Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1902-05-31


This story was suggested by. the pic.
sTre OF Ghrists hesd afteE bne ie M Oh
1t was an old house, and lonely.
The Thief shivered and drew nearer
the fire He had never before realized
how oppressive silence could become
Clearly his nerves were not in the
best of order. Now he paced the floor
restlessly, his head sunken upon his
breast. He noticed that his shadow
followed him, huge and black; and he
sat down again in the chair.
If he had ever dreamed that the pos
session of this house, and its COM
forts, would have changed him from
careless, comparatively contenten
man, to a careworn, restless, unhappy
wretch, he told himself, he would
sooner have cut off his right hand
than to have secured it as he did But
then, he thought, it was too late now
for vain regrettings- The deed was
done, and he must suffer the conse-
Quences.
His was not strong character.
He loved ease, his bodily comforts
and mental designations He had al
ways wished to live comfortably,
without any exertion of his own body
or mind. But back in his selfish soul,
hidden among the baser traits, was
a slowly awakening conscience.
As he sat here in his arm chair he
seemed to be struggling along a coun-
try road against a storm; though he
heard the cracking of flames, what he
seemed to hear was the suck and
splash of flying hoofs; though ne look
ed at red bric'- and a dying fire, he
saw, as in dream, a rider loom out
of the darkness; saw him lean over
and strike the horse and, as he dashed
on into the night, a f1uttering white
something that fell from his pocket
into the mud. Then the Thief saw
himself pick it up. 1t was folded
document, bearing a seal; he took
it to his little room and opened 1t
with trembling fingers 1t was his
sisters will. There was an inner seal,
but this, like the outer one, was not
sealed nor stamped. Wax had mere
1y been dropped on each de of the
fold, and left to harden. When it was
necessary to seal it the wax would be
reheated, and the edges drawn to-
gether and stamped. She hao always
fixed her letters that way.
He fastened to read it, casting his
eyes at cnce to the bottom. 1t had
not been witnessed, though her sigma
ture was there. But as he looked rap
idly over the paper, his heart sank
again. There, down at the very edge.
were two names family written, and
evidently signed in great haste. He
knew the witnesses and felt sure that
they had not read the contents.
No matter, oral testimony alone
could not tahe the property away
from him. Everything was left to her
cousins, her only other relatives.
Well, it was right perhaps, for there
were five children, and they needed
it, and he had always been a black
sheep-he had not deserved it, but he
got it, nevertheless, for his heart was
black within him, and no on saw the
will but himself.
The messenger who had taken 1t to
town to see if it had been properly
drawn up and attested, told his story,
but though the road was searched the
will was not found, and the Thief, be-
ing next in line, took the house and
property.
The Thief stirred and sa. up with q
great sigh. His memories were over.
They had not been pleasant. His
glance idly followed his shadow upon
the floor. Part of the hearth-rug was
in deep shadow and part brought out
into bold relief by bands of yellow
light. AS his eyes fastened there and
held, he saw the light move. Little
by little it crept over the floor, and
he watched it's slow advance, fasci-
mated.
His eyes moved with the ray OF
light, slowly tracing the pattern. They
halted unfamiliarly on the frame oil
picture and then passed on.
The moon had passed out from be-
hind the clouds. There before him, o.
u|NNINElAtI4II II|,B+,