Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-30

ing an ONSIDdl-5iuB Dt&iSohS- A-A6H~'
were moving to and fro past the win
dows. and there was every indication
of a stirring scene within. l knew !
was at the house that had affected me.
for we had come just far enough TO
reach it and there was no other house
within a quarter or half mile.
The door opened. and l passed from
the man who had brought me to be
received by an old woman. She was
a singular looking creature dressed In
a very old fashioned style. She led
me upstairs to a bedroom, where on
four post bedstead with a valance
about it lay young man from whom
the life was fast ebbing. A girl hung
over him, while on a settle with his
face buried in the cushions was anoth-
err man. trembling convulsively. 9th
ers were about. but these three seem
ed to me to be the central figures of
tragedy.
1 drew down the bedclothes and
saw at once by the blood that the
young man had received a wound. 1t
was a sword thrust and in part Of
the body where it was likely to prove
fatal. The man on the sofa arose and.
coming to the other side of the bed.
watched me with a look hungry for
an expression of hope. The girl stood
beside me. also eager to catch a word
Of comfort. The wound had been
stanched. but the flow of blood had
not been stopped There were no
means at hand of determining what
internal part the weapon had pierced
or how deep was the stab. Besides, not
being a surgeon, had l possessed in
struments l should scarcely have dared
| to use them.
My mind was-so far as the mind
can be-on two subjects-firSt, the
| scenes before me; second. the fact that
l was in the house over which had
been dreaming. Indeed, was in n
! state of mental confusion. An old man
| came to the door, wTung his hands,
| turned and went away. The view l
| got of him was only for a second or
| two, and the light where he stood was
dim. for only candles were used in the
house. but 1t seemed to me that he was
! dressed very strangely. and as be turn
| ed his back 1 saw that either his hair
| was long or something like a cue hung
! down behind. The young man stand
| ing opposite me was also dressed odd
ly, and the girl appeared to have put
on n costume of her grGndmother's.
| Il have it, said to myself. These
| people have been to a fancy dress en-
| tertainment Of some kind, and a trag-
edy has occurred there. The wound
| ed man has been brought home. and
| the costumes have not been changed.
There stood those two young people,
each hanging on me for a word of en-
couragement. while l, knowing but lit
tie more about the outcome than they,
staggered by my strange surroundings,
confused at being thus brought to a
house that some unexplained means of
communication had caused me to feel
contained a story, knew not what to
say to them.
Relief came when suddenly an ashen
I hue came upon the patients face as
though a white powder had been
thrown upon it. Both those standing
with me knew that it meant death.
The girl sank down on her knees,
with a sob. while the man opposite
bent over the dying man and in voice
of agony cried:
"Come back! My God-I have killed
my brother!"
have a vague remembrance of
people rushing into the room, among
them the old man who had come to
the door. who wrung his hands and
turned away. Then there was an elder
" lady in a cap and a broad lace col
lar. The last scene can recall is one
of all these people. some looking at the
corpse on the bed. others at the man
who had cried out in his remorse and
pointing to his victim. The last sound
was d wall from the girl.
awoke from sleep with start.
I was sitting in a wicker chair on
the porch of the house in which / was
living. looking out over the little bay
at the house of the overhangiag bal
cony. Dawn was breaking. and. facing
east as the house did. what light there
was shone upon it and enabled me &c
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