Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03
ALMOST A TRAGEDY

Sounds of tumult proceeded late last
Saturday night from a tiny over-a-store
downtown fiat. Talk with decided tabas-
co tang was passing between a man and a
woman. The man occupying the bachelor
fat above scented tragedy.
Woman" the man in the quarrel was
saying in hoarse tones of restrained fnten-
sity, you have sought to trap me and your
life shall pay the forfeit
You wrong me-, the woman was heard
to expostulate in frantic. appealing tones.
Il was ever terew. implore you
Appeal to me not the mans voice in
terrupted coldly. II have discovered your
deception. You shall die You have but
little time to pray"
Jock Jock" the woman pleaded. spare
me! 1 have been as faithful all these
years as yon golden moon, the lamp of
night. hanging suspended in the sapphire
skies Be mercifu Oh, how 1 long once
more to see the old place-to listen to the
humming of the bees-to pluck the roses
that cling to the trellis of the old we'll
JOCK, have you no mercy?
mercy Is not for such as your came
the cold, brutal voice or the man, and the
bachelor In the upper fiat rolled up his
sleeves, looked at himself fiercely In the
glass and remarked: 'Dog-gone his Bill
Sykes hide. We'll see about that''
You have but FIVE minutes to live. faith
less woman, and to establish your peace
and to commend your guilty soul
If l must die. then. dog the woman's
voice rang out you shall accompany me
to that bourne whence
'Ha! would you?" came the mans ac-
cents through cienched teeth, as the bache
Tor IN the upper fiat prepared to make a
rush. Then take thiS-and this-and
this"
There was sound of humping, furniture
being knocked over, stertorous brea thing
and gasps. subdued screams from the wom-
an. muffied CALCULATIONS from the man, and
the bachelor leaped to the door where the
tragedy was being enacted, tried the knob
and the door opened.
A rather good-looking man OF thirty-fye
or thereabouts his smooth face empurped
by much close shaving, had his lett hand
twisted in the hair of rather roliick-
looking young woman, and in his right
hand he had an ivory paper cutter raised as
if to strike.
Look out, Patsy" said the fiend with the
paper cutter. releasing the young woman.
Here's the ice man with his bil!"
linen the two stood and regarded the
bachelor merrily, and likewise puzzedly.
n.y.. spluttered the man who had ex-
pected to burst upon a scene of carnage. Il
thought-er-someth thing must have-er-been
wrong, you know" edging back toward the
still open door.
The two figures in the tragedy that hadn't
panned out, as it were, looked at each
other, grinned, and then the man who had
just been upon the brink of hideous crime
addressed the bachelor.
Bill he said. you want to buy a new
mop pipe. The one you're using's burnt
out. I'm ham, and this is me wife ano
sketchmate. We've just been rehearsing
The second act of the new freezer 'Blurdy
Footprints In the Road warranted to cur
die bllge water, and were going to work
il with summer stock out on the hanky-
pank circuit. So you're out On a limb.
Hope were not keeping you up, but if
you've broke in for a bottle of beer and d
cheese sandwich, why, guess there's some
thing out in the ice tank that Ii"
But the bachelor had nudged out into the
hall. pulling the door softly to after him.
Then the leading man and woman of the
"Feetprints'' company went on with their
rehearsal.