The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-01-23

Der of serpents' heads across the bo-
som. Wasted was the once. 1.-THE fig
ure; wasted the arms, the neck, the
hands, while the protruding cheek
bones, the set and lustreless eyes and
feshless, hawklike nose chilled my
heart.
On the table over which this grue-
some figure leaned was a box, on whiA
the eyes Of the sufferer were fastened
looking neither to right nor left; and
beside this a small clock Of peculiar
design licked the minutes away. \
lamp stood near, which furnished the
garish light we had observed as. we en-
tered the rooma, and Left impenetrable
darkness beyond. =, ILL., >+,5 =: -. 49,.
vi Satisfied THAR Imray arS}]was. alive
T at. least The *thoughtf struck me to. III g.:
ton to the doctor to RETREAT :and talk
the matter over. With this intention
I was about to withdraw my head
| when the sound of tinlxling, musical
bell struck me.
One--two-three, was struck, and
| spontaneously the lips Of the entranced
man parted, uttering "One-two-
! three" in a voice so strangely unlike
thrilled by the pathos of it all.
."One-two-three." There was a
pause. The bony fingers languidly lift
| ed from the box sheet of thin white
! parchment at each count and placed
| it beside the box with machine-like
regularity-as if, indeed the human
action were part Of clockwork itself.
'"Three-two-one;::' the parchment
was replaced in the box with the same
precision.
| AS my senses fully took in the situa-
| tion I noted that every third minute
this act would be repeated; there would
issue the same strokes from the clock,
| followed by the same movement of the
hand and weary itera ton of the three
words.
! What did the mysterious box con-
tain? How long had this scene been
enacting? What devilish magic held
that erstwhile powerful physique in
its mesh? The scene before me- was
dreadful to behold. Something must
be done, and done expeditiously, I
! would
One-two-three, from the clock:
"one-two-three," from Imray Khan;
then again the hand movement, again
| the voice monotonously repeating
'"Three-tWo-Qne' as the leaves were
put back in exact position to cover
up something, reasoned, to hide from
view some horrible diabolism!
N.Y. determination to leave the room
was shaken minute later, when / saw
the hour hand point to 8. Instructive
| ly I felt there was a crisis imminent
both from behind the screen and be-
fore it. Twice in the last few minutes
Rathbone had crept to where I knelt
and almost .savagely plueked at me-
He was an .impulsive man. and knew
that he, too, was burning with the de-
sire to see the contents of that box
To speak, of course, was out of the
question. T CROPPED about for the doc
tor, and suggested by signs that we
stand before the screen and look down
The screen reached to Rathbone's
chin; shortness of stature prevented
my seeing what his keen eyes dis
cerned. Crouching low over the box
the bony shoulders of Imray Khan pre-
vented a view of it's interior Baffled
Rathbone mover further along, and as
he did so the clocks bell struck the
hour of 8 in tones alar1ning1y loud.
| AS the last stroke died away a sigh
broke in on the awful stiffness of the
place--a moan SO low and pitiful at the
beginning that my, heart turned faint
It was like the soughing. Of the .au-
tumn wind through, the. naked pines
it rose to the agonizing pitch: Of a gale
} sweeping through the. rigging. of: g
laundering ship; it floated and wa
Xered on the Sitting air like the ban:
she's voice, and. then 6 died away ir
choking sobs! s., s. N. g.. -:
: It would have taken a stronger mar
I thanI$to Withstand the pat los thai
s<
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