The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-05-08
toontInued from 1919. )

Continued from yegterday.g
TnedouDe GROVE me-to the staircase.
I began my wary ascent had not
the slightest fear. was too fun Of
cold rage for that
The arrangement Of rooms on the
second 6oor was wen known TO me.
understood every nook and corner
ana could 6nd my way about the
whole place without a light I took
but one Drecautfon. that OF slipping on
my shoes at the foot OF the stairs.
wished to surprise the intruder. I was
willing to resort to any expedient 70
accomplish this. The matches I car
.ried IN my pocket would make this
possible sc oucaI heard him breathing.
heldmy own breath as stole softly
up and waited for an instant at the
top Of the stairs to listen. There WAS
an awesome silence everywhere, and
was hesitating whether to attack the
front rooms first or to follow MP "A
certain narrow 6aIl leading to a rear
staircase when I remembered the thin
line Of smoke which, risipg fEom one
OF the chfmneys, had first attracted
my attention to the house. In that
was my clew.
I knew that there was but one room
on this door where ere could be lit.
It lay few feet beyond me down the
narrow hail / have just mentioned.
Why had trusted everything to my
ears when my nose would have been
a better Euide2 AS took the few
steps necessary slight Tpell of smoke
became very perceptible. and, no longer
In doubt OF my course, pushed boldly
on and, entering the half open door.
struck match and peered anxiously
about.
Emptiness here. Just as everywhere
else. few chairs. a dresser-it was
a ladies' dressing room-some smolder-
ing ashes on the hearth, a lounge piled
up with cushions. but no person. The
sound / had heard had not issued from
this room, yet something withheld me
from seeking further. paused just In
side the door and when the match
went out in my hand remained shiyer-
ing there in the darkness. a prey to
sensations more nearly approaching
those Of fear than any I had ever be
fore experienced In my whole life.
Why / did not know. There seemed
to be no reason for this excess of
feeling, I had no dread OF attack. Ny
apprehension was OF another sort
Besides, any attack here must come
from the rear-from the open door
way in which 1 stood-and my dread
lay before me, in the room itself.
which, as 1 have already said, mp
peared to be totally empty. had for
gotten the intruder. The interest which
had carried me thus far had become
lost in fresher one OF which the be
ginning ana ending lay hidden within
the four walls now stared upon, nm
seeing. Not to see and yet to feel
did that make the horror If so an
other lighted match must help me out
1 struck one while the thought was
hot within me and again took a look
at the room
noted but one thing new, but that |
made me reel back till was half.
way into the hall. Then certain
logged persistency possess came to /
at leap and stood before the lounge
that the room con-
tanned and more. Chairs had been
stripped, window seats denuded and
the whole collection disposed here in
a set way which struck me as I'M
natural
But at this point my second match
went out.
Thoroughly reused now Cyou win
say by whatO. felt my way out of |
the room and to the head of the stair |
Ease. l remembered the candle and
,andlestlck had heard thrown down |
On the lower floor by Carmel CumDer-
and. would secure them and come |
back and settle these uucanny doubts. |
[ had a hunt for the candlestick and |
1 still longer one for the candle, but |
inally recovered both and, lighting |
the latter, felt myself for the first |
lime more OF less master OF the situa. |
lion.
Rapidly rcEaininG the room in which
my interest was now centred, set |
the candlestick down on the dresser
aud approached the lounge. Hardly |
knowing what feared or what 1 ex- |
pected to find. tore of one of the
cushions and flung it behind me.
More cushions were revealed, but that
was not all.
Escaping from the edge of one of
them saw n shiny tress of woman's |
hair. I gave a gasp and pulled or |
more cushions. Then fell on my /
knees, struck down by the greatest !
horror which a man can feel. Death 4
lay BEFORE me-violent. uncalled for /
the victim was a woman.
It was she-she indeed. Dead
Adelaide, the woman / had planned to !
wrong that very night and who had /
thus wronged mel For a moment !
could take in nothing but this one
fact; then the how and |