The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-02-26
The Writing ON the WALL
BY Thomas {. Harbaugh,

not astonish me after what the pig
headed constable had said the night
before. Nobody believed the young
man guilty. though he did not express
any sympathy for Durivage. and after
a hearing he was discharged. He was
strangely non.committal during the OK.
animation, and when it was over he
came into my office and took a char.
Doctor" said he. leaning toward
me with smile, they didn't ask me
to tell what | saw, did they?"
81 believe they did not. Steve" |
answered, wondering what he knew.
Il saw the man that did it,"
] looked strangely at him, wonder
ing If he was not losing his wits.
Il saw him, but not till after the
shot" Steve went on. Il was up to
the house last night. went there to
ask Brant Durivage TO listen to me
for a minute, though l don't expect
he'd have done it. Just as | was en-.
tering the garden, for | knew l would
find him in the library with the win
dow up. | heard sharp cry, and the
carrying in one hand box. This is
as true as gospel, doctor! He never
saw me though | could have touched
him while he was passing; but
would not because l thought he had
finished Durivage.
Morgan then went on and described
the man with n minuteness that as
tonished mo. He did it so we'll l
thought | could see him before mo,
and at the end of his story he declared
his intention Of repeating his adven.
turc to no one else, not even in the
interests of justice.
"'lf he gets well, he'll marry An
ME" said Morgan, savagely, "and If
he dies, let him rot without being
avenged"
| watched Durivagc closely for ten
days. | could see that the secret
poison was at work, and the case was
queer study that opened up to me
a new field for investigation. During
those ten days the wounded man
seemed TO suffer thousand deaths.
On the afternoon of the eleventh
day | was hurried over to the house
by the butler, who said that Durivage
was writing on the wall before his
cot. At the foot of the stair We were
met by the nurse. who with blanchcd
face cried that all was over.
Bounding up the fight two steps
at time. | rushed into the bedroom
and found Durivage lying on his face
on the floor.
You should have seen and heard
him." said the frightened servant.
He awoke and called at the top of
his voice for a pencil. ran and got
him one, thrusting it into his hand
closed on it he laughed like a fend.
and rising in bed. wrote what you see
on the wall yonder, and then fell back
and writhed till he pitched out upon
the iloor
Before this | was at the cot and with
burning eyes was looking-nay star.
ing-at the writing on the wall.
"K'AA-K'AA-K'AA."
lltlt WIGS dhOlhtI mystery.
What did he say after that?" !
asked, turning TO the two servants,
while ! pointed to the writing on the
wall.
He pronounced three times some.
thing that sounded like 'kile' or 'Kala
haetlwe,' was the nurses answer.
Before | could reach him he was
dead"
| was more than ever mystihed.
have never heard Of the written or
spoken words. They were all Greek
to me, but felt that they were con
nected with the awful death Brant
Durivage had died. Daring the next
few days there ran through my mind
nothing but "Kaa, K'aa, Kaa."
had the nurse repeat "Kala haetlwe"
until had mastered it. and until loft
the Shropshire village and located IL
London, an event in my career which
took place q year later / did not let
the singular words escape ne.
During thls period Steve Morgan did
not so back to annie. lie wrote me
that he would not so so until the mya.
terry connected with DuiyaGe'a dca.h
wzs solved, and felt tha, tho 8olu-
tion would never come and bring The
two young hearts together.
Ono ovoain5 was called to ettenl
u moa VINO he'd been run over uv a
Lutchqr1 cart near the strand He
Lad been carried to his lodgings near
b.. and lay bloody and gaaDing on a
PALLET of dingy rags. The moment ]
saw the man q strange thrill took pos
session o. me, and / recalled Steve
Mcrgans description Of the owner OF
the poisoned arrow.
When had dressed the wounds
made by the heavy wheels Of the cart,
and had my patient sitting up, vita
hot drink before him and his long
dark fingers encircling the glass,
asked him who and what he was.
I'm a Bushman.' said he with a
chuckle and then. seeing the look of
disbelief that ! exhibited, he went on:
"You don't think so? | can prove il.