The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1908-10-13
The Mysterious Mirror
BY Harrison Graves
Copyright. by snorts,ory rub. Coz

which I gave. the negro came shuf-
fling mp. ! demanded Matt Favrcau.
the servant disappeared. Soon the old
creole himself stood bowing ip tho
door When | told him of our loss.
his eyebrows went up, his lips in, and
his hands out
"lmpossible!" he exclaimed And
in my house Mon Dieu!"
1T is possible" retorted, "sihSo
It has happened"
1T Is mistake. They have been
mislaid."
Neither the next day nor all tho
days of the succeeding week, fur
nished solution.
Tho evening before we departed
from the city my wife retired. OK
hausted by the strain | stayed on in,
the dressing room smoking, and oh
stlnatcly thinking Il over in vain
attempt TO catch some thread, some
clew. that would lead TO an cSplaua-
! tion and to a recovery Of the gems.
| The room was unlighted, and Tho
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 pierglaEs
mirror which hung upon the wall or
posito the door. The glow OF my
cigar was reflected with each pun !
t.ok until finally, nnishing II, I
dropped II upon an ash tray. Tho
minutes passed slowly, and J heard
far away "a city clock strike the mid
night hour All the house was stii.
My mind weared with intense
thought, relaxed, and gradually ] be-
came conscious Of a point Of light.
sharp and shining in the middle OF tho
black mirror In quick reaction I once
more focused my thoughts to explain
this speck of light which stood out so
clearly in tho darkness. | stared and
stared until my eyes ached-thcn, sud
denly. This strange thing happened:
The point. Of light grew less sharp
and began TO expand. Diffusing soft
glow about it's rim, IL spread until
there stood a disk Of light, wide as
the mirror itself AS ! watched, tho
faint outline of hand etched itself
into the light, Elusive at first, but
growing constantly more real until at
1
ing out from the darkness, this hand
lay upon table, and upon one finger
burned the rainbow opal of my vile
Its fires glowed and smouldored as
,, clearly as though | myself held IT,
Beside the finger tips, in careless
twists, lay, the necklace of pearls. And
near the thumb. shooting a 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 shiyereG
instinctively.
Like an inspiration 70 came TO me
that this bright speck, clear and deep
in the blackness of the glass, was a re-
. lection. The mirror was squarely be
fore the open door and low, darE
, passage that ran into the uninhabited
= part of the old mansion. A crowd OF
possibilities flooded my mind. ! fell.
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 cf the room down
;, . the low, musty passage. Carefully
VI feeling my way ] went forward until
! my finger touched a door. Stare as I
would, no ray of light, such as knew
had made the reflection, rewarded me.
e | had been low down in my chair. |
remembered. The keyhole, of course.
a and as | stopped TO II the anticipated
IT gleam flashed in my eye.
Ie Mastering as well as ! was able
~ the terror OF nervousness which seized
= me, tried the door lightly. II gave
way, and In an instant ! stood within
the lighted room. The sight which
i' greeted my eyes brought me up with
~ jerk. My humping heart, felt
IL sure, would wake The man who sat
N sleeping at the table, his head upon
10 his outstretched arms.
"a A sparkle of red and purple played
Is before me on the table, and there !
Il beheld the hand OF my dream--witll
ID the opal and pearls and the diamond
brooch. And there, too, upon his hand
lie squatted the ugly thing which had
ID made me shiver. II was then that
er the sweeping horror Of the truth
rs struck me. The man was dead. His
IN murderer, the swollen spider. croucbed
IL against his hand large as a coin, with
ne eyes peering sharply at me from q
ct purple body that bore upon it's back
I'd a furry, yellow cross.
OF While gloating over his booty, tht
thief. who proved To be a nephew ol
re Matt Favreau. had evidently fallen
ih asleep and, bitten by this poisonOu,
ne insect, had passed into the deeper
p, sleep Of death. Now the spider waitet
sd by his prey. The necklace stin lay
e, against the mans white fingers anC
I'd the diamonds still quivered and leapet
III with light.
A jointed fishing pole, well wroppe,