The Harrison times., 1908-10-17
The Mysterious Mirror
By Harrison Graves
Copyright, by shortstory Pub Coz

| which | gave, the negro came shu1'
fling up. / demanded Matt Favreau;
the servant disappeared, Soon the old
creole himself stood bowing in the
door. When | told him of our loss,
his eyebrows went up, his lips in, and
his hands out.
"Impossible!" he exclaimed. And
in my house, Mon Dieu!"
1T is possible" l retorted, since
it has happened"
at is a mistake. They have been
mislaid."
Neither the next day nor all the
days of the succeeding week, fur
nished a solution
The evening before we departed
from the city my wife retired, ex-
hausted by the strain. ! stayed on IN
the dressing room, smoking, and OBJ
stinately thinking it over in vain
attempt to catch some thread, some
cIew, that would lead to an explana'
ton and to a recovery of the gems.
The room was unlighted, and the
door stood wide open into the dark
hall to let the smoke from my cigar
drift out | lay back in a reclining
chair, staring into the long pier-glass
mirror which hung upon the wall OPP
posile the door. The glow of my
cigar was reflected with each puff l
took until finally, finishing it, |
|
minutes passed slowly, and | heard
far away a city clock strike the mid
night hour All the house was still,
My mind, wearied with intense
thought, relaxed and gradually | be-
came conscious of a point of light,
sharp and shining, in the middle Of the
black mirror In quick reaction | once
more focused my thoughts to eXpF1n
this speck of light which stood out so
clearly in the darkness, | stared and
stared until my eyes aChed-then, sud
denly, this strange thing happened:
The point of light grew less sharp
and began to expand. Diffusing a soft
glow about its rim it spread until
there stood a disk Of light, wide as
the mirror itself. AS l watched, the
faint outline of a hand etched itself
into the light Elusive at first, but
growing constantly more real until at
last it seemed as if Of flesh, Stretch
ing out from the darkness, this hand
lay upon a table. and upon one finger
burned the rainbow opal of my wife.
It's fires glowed and smouldered as
clearly as thoagh | myself held it.
Beside the finger tips, in careless
twists, lay the necklace Of pearls And
near the thumb, shooting hundred
flames. | saw my own gift Of diamonds.
But there was something else-some'
thing upon the hand, black and ugly
that held my eyes fixed. A little
shudder crept cold over my body and |
awoke with a half laugh, but shiyered
instinctiyely
Like an inspiration it came to me
that this bright speck, clear and deep
in the blackness of the glass was a re-
Election. The mirror was squarely be
fore the open door and low, dark
passage that ran into the uninhabited
part Of the Old mansion. A crowd Of
possibilities flooded my mind | felt
with all the force Of my mysterious
revelation, that | was on the track OF
the jewels
Rising and feeling for matches in
The pocket of my smoking jacket, !
went stealthily out Of the room down
the low, musty passage Carefully
feeling my way | went forward until
my finger touched door. stare as J
would, no ray Of light, such as ! knew
had made the reflection, rewarded me
! had been low down in my chair !
remembered The keyhole, of course
and as | stopped to it the anticipated
gleam flashed in my eye.
Mastering as well as | was able
the terror Of nervousness which seized
me, | tried the door lightly. 1t gave
way. and in an instant / stood within
the lighted room. The sight which
greeted my eyes brought me up with
jerk. My humping heart, | felt
sure. would wake the man who sat
sleeping at the table, his head upon
his outstretched arms.
A sparkle Of red and purple played
before me on the table, and there !
q beheld the hand Of my dream-with
the opal and pearls and the diamond
brooch. And there, too, upon his hand
, squatted the ugly thing which had
made me shiycr 1t was then that
: the sweeping horror Of the truth
! struck ME. The man was dead Ills
/ murderer, the swollen spider, crouched
. against his hand, large as a coin, with
, eyes peering sharply at me from a
I purple body that bore upon its back
| a furry yellow cross
+ While gloating over his booty, the
thief who proved to be a nephew OF
p Matt Fayreau, had evidently fallen
I asleep and, bitten by this poisonous
insect, had passed into the deeper
/. sleep Of death Now the spider waited
l by his prey The necklace still lay
;. AGAINST the mans white fingers and
1 the diamonds still Quiycrod and leaped
j with light