The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-15
Our Daily $bcrt Story

ody. Out here the songs of homs seem | like hallowed memories, and one .ings rs over them strangely.
 I had played 1t through twice, perhaps when heard a peculiar rustiing as of
 a heavy body sliding over the ground. My hand slipped a bit and struck a false note. A sort of whistling sigh an- see therein front of the veranGa ster- | not two yards away huge, flat fead body rose and fell to the music. Its head swaying rythmically, as its long, lithe | was nearly on level with my own. realized instantly what it was that had | poisoned poor Dutton's brain, and with the realization cam ethe knowledge of ! my own danger. God! what a tniLg to | be entertaining. It was keeping tine to | the music. slowly, awfully and kept On l playing automatically. A strange sick
 ness crept over me as thought the good old Smith & Wesson at my bolt and realized how useless 1t was tor must play on and on, and on. There lay my only safety.
 There was only one way for help to come and that was through Gra ,ger. | recalled his careless "Yes. maybe il l come when get through he.e. Don't wait for me- though. Dutton won't care | to see me if he's batty,' and fel. the | | drops. If he should get through too late | If he shuld not come-if I should have to
 sit here all night! An! my heart drop | ped Into my stomach and my flesh turned | to putty as I played, and playey, and l played. My God! it was hell. And all
 the time Dutton was making queer. | crooning noise-not human noise-a noise one could never forget-nevar--not | If one lived for a thousand years. | hn Qvrna nd 01.r nraAA
 thought 1t was going to touch me. end | waited-what? Madness-and wo:se- far worse. An. Dutton, poor lad poor lad!
 l wondered vaguely whether Granger | would come; after a time ceased to care,
 and then forgot altogether. My hands were Jumps of lead, It was
 no volition of mine that kept them mcv- | ing. My brain was a living coal that burnt and burnt. It met its reflection in the two points of living flame that held me.
 All sense of sound and feeling ho9 died
 out. I knew no fear. I knew ! othii.g- l but those two gleaming, ruby lights that | swayed and bent me in dull rythm. The hours grew into lights mt the ! nights into weeks and months and years. | and at last. I had always been there | had known no other iife-no other | tuUuSHt- wy uduuS WGtc lu0 OHly Ok | me that seemed alive, and they moved | on, and on, and on in a strange sort of l m mbnotone.
 l A sharp bark pinged through the air l and broke the cursed spel. I saw the | fiat, loathsome head fall apart and I | heard a scream of terrible agony from | the window. Then the two chunks of | lead that had been my hands dropped and
 I heard the instrument clater onto the bare boards.
 There was a strong smell of spirits in 1 the air. and saw Granger's face bending anxiously above me. His eyes were ten- der as a woman's and could have sworn | that there were tears in them. Here, old man, drink this" he said. with his hand under my neck. And Dutton?" I asked, faintly, for 1 | felt as though a great sickness had sap | ped the life from my body. Poor Dutton is dead to the world for awhile.'
 Let him sleep" I said, shudderingly. We'll get him away from this hell-hole l before we try to fetch him round" We sent him up in the hills and he found his lady, after all, and sailed back 1 to Gods country with her-thank Heaven 1 for thati
 As for newell, I don't yearn after l Annie Laurie" any more, and the soudd of violin chills mo to the very soul.