The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-28


the furnishings and what may be call |
ed the arrangement of that room
were set down upon that paper.
you did not recognize it as your
own?" l asked. ''That seems strange"
"Ah! So you know all about my
dream?' said he. 1T may indeed seem
strange that l did not know this place,
yet l did not To be sure. the outlines
are regular: there was really nothing
except the furniture by which it might
be recognized. 1t has been repapered,
the rugs and the hangings are differ
ent'-
II should have thought that the view
from the windows l began. But
perhaps you did not look out"
There is one of the peculiar facts
about this dream,' said he. There
was no view from the windows; it was
night. The room seemed to be dark.
and yet l perceived all that was in it
and had an impression of the things
Just as if l had seen them"
His manner far more than his words
produced upon me an effect of awe
absurd, of course, for what is death or
the view of death to shake mans
heart?
Il don't understand why you should
conceal this from your sister," said l.
your revelation was dumb as to time.
That you expect to die in your own
chamber some day cannot alarm your
friends. How can they hope for any
thing better?"
This is surely the rational view, and
it was extraordinary that it had not
sprung up before Winthrop's mind i'm
mediately. 1t had not, and in response
to my suggestion he said repeatedly:
ut will alarm her. The thought that
she herself planned these changes will
torture her mind.'
"You are mistaken" l insisted. ''If
you do not tell her you can never go
| from home without raising in her mind
| the fear that you have gone straight to
that closing scene of your life which
| has been so strangely revealed to YOU
The upshot of it was that he was
! overDerslladcd and agreed to take Mar
ion into his confidence, the more cspe-
| cially because he had been confronted
by the necessity of leaving home for Il
few days upon a matter of business.
The result of this disclosure, however,
was precisely what winthrop had fore
seen. 1t was to Marion as if she had
built a gallows for her brother upon
which he must die the sooner because
Of the work of her hands.
She concealed this feeling from Stan
ley. but to me she was explicit 1t was
at this time that she and began to re-
aliZe the nature Of the tie that was
binding us more closely to each other
We had misnamed it friendship fol-
more than year.
This monstrOus notion, that the room
and her own affectionate efforts t(
make it more comfortable for hel
brother had somehow accelerated the
approach of his doom. would not leave
her mind Her brother dwelt in thu
apartment with a certain placid impa
tience, but Marion viewed his cOntin
ued use of it with an ever present ter
ror which seemed to me utterly unrea
sonable.
The situation was the worse becaus
|
suade Stanley to give up the room for
ever or to consent to Il change of 1t
: furnishings was the same as askin
him to set date for his own exit frOr
, the world, since he believed that h
: was to die in that scene as it the
stood. Absurd as this belief must seer
y to Il normal mind, it had surely take
= possession of the brother and siste
y and the effect was disastrous upo
each, though in a different way. 1
" Stanley it meant an increasing conce1
tration of his thought upon Il mOrbi
theme, to Marion Il constant tortu
ing apprehension, Il dread of night an
!; morning.
g 1t speedily became necessary to tai
- decisive action l took advice of Sta
:. ley's physician. Il man more intolcral
~. of morbid and mystic nonsense tina
any one else whom l ever knew, and
- consulted certain members Of the WI
= throp household. The result was d
:, termination to overthrow this supe
- stition by direct proof of its falslt
1t seemed likely that in this attem
-, l might lose Stanlcy's friendship. b
| had reached Il pitch of desperate
:. where | was willing to risk anythil
and. moreover. the doctor. who W
=. Il bluff old fellow. agreed to assul
ha all responsibility and to make all
H., arrangements.
=, One evening at the Winthrops' dinr
~, hour Dr. Evans and l gained access
-, Stanley's room from the veranda. \
were accompanied by some of the SCI
ants. and we had the means of effe
,s ing a very considerable change in
al appearance of that apartment.
=, 1t was an evening prematurely da
:, The western sky almost to the zen
=. was dead black. SO that the ca
seemed to be rolling into the mouth
a pit. l was the first to enter
,,t room. and l CROPPED my way at once
80 a table upon which l knew that tn
1 tnh 1pl