Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-02-03

ana there was an odor OF scorcneo
leather through the room, from Hotch-
kiss shoes. The little detective was
sound asleep. his dead pipe in his
fingers. The cat sat back on It's
launches and walled.
The curtain at the door into the
hallway bellied slowly out into the
room and fell again. The cat looked
toward it and opened its mouth for
another howl. I thrust at it with my
foot, but 1t refused to move. Hotch-
kiss stirred uneasily, and his pipe clat-
tered to the floor.
The cat was standing at my feet,
staring behind me. Apparently 1t was
following with its eyes an object un'
seen to me. that moved behind me.
The tip of its tail waved threatening
took the candle and made a circuit
Of the room. Behind the curtain that
had moved the door was securely
closed. The windows were shut and
locked. and. everywhere the silence
was absolute. The cat followed me
majestically. I stopped and stroked
its head. but it persisted in its uncan-
ny watching of the corners of the
room.
When l went back to my divan, aft
er putting a fresh log on the fire.
was reassured. I took the precaution,
and smiled at myself for doing 1t, to
put the fire tongs within reach Of my
hand. But the cat would not let me
sleep. After a time I decided that 1t
wanted water, and I started out In
search Of some, carrying the candle
without the stand. wandered
through several rooms. all closed and
dismantled, before I found a small
lavatory opening OF a billiard room.
The cat Tapped steadily. and filled
glass to take back with me. The
candle flickered in a sickly fashion
that threatened to leave me there lost
in the wanderings Of the many hall
ways, and from somewhere there
came an occasional violent pun OF
wind. The cat stuck by my feet. with
the hair on its back raised menacing-
ly. l don't like cats: there is some
thing psychic about them.
Hotchkiss was still asleep when
got back to the big room. I moved
his boots back from the fire and
trimmed the candle. Then. with sleep
gone from me. lay back on my divan
and reflected op many things; on
my idiocy In coming; on Alison West.
and the fact that only week before
she had been q guest In this very
house: on Richey and the constraint
that had come between US. From that
I drifted back to Alison. and to the
barrier my comparative poverty would
be.
The emptiness. the stiffness were
oppressive. Once l heard footsteps
coming. rhythmical steps that neither
hurried nor dragged. and seemed to
mount endless staircases without
coming any closer. I realized finally
that had not quite turned OF the tap.
and that the lavatory. which I had cir.
cled to reach. must be quite close.
The cat lay by the fire. its nose on
its folded paws, content In the warmth
and companionship. watched It Idly.
in the fire. but the cat never batted
an eye. Through an unshuttered win.
dow the lightning flashed. Suddenly
the cat looked up. It lifted its head
and stared directly at the gallery
above. Then It blinked. and stared
again. I was amused. Not until Il
had got up on It's feet. eyes still riv.
eted on the balcony. tail waving at
the tip. the hair on its back a bristling
brush. did l glance casually over my
head.
From among the shadows a face
gazed down at me. a face that seemed
a fitting tenant Of the ghostly room
below. I saw 1t as plainly as I might
see my own face in a mirror. While
I stared at It with Mortified eyes. the
npparition faded. The rail was there.
the Bokhara rug still swung from It.
but the gallery was empty.
The cat threw back its head and
walled.