Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-08-26

court Of France. interesting, no doubt.
In general way, but scarcely calcu-
lated to hold the eye at so critical an
instant. Neither did the shelf below
call for more than momentary atten-
ton. for 1t was absolutely bare. So
was the time worn, II not blood stained,
hearth, save for the impenetrable
shadow cast over 1t by the huge bulk
Of the great settle standing at Its edge.
have already described the impress
sion made on me at my first entrance
by this ancient and characteristic arti-
Gle Of furniture.
It was intensified now as my eye ran
over the clumsy carving which added
to the discomfort of its high, straight
back and a. smelled the smell Of its
moldy and possibly mouse haunted
cushions. A crawling sense Of dread
took the place Of my drst instructive
repugnance. not because superstition
had as yet laid its grip upon me, al
though the place, the hour and the near
and verttable presence Of death were
enough to rouse the imagination past
the bounds Of the actual, but because
Of a discovery I had made-a discovery
which emphasized the tradition that all
who had been found dead under the
mantel had fallen as II from the end of
this monstrous and patriarchal bench.
Do you ask what this discovery was?
It can be told in word. This one
end and only this end had been made
comfortable for the sitter. For space
scarcely wids enough for one the seat
and back at this special point had
been upholstered with leather, fastened
to the wood with heavy wrought nails.
The remaining portion stretched out
barr. hard and insxprssaihly fosbidding
10 one who sought ease there or even
4 moment Of casual rest.
2 The natural inference was that the
owner OF this quaint piece Of furniture
had been q very selfish man who
thought only Of his own comfort. But
might he not have had some other rea-
son for bis apparent niggardliness
40 ! asked myself this question and
noted how the long and embracing
Arm which guarded this cushioned re-
treat was dattened on top for the con-
ysnient hoidi1s Of decanter and glass,
eesAnss to which I can give no name
Ind which I had fondly believed my
self proof against began to take the
place Of Judgment and reason. Before
realized the nature of my own i'm
pulse or to what 1t was driving me I
found myself moving slowly and stead
ily toward this formidable seat under
an irresistible desire to fling myself
down upon these old cushions and
But here the creaking of some faroft
shutter, possibly the one I had seen
swaying from the opposite side Of the
street. recalled me to the duties Of the
hour. and, remembering that my In
yestigations were but half completed
and that might be interrupted any
moment by detectives from headquar-
ters, broke from the accursed charm,
which horrifled me the moment I es-
capped It, and, quitting the room by a
door at the farther end. sought to find
In some Of the adjacent rooms the def
Unite traces had failed to discover on
this the actual scene Of the crime.
It was dismal search, revealing at
every turn the almost maddened haste
with which the house had been aban-
doned. passed out into the kitchen
and 80 on by close and narrow pas
sage to the negro quarters clustered in
the rear. Here I made discovery.
One Of the windows in this long dis.
used portion Of the house was not only
unlocked, but partly open. But, as
came upon no marks showing that this
outlet had been used by the escaping
murderer, made my way back to the
The e.adls In the tvmbles