North Park union., 1902-01-17
Fsom Midnight \
Till Morning.

We bad bad such : fsAEfally hard
days work, al of a. Ths women
had waahsd early n ~ mosnins.
and The clothes were on ~ iins and
dried before three P. H., when thsy
wsrs taken in, and , rst.ho4 sanzs
soon had old.fashionsd iroas In good
shape 70 put % anishing tooshes,
even II II did taks unal Away into
the night. Tha reason The washing
came on Saturday was because
school was In session and all, even
the gri, were pupils, - there was
NO other day during the week on
which 1t could be done. 30 you
need not be surprised that II was
well on to midnight when we all ~
tired, to fall into deep sleep in an
incredibly short time.
1t must have required considerable
pounding and knocking before
We were aroused from our slumbers,
hut the constant rsttling on the door
forced US 10 slowly awake, and peer.
ing out at an apstAirs window We
saw q young man, who anxiously )
called 10 W In a hoarss whisper,
"Oome down quick - something aw-
ful has happen cd" NotwitAstand-
Ing our wsaricd condition, We hurried.
ly dressed and soon stood before the
messenger, almost overcome with
grief and fright AS rapidly az in.
aEtlculate words could come through
sobs, he told US his father had becn
killed In . saloon row m hour be-
fore. We glanced ut the clock and
saw that 1t was two A. n. Trying
to assure him IS best VIC could, that
such a horrid thing could not have
happened, We babe him sit down and
wait moment and VIC would go and
find out the truth Hastily throwing
on our coat, hat and gloves We pusliAd
out into the darkness, ran a fow
steps asd stopped 70 listen. No
sound, except now and then sullcn
yell that might come from some
drunken wretch, whose midnight
carousa' had witnessed the deed OF
blood SO recently narrated TO us. Sc
with 4 light, but hurried tread VIC
hastencd up the street wondering all
the while, what next VIC should Gu
counter. We had Nd gun-we fan
oied we needed none We were 20.
ing ~ messenger on particular
|errand. On we went, block after
block, until we nearrd saloon, from
tho front window OF which dim
light shone, from whence the drunken
reyelry iloated out on the still night
air. But harkl the sound Of
footsteps. Our heart beats almost
like = prisoner assaulting the walls
We stop, aud gaze towards tho sound
it approaches; We discern the figure
Of a man walking slowly. Il be
drunken too? He turns obliquely
from our line Of march. He is al
last sober enough to talk We ap-
proach nearer, stop; and not too loud
call to him. he stops, We approach,
and almost tremblingly We ask II
anything serious has happened up
town. Breathlessly We wait his an.
swer. "Not TO my knowledge is
the response, and his tone reyeals
tho further fact that he 10 the iden ii
cal person reported moment ago "a
have been murdered Oh, joy! We
seize his arm aad say, Come Al
We pass along back, brief expIana.
tions are made and being led 70 his
frightened, trembling son, who is toe
|ovsrjoyed to speak. And with firm
injunction from US ito get on home
and relieve anxiety Of wife and
other children" they depart.
30 tho report was a false one.
Better 90. A thousand times bstte,
so. And still it might have been.
just such things do happen, and in
just such places And thirc Is no
better time for such to happen thar
from midnight till morning, to-wit:
two o'clock A. NJ.
We returned to our bed, but I'M
happy drsams Of murder, pillage and
arson, disturbed onr slumbeS. Ths
Judge was only right relatively, when
he muttersd:
..Of all sad words Of tongue or pen,
Tho saddest are these. 1t might
have been"