The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-04-25
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8 HERR STEINHARDI'S NEMESIS /
81 BY J. MAcLAREN coBBAN
Observation-Disclosures
BY J. MAcLAREN coBBAN.

found speech.
Father" he said, when the old
man was about to withdraw. "bide."
He then signified that all the others
should leave the room except Freeman
and myself. When they were gone he
motioned his father to his pillow. The
old man went.
"Ha'e you summat to say, Dick?' He
nodded. "Mun l raise you up?"
He was raised and propped up with
pillows. He asked for drink, and
was given some whiskey and milk.
"Pm dying mon," he began; ~
know am" His eyes, glazed with
disease and want Of sleep. turned wildly
about; his head drooped and his
damp thin fingers (still discolored with
dye) clawed at the bed clothes. He
resumed fixing his eyes on mel
must confess summat; / hope God'll
forgive me. had nought to do wi it;
what for should l? He was aye good
to me. l had nought to do wit, tell
you!"
"No, lad, said his father to soothe
him; "thoo hadna.'
"Weel," said he, "dunnot say had,
because hadna. Wasna | on night
shift? That was all. took Jims
place; he wanted to go whoam to wife
lin bed wi babby That was it, !"
He muttered on some other phrases,
while he turned hrs eyes about as II
lost; his recollection was wandering,
He resumed with energy, "They came
right in, speaking loud and angry. He
walks up to thing, and lifts lid. j
knowed It'll says he. But yo' medina
let a tn world know itl'says tn other
This shannot beP says he.
The poor fellow was growing terribly
excited; every word was uttered with
fierce emphasis and wild gesture; his
eyes we're fixed on vacancy. and, in my
reflex excitement, faneied | saw the
interior OF the color shed, with its
vague tinted vapors, through which
loomed the figures OF two quarreling
men, whom trembingly watched in
imagination by the side OF this dyed
demon Of the vat. The man grew SO
excited, and we were so engrossed, with
his revelation, that he had risen to his
knees in bed before we could prevent
him. He continued his fierce, dis.
! jointed utterances.
" We nun ha' no more of it' says
he. He leans lower All. Lord he
wants to spill III A--h--hr'
With wild leap he was standing uT
in bed, and fiercely initiating the action
of a man STOPPING, and tipping OF
throwing some heavy body. We were
] so transfxed with surprise and horror
J that we could not stir hand to restrain
him. He looked like a weird corpse
, suddenly raised from the dead to q
= grotesque, galvanic life. What chiefly
! seized my attention was the blacE
shadow on the wall of this delirious fig
ure thus STOPPING with his head anC
! hands outstretched. The incident LASTED
but moment, and then the poor maj
fell back on his pillow with. distracted
, cries.
/ Murder! Oh, my God! murder
An / couldna speak Nay, | couldna
' But I'd nought to do wi'tl-nought!"
Again he lay exhausted, and mis- rel
atives and neighbors came back hur
q riedly to his bedside to vail over him
r He looked sadly but calmly on them
gasping in the last faint struggle Q
: nature against dissolution. And so h
( died, and the wailing broke out re
1 doubled.
Before Freeman and left the hous
j together to go out into the cool summe
e morning air, the old man said quiet
to us-"I've seen for long he had sum
mat on his moind, but what he means
f [ Gonna tell; so we'd best ho'd ou
q tongues, think"