The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1911-03-16

and there was an odor Of scorcned
leather through the room, from Hotcn'
kiss shoes. The little detective WA
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 it's mouth for
another howl. thrust at it with my
foot, but it 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
ly, but when wheeled | saw nothing
/ took the candle and made 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
it's head, but it persisted in its uncan
ny watching of the corners of the
room.
When / went back to my divan, ait,
er putting fresh log on the fire,
was treasured. took the precaution
and smiled at myself for doing it, TIC
put the fire tongs within reach of my
hand. But the cat would not let me
sleep After a time | decided that it
wanted water, and | started out IN
search of some, carrying the candle
without the stand ] wandered
through several rooms, all closed and
dismantled, before / found small
lavatory opening off a billiard room
The cat Tapped steadily, and | filled
a glass to take back with me. The
candle fiickered in 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 puff OF
wind. The cat stuck by my feet, with
the hair on it's back raised menaclng
ly. I don't like CATS there is some
thing psychic about them.
Hotchkiss was still asleep when
got back to the big room. | moved
his boots back from the fire and
trimmed the candle. Then, with sleeI
gone from me, I lay back on my divan
and reflected on many things; on
my idiocy in coming; on Alison West
and the fact that only week before
she had been guest in this very
house; on Richey and the constraint
that had come between us. From that
| drifted back to Alison, and to the
barrier my comparative poverty would
be.
The emptiness, the stiffness were
oppressive. Once / heard footsteps
coming, rbythmical steps that neither
hurried nor dragged, and seemed TIC
mount endless staircases without
coming any closer. I realized finally
that had not quite turned off the tap
and that the lavatory, which | had cir
cled to reach, must be quite close.
The cat lay by the fire, its nose on
it's folded paws, content in the warmth
and companionship. j watched it idly
Now and then the green wood Missed
in the fire, but the cat never batted
an eye. Through an unshuttered win
dow the lightning flashed. Suddenly
the cat looked up. 1t lifted it's head
and stared directly at the gallery
above. Then it blinked, and stared
again. I was amused Not until ii
had got up on it's feet, eyes still riv
eted on the balcony, tail waving al
the tip, the hair on it's back bristlins
brush, did I glance casually over my
head.
From among the shadows a face
gazed down at me, face that seemed
a fitting tenant of the ghostly room
below. l saw it as plainly as | might
see my own face in mirror. While
| stared at it with Mortified eyes, the
apparition 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.