Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-27
aroundta square hall below, which
-SorNad fhc ,n,llrr,nrn r,R a croYornl sitting

around.a square hall below, which
served the purpose Of a general sitting
room. From thes front door a short,
narrow hall led back to this, with q
room on either side, and from it doors
led into the rest of the lower floor.
At one side the stairs took the ascent
easily, with two stops for landings,
and upstairs the bedrooms opened from
a similar, slightly smaller square hall.
The staircase to the third floor Went
up from somewhere back in the nurs-
cry wing.
Ny bedroom was over the library,
and Mrs. Butler and Margery Fleming
had connecting rooms, across the hall.
Fred and Edith slept in the nursery
wing, so they would be near the chill
Idren. In the square upper hall there
was big reading table, lamp, ana
some comfortable chairs. Here, when
they were alone, Fred read aloud the
evening paper, or his latest short story
and Edith's sewing basket showed
their leisure.
did not go to sleep at once; natur-
ally the rather vital step had taken
in the library insisted on being con-
sidered and almost regretted. tried
reading myself to sleep, and when that
failed. tried the soothing combination
Of a cigarette and book. That
worked like charm; the last thing
I remember Is of holding the cigarette
in a death grip as I lay with my pill
Toys propped back Of me, my head to
the light, and a delightful languor
creeping over me.
q. 1 was Weakened by the pungent acrid
smell of smoke, and sat up and
blinked my eyes open. The side OF the
bed was sending up a steady column
of gray smoke, and there was smart
crackle of fire under me somewhere
jumped out of bed and saw the trou-
BILE instantly. My cigarette had drop
ped from my hand. still lighted, and as
is the way with cigarettes, determined
to burn to the end. In SO doing 1t had
fred my bed, the rug under the bed
and pretty nearly the man on the bed.
{ 1t took some sharp work 10 get II
all out without rousing the house.
Then l stood amid the wreckage and
looked ruefully at Edith's pretty room.
I could see, mentally, the spot of water
on the library ceiling the next morning
and could hear Freds structures on
the heedlessness and Indifference to
property OF bachelors in general and
me in particular.
Three pitchers Of water on the bed
had made it an impossible couch.
put on a dressing gown, and, with
blanket over my arm, went out TO
hunt some sort of place to sleep. /
decided on the davenport in the hall
lust outside, and as quietly as could,
nut a screen around 1t and settled
down for the night.
I was wakened by the touch OF
hand on my face. started. think,
and the hand was jerked away am
not sure: was still drowsy. lay
very quiet listening for footsteps, but
none came. With the feeling that
there was some one behind the screen
II jumped up, The hall'was dark and
quiet. When found no one ! conclud-
ed it had been only vivid dream, and
II sat down on the edge Of the daven-
! port and yawned.
/ heard Edith moving back In the
nursery: she has an uncomfortable
habit Of wandering around in the night
covering the children, closing windows
and shifting for fire. | was AFRAID
some OF the smoke from my confiagra-
ton had reached her suspicious nose,
but she did not come into the front
hall. I was wide-awake by that time,
and 1t was then, l think, that l noticed
heavy. sweetish odor in the air. AT
first thought one of the children
might be i'll, and that Edith was dos
ing him with one of the choice con-
coctions that she kept in the bathroom
medicine closet. When she closed her
door. however, and went back to bed,
knew had been mistaken.
The sweetish smell was almost nau-
seating. For some reason or other
association Of certain odors with GER
tain events-I found myself recalling
the time I had wisdom tooth taken
out. and that when came around |
was being sat on by the dentist and
his assistant, and the latter had black
eve. Then suddenly, I knew. The
sickly odor was chloroform!
T I had the light on in moment, and
was rapping at Margery's door. 1t was
locked. and got no answer. A pale
light shone over the transom, but
everything was ominously quiet, be-
yond the door. I went to Mrs. But
ler's door, next; it was unlocked and
partly open. One glance at the empty
bed and the confusion OF the place,
and | rushed without ceremony
through the connecting door into Mar
gery's room.
The atmosphere was reeking with
chloroform. The girl was in bed, APP
parently sleeping quietly. One arm
was thrown up over her head, and the
other lay relaxed on the white cover.
A folded towel had been laid across
her face, and when jerked 1t away
saw she was breathing very slowly.
stertorously, with her eyes partly open
and fixed.
I threw up all the windows, before
I, reused the family and as soon as
Edith was in the room telephoned for
the doctor. I hardly remember what
n did until he came: know we tried
to arouse Margery and failed, and
know that Fred went downstairs and
said the silver was intact and the back
kitchen door open. And then the