The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-26
HE EPISODE OF RAMA RAGoBAH
Chapter 7.

Chapter I.
On the day following Maitland's de-
parture for New York, Mr.. Darrow was
buried. The Osborne theory seemed to
be universally accepted, and many wom-
during his life attended his funeral,
curious to see what sort Of a person this
suicide might be-. Gwen bore the
ordeal with fortitude which spoke
volumes for her strength of character,
and took good care, when it was all
over, that she should not be left alone.
In compliance with Maitland 3 request,
whose will, since her promise to him,
was law to her, she prepared to close
the house and take up her abode with
US.
1t was on the night of the. funeral, just
after the lamps were lighted, that an
event occurred which made deep i'm
preston upon Gwen, tho neither she nor
fully appreciated It's significance Till
weeks afterward.
Gwen, who was to close the house on
the morrow, was going. from room to
room collecting such little things as
she wished to take with her. The
servants had been dismissed and she
was entirely alone in the house. She
had gathered the things she. had col
lected in little heap upon the sitting
up. She could think Of but one thing
more which she must take-a cabinet
photograph of her father. This was
upon the top Of the piano in the room
where he had met his death. She
knew it's exact location and could
been perfectly dark, which it was not.
She arose, therefore, and without tax
ing light with her, went into the par
lor. A faint afterglow illumined the
windows and suffused the rooms with
an uncertain, dim, ghostly light which
lent to all its OBJ ects that vague Hat
ness from which the imagination carves
for the picture, a sudden conviction pos
sessed her that her father stood just be-
hind her in the exact spot where he
had met his death-that If she
turned she would see him again with
his hand clutehing his throat and his has
eyes starting from their sockets with
that never-to- be-forgotten look OF fren-
Zied helplessness.
1t would be difficult to find woman
upon whom superstition has 50 slight
hold as it has upon Gwen Darrow,
yet, for all that, it required an effort
for her to turn and gaze toward the
center Of the room. A dim, ill-detined
stain of light fell momentarily upon the
chair in which the dead man sat, and
then flickered unsteadily across the
room and, as it seemed to her, out thru
it's western side, the while faint,
rustling sound caught her ear. She was
plainly conscious, too, of something
swishing by her, as if strong draught
h naf aTt snnestt as sa WeS 5
before, yet there was something in the
gloom, the deserted house, and thi:
fatal room with it's untold story OF
death which, added to her weird per
captions and that indescribable con
vic-laa IF an unseen presence, caused
even Gwen to press her hand con
vulsively upon her throbbing heart
For the first time in her life the awful
possibilities of darkness were fully
borne in upon her and she knew just
how her father had felt.
In moment, however, she had re
lowered from her first shock and hac
begun to reason. Might not the SCUM
had felt, both be explained by an ope1
windows She knew she had closed ant
locked all the windows of the room
when she had finished airing it afte7
the funeral, and she was not aware
that anyone had been there since, ye
she said to herself that perhaps one o.
the servants! had come, in and opelne5'
q window without her knowledge. Sh
turned and looked. The lower sash O.
the eastern window-the one thru whicl
she felt sure death had approached he
father-was raised to it's utmost.
"How fortunate,' she murmured
"that I discovered this before leav
ing"
as she stepped to the window to clos
it. Remembering how the sash stucl
in the casing she raised both hands t.
forcibly lower it. AS she did 80
strong arm caught the sash from tn
outer side, and a stalwart, masculln
form arose directly in front Of her. Hi
level with her own, despite the fac
that he was standing upon the groun
outside. He was 80 near that she coul
feel his breath upon her face. Hi
eyes, like two great Goals OF fire, blaze
into hers with a sinister and threatenin
light. His countenance seemed to utter
ly surpass any personal malignancy an
to exhibit itself as a type of all tn
hatreds that ever poisoned huma
hearts.
Only a moment before Gwen had fe]
creepy, sickening sensation stealth
over her as the result Of an ill-defne
and apparently causeless dread. No
an actual, imminent and fearful per
stances most women would have fainte
and, indeed, if Gwen had herself bee
asked how she would have acted undo
such supreme test, she would hav
prophesied the same maidenly cours
as her own, yet, in the real exigency-
how little do we know of ourselve
save what actual experience has taugl
us!-this is precisely what she did NJ
do.
When the horrible apparition fir
rose in her -Sery face, as it were,
momentary weakness caught her an
she chung to the sash for support. The
the wonderful fire of the MALIGNANT eye
green, serpentine, opalescent, with tt
wave-like flux Of glowworm s Hgl
seen under glass, riveted her atte
ton. She had ceased to tremble. Q,
fear Of death varies with our desi
for life. Dulled by a great grief, 81
did not so very much care what b
came Of her. The futures burden w
heavy, and if it were necessary 81
now put it down. there would still
a sense of relief. AS this thougl
passed like shadow over her co
seriousness she felt herself irrestib
attracted to the awful face before he
Her assailant's gaze seemed to ha,
wound itself about her own till 81
could not disentangle it. She was dill
~ conscious that she was falling und
spell and summoned all her remainil
strength to break it. Quick as Il
uncoiling of a released spring, al
without the slightest movement
WARMING She threw her entire waip