Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-17
c1e
PR0FESS0RS ~
@SM MYSTERY IT'S
8RN&AM, 'G1IA MAEEH
E2E>M WElloHAsrInGo ~ H.
$M@EN, '<z71 YT%1@1
co. DFlAN HqDkR
GdI
WElIoHASTINGS
DRAM HOOKER
1911, The Bobbs- Merrill Company

mk~ ~
n Merrill Company
could speak, she had caught up her
yes she said. "open it II you
can"
The door swung few inches, then
resisted. Something soft and heavy,
like a mattress, seemed to be braced
against the bottom of it. felt for the
revolver in my pocket, then put my
weight against the panel. The thing
inside moved little, then rolled over
with thud, and the door swung wide
What had lain against 1t, and now lay
across the opening clearly visible In
the light from behind us was the body
of a woman with blood soaking Into
her hair.
CHAPTER TX.
We stood looking down upon her
without speech. She was tall rather
thin woman of about fifty; Irish by
the look of her, and still with some
share of earlier good looks. The hair
that fell away loosely from her broad
forehead was black and straight, show
only here and there thread OF silver.
The large hands lay Imply open, and
the face was deathly white. She had
fallen away from the door with knees
pressed closely against 1t, as though
she had been trying to open 1t when
the blow came.
"Do you think she is dead?" Lady
breathed at last.
"Of course not" answered, but
was very much afraid. knelt down
beside her and listened to her heart
l was not sure, but it seemed to me
that it beat family; SO family that 1t
might have been only the drumming OF
my own pulses in my ears.
Can you find mirror?" asked
from the floor.
Lady glanced vaguely about the
room, then came back to me with I'M
comprehending eyes. "No, can't see
any. What for?" she said DULY.
sprang quickly to my feet. A
chair lay overturned on the bare white
boards Of the floor, and picked it up,
setting It. near the window.
"Sit there" said, while rum
mage" and drew her to it, half fore
ing her down into 1t. She sat very
still, mechanically obedient, while !
looked around me.
It was q strange little room to find
in this decaying tenement. On the
sill of the single window that gave up
on the street blossomed an uneven
row Of gernaiums. One pot had fallen
to the floor and lay shattered, the
fresh green OF it's broken plant piteous
in a sprawl of scattered earth. The
whole place bore evidence Of an In
sistent struggle for the cheerfulness
of home. White, starchy curtains
were at the windows; the walls were
fairly covered with pictures, colored
prints for the most part, and supple
ments Of Sunday papers. A bird-cage
had hung in one corner, and now lay,
cage and bottom fallen apart, upon q
muddle of seed and water; and q
frightened canary perched upon the
leg of fallen table, blinking in the
unsteady flare of the gas. The floor
was spotlessly clean, it's worn boards
white with scrubbing, save where the
flower-pot and bird-cage had been over
turned, and the dark stain spread from
beneath the woman's hair. The whole
scene was unnaturally and strangely
vivid, all it's little details leaping to
the eye with the stark brilliance of
f1ashlight.
To the right of the door by which
the woman lay was another door, and
crossed over to 1t. It opened with
a squeak, and for moment / stood
looking in. This evidently was the
sleeping ROOM 1t held only wash
stand, chest and an iron bedstead;
and here, too, an unextinguished gas
jet tiared. stepped in and closed
the door behind me, for upon the bed
lay another huddled figure. 1t was a
man lying face downward, breathing
heavily and evidently very drunk; for
the whole place reeked sourly OF alco-
hol. I pulled at his shoulder. turning
him half over. For half minute l
held him SO, then let him fall back as
I had found him. glanced behind
me to be sure that the door was shut.
The man on the bed muttered thickly,
shifting his position; and something
thudded upon the floor, and rolled to
my feet It was short bit Of iron,
rather thick at one end than at the
other; and as / turned 1t over in my
hands, it left stain. Somewhere |
had seen such an instrument before,
but could not at the moment recall
where; and l dropped the thing into
my pocket not without a feeling of dis
gust. A mirror hung over the wash
stand. This hurriedly took down, and
as hurriedly left the room, closing the
door behind me. Lady was still sit
ting where had left her, but as I
came across the room she got up.
What are you going to do?" she
asked I'm sure can help in some
way. You were gone long time, but
waited
"I'll show you in a moment" | said.
We talked in whispers as If In the
presence of death; and yet / was al
mos, sure that the woman was alive.
Nevertheless, it was with a great deal
Of relief that l saw the mirror softly
cloud before her lips.