The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-01-17
THE KNOCK
AT THE DOOR


suppression Of an inward curse. His
hands lay folded pensively across his
thin legs, and he looked out owe the
shadowy h%ousetops with a dull sugges-
ton Of hatred in his bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly there came a low tapping
at the door behind him. He arose with
a muttered curse at thus having his
thoughts interrupted and approached
the door lazily.
"What do you wants" he demanded
In a sharp voice.
But there was no reply. He opened
the door cautiously, and only a cold
gust Of midnight air entered the dark
apartment. He glanced out into the
silent hallway and saw again the same
familiar darkness that he had seen
when he entered his room. Confused.
~ across his brow, then closed the
door carefully and locked 1t. A mo-
ment later he seated himself In the
chair by the open easement and stared
out through the nocturnal shadows.
1t was quite cold, and q few patches
Of snow were cleaning brightly on
many Of the housetops. but the pessi-
mist was unconscious of the cold.
"Why do l live?" he asked himself.
And the echo Of his own voice came
back to his ears from beyond the hall
way.
"There is an object in every life,"
the voice said to him. 1--WE all have a
mission to fulfill"
eyes," he answered the voice, with
something Of a sepulchral tone In his
own. land the object Of mine is to
ascertain the limit Of mans endurance.
the capacity Of human beings for pain.
Some day / will reach the limit. Some
day my capacity will be exceeded"
While he was speaking there came to
his ears the sound of a human voice in
the alley below his window. 1t seemed
like q low groan, ending in a sharp.
mournful cry, as Of an infant. In
stantly his gloomy meditations were
dispelled, and he leaned forward.
through the window In the hope OF
again hearing the strange sound.
Again the long groan was borne to
him from out OF the darkness, but
when he looked down in the direction
from which it came he could see only
. deep wall of darkness and midnight
shadows. Suddenly:
GOD. please help mer'
It was the voice of a child lying at
the base OF the building among the
half dozen ash barrels In the alleyway.
He arose and went down upon the
street. A moment later he passed down
the alley along the row Of ash barrels.
Lying beside n of these he discover
ed the cuddeing body Of a child. a baby
boy, scarcely more than six years Of
age. 1t was half frozen. and, judging
from the pinched face. 1t had not
tasted food for many hours or days. 1t
was clad only in a dirty cloth Of tat
tiers, and the childish lips were parted
In a repeated cry. God. please help
me-" He lifted the child boy In his
long, bony arms and bore 1t into the
house and up the long flight Of stairs
to his chamber. There he undressed It
and revived 1t. He procured food and
~sustenance and placed It tenderly In
his own soft bed. Then he took from
his pocket a roll OF greenbacks and
placed It carefully In the ragged pocket
Of the child's clothes. Why he did SO
he was not able to shy, butt was an
impulse which he could not resist. He
said to himself:
''This is another Of earth's poor crea-
lures who has been depending on the
Lord Christ"
And he resumed his seat BY the win
dow.
Thrice az he sat there he heard the
mysterious knock at tho door; thrice
he arose and looked out into the hall
why and thrice returned again to his
sent, bewildered and mystlfed; thrice
had the midnight air entered In a cold
gust through the chamber door, and
thrice he had answered the low tap
ping to discover only the midnight
darkness. But at last his head fell for
ward on his breast. and he slept soft
"; then. when his breathing had be-
come heavier and harder. the door,
which he had securely locked, opened
slowly. and the white visage Of a grin
ming skull looked In upon him. A mo-
ment later the cleaning, phosphores-
cent skeleton entered the dark cham
Der and kuoved nimbly to his side. It
placed Its bony hand oyer the Sleep
Ing mans lips and held It there until
the heavy breathing became ~inaudible.
When the last short breath had escap-
ed the slumberer's lips. It sprang back
ward with a silent bound and passed
out through the open door.
The cold hand Of death had complet-
I'd its work.
In the morning the child awoke and
found the dead body Of it's b~enefactor
sitting rigidly In the leather chair BY
the open window. In It's ragged peck
etc the child discovered the money
which the dead man had placed there
- It lay asleep In the big. soft bed,
and when the crowd surged into the
deathroom the child told them In its
own way how the dead man had saved
its young life. Then the arab OF the
mtN0At nuon4 n,~& - 49, L.uS--ts-A