The Opelousas courier., 1902-04-12
TIE Writing on the WALL
By Thomas c. Harbaugh
Il saw the man that did it,"

1ASt' ~ "CuJ. 1At vas vi ~
the house last night. / went there td
ask Brant Durivage to listen t8 ms
for q minute; though | don't expect
he'd have done it. just as | was en-
tering the garden, for l knew I would
find him in the library with the win
dow UP, | heard a sharp cry, and the
next moment there passed a little man
carrying in n hand d box. This is
as true as gospel, d6ct5r! He never
saw me though l could have touched
him while he was passing; but ]
would not because l thought he had
! finished Durivage.
y Morgan then went on and described
the man with a minutenesS that as
tonished me. He did it So well l
thought could see him bel kre me,
and at the end oPhis story heSeclared
his intention Of repeating his Hdven-
ture to no one else, not ever the
interests a Justice;
eff hessets well, he'll marr& An
ME-" said Morgan, savagely, "ad if
he dies, let him rot without BENG
avenged" $S
| watched Durivage closely for ten
days. l could see that the secret
poison was at work, and the case was
a queer study that opened tip to me
a new Held for Investigation. During
those ten days the wounded man
seemed to suffer a 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 blanched
face cried that all was over.
Bounding UP the flight two steps
at a time, / rushed into the bedroom
and found Durivage lying on his face
OF the floor.
you should have e 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
when I came back. AS his fingers
closed on it he laughed like a fiend,
and rising in bed, wrote what you see
On the wall yonder, and then fell back
ard writhed till he pitched out upon
the floor.
Before this l was at the cot and with
burning eyes was looking-nay star
ing-at the writing on the wall.
"K'AA-KAA-K'AA."
Here was another 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 l could reach him he was
dead
| was more than ever mystiffed.
have never heard OF the written or
spoken words. They were all Greek
TO me, but 1 felt that they were con
nected with the awful death Brant
Durivage had died. During the next
few days there ran through my mind
nothing but "k'aa; K'aa; K'aa:s
had the nurse repeat "Kala haetlwe'
until | had mastered it; and until / left
the Shropshire village and located in
London, an event in my career which
took place a year later, | did not let
the singular words escape me.
During this period Steve Morgan did
not go back to Annie. He wrote me
he would not do so until the mys-
terry connected with Durivage's death
was solved, and I felt that the solu-
ton would never come and bring the
two young hearts together.
One evening / was called to attend
a man WHO had been ruin over by a
butchers cart near the Strand. He
lad been carried to his lodgings near
b.. and lay bloody and gasping on a
rallet OF dingy rags. The moment
the man d strange thrill took pos
of me, and | recalled Steve
Morgan's description of the owner of
he poisoned arrow.
When l had dressed the wounds
made by the heavy wheels of the cart,
md had my patient sitting up, with a
lot drink before him and his long
lark fingers encircling the glass. /
ssked him who and what he was.
I'm a Bushman." said he with a
and then, seeing the look of
disbelief that / exhibited, he went on:
You don't think SO? l can prove it.
look here"
He leaned toward his pallet, and
9 my utter establishment took from
,eneath the pillow of rags a bow and
wo arrows. / could not repress a
Of amazement. and did not try.
rne dark-faced little man was hold
ng the arrows toward me, and | could
zee that they were exactly like the one
which had killed Brant Durivage.
Il hal three, but / lost one some
ago." continued my patient.
Where did lose it? Never mind
hat, doctor. | could go back to the
rot, but | will not. Ho, no. He
new what it was all the time. My
title arrows are more dangerous than
hey look. | prick your hand with
ne, and all your skill cannot ave
our life. The marurn tree grows no
rhere but among the Bojesmen, the
title men o. South Africa. 1t looks
Ike your elm, but it has many thorns.
Is leaves are the homes of the grub
hat builds houses like the silkWorm.
When we want poison for our arrows
fe take a grub between thumb and
niger, and make 1T shed its greenish
uids upon the ivory head of the
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