the night before
had not been an unusual one in their
eventful histories.
Time passed. The affair blew over. It
was forgotten almost.
After some two weeks or three. how
ever, rumors commenced vaguely to cir
culate In regard to a strange roomer who
arrived late and left early.
Beated bOarders met him on the stair
Those who rose betimes encountered him
at the door or standing on the pavement
Immediately outside with the air of hav-
ing just arrived. though in the depths Of
their inner consciousness they were quite
convinced that he had only Just left.
At length ,.lere came reports 10 the (
effect that his voice had been heard
issuing from the room occupied BY the I
wife and daughter who had so narrowly /
escaped being massacred on the eventful /
night of the scream and the dull. sicken- I
ing thud.
Collecting together, we double-Iocked
the doors and held a private consultation.
Describe him.. commanded one of the 4
yellow-haired girls OF nobody in particu- !
lar
He is short and broad and thick" be- (
gan one. with large, square face and /
murderous blue eyes that glitter"
The girl raised her own blue eyes 10 1
the ceiling in an attitude Of apparent /
supplicauon.
Great heavens above" she cried Its 1
the husband and father. Would you
think. throwing two impetus hands wide 4
apart and clasping them convulsirely. /
that after he had tried his level best /
70 kill them, they would snuggie him
back again.
Did you ever21 she queried further. for +
her question had received no reply. hear 4
Of such a thing in al the days q your
life2"
The man of the bath robe was standing I
by the Eanteipiece smoking a cigarette I
Though he wore the clothing common 70 (
the ordinary citizen. he still went BY the 4
name OF the man OF the bath robe.
Yes" lie answered. many and many a
time I have heard o. it-over again
Then, Tipping the ashes from his cigar
cite. he added in explanation: