The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-09-04

eyes full OF sleep, yet alert and anx-
ious TO do his duty. We all three con
tinued DIR progress 10 the fourth floor.
Arrived in front of No. DID, we listened
intently, but we could only hear faint
occasional groan.
Hes nearly dead" / said. The
manager called aloud, but there was
no answer Then he vainly tried 10
open the door. The night porter de-
parted and returned with a stout pair
of steel tongs. With these and the nat
ural ingenuity peculiar to hotel porters
he forced open the door, and we enter
ed No. ODD.
A stout, middle aged man lay on the
bed fully dressed in black. On the
floor near the bed was a silk hat. AS
we approached the great body seemed
TO flutter, and then II lay profoundly
and terribly still. The manager put
his hand on the mans head and held
the glass OF his watch TO the mans
parted lips.
'He is dead" said the manager.
"H'mw l said.
I'm sorry you've been put to any
inconvenience" said the manager,
"and I'm much obliged to you"
The cold but polite tone was a re-
quest to me to re-enter my own cham
Der and leave the corpse TO the man
ager and the night porter. l obeyed.
what about that MANI" l asked the
hall porter early the next or, rather,
the same, morning. | had not slept a
wink since 3 O clock, nor had | heard
sound in the corridor.
What man, sir?" the porter said.
You know" returned rather an
grily-"the man who died in the night
No. 222"
81 assure you. sir he said. Il haven't
the least notion what you mean"
Yet his face seemed as honest and
open as ever.
I inquired at the office for the mana
ger and after some difficulty saw him
in his private office.
II thought I'd just see about that
man." began.
What man." the manager asked ex
actly as the porter had asked.
Look here" | said, as l was now
really annoyed; Its all very well Civ.
ing instructions TO the hall porter. and
l can quite understand you want the
thing kept as quiet as possible, but
saw the corpse and was of some assist
ance to you
Excuse me-" said the manager. Ell
Their you or | must be completely mad
"Do you mean to say" | remarked,
with frosty sarcasm. that you didn't
enter room 222 with me this morning
at a. IN. and find a dead man thereT'
II mean to say just that" he an
swered.
"WelI'- | got no further. paid my
bill and left. but before leaving l went
and carefully examined the door of No.
222. The door plainly showed marks
of some iron instrument.
"Here," l said to the porter as | de-
parted. Accept this half crown from
me. l admire you
In the course of my subsequent tray
els / once more found myself late one
night at the Grand junction Terminus
hotel.
"NIr. Edge" said the night porter,
i've been looking out for you for
weeks and weeks. The managers com
pliments. and he would like to see you
in his room"
Again | saw the youngish, alert man
ager.
Mr. Edge" he began at once, lit is
probable that | owe you an apology.
At any rate | think it right TO inform
you that on the night of the 9th of No
vember, the year before last, exactly
twelve months before your last visit
here, a stout man died in room No. ODD
at a. IN. | forgot the circumstance
when you last came TO see me in this
room"
1T seems queer" | said coldly, that |
you should have forgotten such a cir
The fact is" he replied, II was not |
the manager at that time. My prede |
cessor died two days after the discov
cry Of the corpse in room 222.'
And the night porter-is he, too a /
new MANI"
YES" said the manager. 1.-THE porter /
who, with the late manager, found the |
corpse in room DOB is now in Han
well Lunatic asylum
Then you think" said, that was |
the victim Of a hallucination on my .
previous visit heref"
ION these matters" said the man
ager, 81 prefer to think nothing"
The Rabbit as n Gardener.