, 1902-03-24

ths quaint, carved furniture ,n~rne
psrlor. and those weird works of art
hdorning the mantels. A pondercus
walnut bed stood in one corner OF the
room. At the side was a small fire.
place, now clean and brushed OF the
tell-tale ashes. Over by the window.
where the grey light from the sea
struggled through in the early dawn,
stood a huge bureau. went and look
ed at myself in the glass. Anu then
a horrid fear crept upon me. Under
my feet stretched a great rug, much
too large for the room, and pushed
under the legs of the bed to get rid
of the extra n 7 did ..ot dare
look under that rug! Ins,e.i Of my
own face, young and heavy-eyed with
sleep. l seemed to see the wretched
countenance Of another woman, alone,
mateless because of her too great love,
and sinking to an agonized death by
her OWE hand. I moved from the spot.
II the mirror had helped In the doing
Of the evil deed. the rug was guilty
Of hiding the dark stains.
I remember thinking Of everything
in a hazy way. I was very unhappy,
but I fell asleep at my prayers, and
finally climbed into the great bed, to
slide through three thousand miles Of
heavy, stolid slumber.
1t was early in the morning when
I awake. Too early for the dawn to
show. 1t was raining, too. and the
wind howled about the corners Of the
roof, like an enormous man, who was
Ill. 1t was a small sound that brought
me clear-minded, and keen-eared to
my senses. A gurgling, slop, s!op,
something thick like blood. Weird and
bubbling, the noise grew nearer.
Then sudden, uncanny. horrible, I
heard my heart beats-in twos and
threes-with startling jumps. My
hair stood on end, my body laid help
less in the great bed. For there,
moving in that tiny room with me
was something! Something white,
and long and lean, coming nearer and
nearer, with a beastly slop, slop, CUR
gle and bubble of blood. I remember
Of wondering why there was SO much
blood from a bullet wound. God in
Heaven! The thing was coming to-
ward me. 1t fumbled with the covers,
striving to turn them up from the bot
tom. Livid fear held me, tongue-tied
and trembling, to the bed. And then
something in me broke at the sound
of the figures voice. Clear and gold
en-, English all over, came the beauti-
fully modulated tones: Dear me, but
I have had the trouble this night. My
feet like ice, and never a bit of hot
water. This water will never get them
back to their proper state. have a
mind to rouse the proprietor" l sat
bolt upright with a scream of laugh
ter. The old lady, for such she was,
turned a CHASTITY face upon me. Sheer
horror tied her tongue, that had but a
moment gone, been Sc timber. do
you know where you are?" said I.
you are in Number So"
1 shall never forget her face. The
principles Of a lifetime were forgot
ten. She thought I was a ghost, and
the ghost of an American at that!
With a terrible screech she was gone
down the hall, spreading her fright
like disease through the hotel. I
moved in the bed, and the gurgle
again fell upon my ears. I picked up
a lukewarm gum water bottle, and I
was still bowling and hugging that
awful instrument of torture when
Theodore and-Tom Merrill burst into
my room. T have always told Tom
since that he actually patted me on the
back that night, and called me "dar-
ling" while he vas attired in a bath
robe and pajamas, and I in a most
fetching nightdress, covered, alas, |
with a blanket. I couldn't make them
understand. They wanted to soothe me, |
and quiet my nerves. and those two
idiots of men actually spilled a half
pint of good Overholt before I could
get anything into their heads. They
might have known hat 1t was a huge !
Joke instead Of Mysteries, though I
never. never told how that mistaken
old English woman did really scare
me into a fit. At last, aided by my |
faithful water bottle, l got the story
out, and was left alone. But not be-
fore Tom had. whispered: You'll
have to marry me the first thing in
the morning, Peggy, love, to save
my reputation" And that's why I
went to sleep the second time that
night the happiest girl in the world. !
and the sunshiny dawn Of my wedding
day streamed through the broad win
dow of Number SO.
Mark TwaIn's MaIims.