Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-12


1t across the meadow and terrace was
an easy task; yet when had reached
the door and had hammered upon it,
was In so sorry plight that l sank
down, and had no need to play part
or pretend to be worse than was.
For a long time no one answered.
The dark house towering above me re-
NAMED silent. I could hear, mingled
with the throbbings of my heart, the
steady croaking of the frogs in
pond near the stables; but no other
sound. In a frenzy of impotence and
disgust stood up again and hammered,
kicking with my heels on the nail
studded door, and crying out desperate
ly, "a moi! A MOL"
"Who is there?" a voice asked.
"a gentleman in Distress" an
swered piteously, moving my hands
across the door. For Gods sake open
and let me in. am hurt and diving
of cold"
What brings you here?. the voice
asked sharply. Despite its tartness.
fancied it was womans
Heaven knows!" answered desper-
ately. L cannot tell They maltreated
me at the inn and threw me into the
street. crawled away and have been
wandering in the wood for hours. Then
saw light here"
Thereon, some muttering took place
On the other side Of the door, to which
had my ear. 1t ended In the bars be-
Ing lowered. The door swung partly
open and light shone out, dazzling
me. tried to shade my eyes with my
fingers and as did 30 fancied heard
murmur OF pity. But when looked
in under screen Of my hand saw only
one person-the man who held the
light, and his aspect was so strange,
so terrifying, that, shaken as was by
fatigue, recoiled step.
He was tall and very thin man,
meanly dressed in short scanty jacket
and well-darned hose. Unable, for
some reason, to bend his neck, he car
ried his head with a strange stiffness.
And that head! Never did man show
face so like death. His forehead was
bald and white, all the lower part of
his face fell in. his jaws receded, his
cheeks were hollow, his lips and chin
were thin and fleshless. He seemed to
have only one expression-a fixed grin.
While I stood looking at this for
midable creature he made quick mo-
ton to shut the door again, smiling
more widely. had the presence of
mind to thurst in my foot and, before
he could resent the act, voice in the
background cried: For shame, Clon.
Stand back. Stand back, do you hear
I am afraid, Monsieur, that you are
hurt"
The last words were my welcome to
that house; and, spoken at an hour
and in circumstances so gloomy, they
made lasting impression. Round the
hall ran a gallery, and this, the height
of the apartment and the dark panel
ling seemed to swallow up the light.
stood within the entrance Gas it
seemed to mel Of huge cave; the
slsull-headed porter had the air of an
ogre. Only the voice which greeted me
dispelled the illusion. turned trem-
bling towards the quarter whence 1t
came. and. shading my eyes, made out
wcman's form standing in doorway
under the gallery. A second figure,
which took to be that of the servant
had seen at the inn, doomed uncer-
tainly beside her.
l bowed in silence My teeth were
chattering. | was faint without feign-
ing, and felt kind of terror, hard 10
explain, at the sound Of this woman's
voice.
Zone of our people has told me about
you," she continued, speaking out of
the darkness. Il am sorry that this
has happened to you here, but I am
afraid that you were indiscreet."