The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1909-04-22

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a joke of Smiths, and as the dwell
ing was lighted by electricity from a
private plant, | turned on every
lamp, that no trick might be played
under the cover of darkness. Then
| went up to my room and was soon
deep in certain figures. Perhaps an
hour had passed, when, to my intense
surprise, | suddenly found myself
saying, Come in.' l knew that
there had been no knock; yet I
seemed to have heard one. Then |
remembered that | had locked the
door. | rose, turned the KEY, and
was about to open it, when the knob
was turned deliberately, and the door
swung slowly open. But there was
no one there. | confess it made me
SILVER a bit, for the motion was
plainly caused by something, though
there was nothing to be seen. For
there was no wind at all. But some
how | knew it couldn't have been
that.
''The movement ceased; then as
certainly and deliberately as before,
the door closed. Curiosity got the
better of alarm-indeed, after a mo-
ment | felt assured that there was no
cause for disquiet, inexplicable
though the affair secondhand |
opened the door, to see if it would
shut again. But it remained mo-
tionless. Evidently my guest had
entered. | looked intently about,
but the glare of three incandescent
lamps disclosed nothing Not quite
that, though. In one corner stood a
small chess table. On this now saw
that the pieces were arranged IN
readiness for play. Yet they had
lain in a heap when I entered the
room; of that was certain. l ap-
preached the table and dropped into
a chair. Why it was l don't pretend
to say but l put out my hand and
made a move. | was more than
startled when, in a moment, piece
on the other side was played by
Something But though I kept up a
pretty lively thinking about the mys-
terry all the time, yet retained my
chess faculty and played as I had
never done before. My invisible OPP
ponent evidently thought well of me,
for he, or she, or it, used great de-
liberation, and the moves were those
of a master.
"Once, when my opponents piece
was about to move, to see the effect
, | placed my finger upon it. The
movement at once ceased. Then |
heard-though aware there was no
sound-a voice say courteously, 'Ex-
cuse me, sir; | thought it was my
turn
$50 it is | blurted out, 4 beg
your pardon Then | looked at the
empty chair opposite, and felt a bit
queer again. But the game was
growing intensely interesting, and
after a time | became so much alb
sorbed in it that I pretty much
ceased TO think of the uncanny char
acter Of my opponent. Little by lit
tie l appeared to be getting the
upper hand, and at last | saw that
the pieces lay exactly as they had
lain in a game | had once played
with Tschigorin, and with sigh OF
satisfaction | made the very play by
which the great Russian had de-
feated me, and which he had pro
nounced unanswerable. | had won
and | gazed exultantly at the de-
spondent space opposite. There was
no move for a long time. Give il
up, my friend?' | asked lightly
There was no response. But pres
emily there came a play that puzzled
me, a second that stunned me,
third that defeated me. Upon my
word, nothing in the whole strange
performance affected me as those
moves did, they were so utterly I'M
natural, so beyond the power of man
as we know him, to conceive. They
were the plays which you have JUS
seen.
81 rose, shivering. Then there
came a faint, pleased laugh, an(
something said, Its worth while
dying to learn how to play chess.
will come again tomorrow night
Wy rocr,,1 rlu