The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-02-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

the top or the house., suggested
Doherty. as they lay Annie on the bed.
Who could be up there now?"
The policeman stepped blithely past
Miss Gentry's room, with but casual
| glance into It's domestic depths.
straight to the wide opened portal of
the third story front and across the
| threshold.
The perfume of the room was the
| first greeting. An odd penetrating odor
that savored of things forgot, and
things undone a fragrance belonging
| to the mystic places of shadows. and
not to one OF the clean, well-soaped
and better busted apartments of An
| ME OBSTETRICS boarding house. On the
! cheap oak table that had been drawn
/ close to the bed was a great bowl of
! dying violets. BY the flowers still burn
ed drop light and beside this an
opened fallen book as IL the occupant
had baited sleep with story. A gold
cigarette case half emptied was under
the table. and the stubs of the re-
mainder of its contents sprinkled the
| floor.
| On the bed. clad in a soft gown. Law
a young and beautiful woman. Her
lips were softly parted. the dark lashes
touched the curve OF her cheek so
| gently that in spite of her pallor Do
herty, who had looked on the dead
many times in his fifteen years of no.
lice duty. pinched the thin white arm
again and again and patiently held
mirror to the cold white lips before he
could believe that 1t was the girls body
| only. and not her body and soul that
were outstretched before him. and that
she was quite dead.
He looked around the room and saw
no empty Walls. nor boxes, nor even a
tattling white paper that might have
held those silence-bringing powders
women suicides affect.
On the bureau was Juggie OF wom
ans clutter-hairpins, half dozen
long jeweled hatpins. and one thick
gold bracelet set with a very large
ruby. The combs and the brushes
were elaborate specimens of the gold
smiths craft, and from an overturned
and broken bottle of fragile glass.
heavy scent was slowly trickIing.
Rouge, cold cream. and savory rice
powders were jumbled in sore disorder
with the collars and cleaned and soiled
handkerchiefs. Even a silk stocking.
|
tint, had found a resting place upon
the neat linen cover of the bureau
The woman's clothing, all of the rich
est make. was tossed carelessly on a
big chair. A large travelling case of
green morocco leather, the same soft
dull shade as the gown and long
had first come to the house, was the
only luggage in the room. 1t bore a
silver monogram, &C. w." and was
empty save for soft lingerie and two
letters addressed in masculine hand
writing on heavy white paper and post
marked New York. The superscription
on each was the same
Miss Cerisse Wayne.
! Go Doubleday Franz & CO.. Bankers.
San Francisco. California
Doherty. thrusting his fingers with
in the first envelope, was withdrawn
its enclosure when a jibbering over
his shoulder turned him faint and sick
The policeman swerved his head.
And there, grinning into his face, with
its hot breath shifting his cheek, Pat
rick Doherty saw the most hideous
apparition mortal men might conJure
out Of the depths OF delirium, a most
fearful and terrible object
Neither gorilla, nor ape, nor man.
nor demon, was this thing. 1t was all
four, with the repulsion of the snake
Tall. gross and hairy. its pelt the exact
| russell shade of the curling hair that
I yelled the dead woman on the bed, its
eyes, black in the cornea, and white
: In the pupil and iris. with half hands
and feet half hoofs. the skull of an
ape, the leer OF a drunken man. n
grinned and smirked at Doherty.
Doherty pulled his pistol He aimed
at the thing. Then he shut his eyes
and staggered to the hail. blind with
the flash and crazed with fright Al
. the door he looked back The Thing
grinning even behind the veil OF
smoke. was standing motionless where
Doherty had been and beside 1t were
the two letters addressed to Miss
: Cerisse Wayne. The report of the
pistol had called Pierre Desterle from
, his wffe's side.
> 'Patreeck, Patreeck" he cried
{ I'm coming. It is Pierre. What ::
I it?"
. Pierre was mounting the top stail
g when Doherty leaned over the banis
e tiers and pushed him back.
Not here" gasped the policeman
; Send to the station. Tell them quick
. the dog-catcher-a riot call-hurry
e hurry"
The Frenchman saw the Irishman's
4 rosy face now white as chalk and hi:
8 sunken eyes. The Thing wi.hir
Cerisse Wayne's room began jibberins
y again. The policeman threw tn,
: frightened Desterle down stairs ant
3 waited In awful fear till help shoult
come.