Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-03-08

but one preCau;lOn, that or Shipping OH
my shoes at the foot of the stairs. l
wished to surprise the intruder. l was
willing to resort to any expedient to
accomplish this. The matches car
ried in my pocket would make this
possible If once heard him breathing.
l held my own breath as l stole softly
I'D 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 up
certain narrow hall leading to a rear
staircase when l remembered the thin
line of smoke which. rising from one
of the chimneys. had first attracted
my attention to the house. In that
was my clew.
knew that there was but one room
on this floor where fire could be lit.
1t lay a few feet beyond me down the
narrow hall l have just mentioned.
Why had l trusted everything to my
ears when my nose would have been
a better guide? As took the few
steps necessary a slight smell of smoke
became very percepuble, and. no longer
in doubt of my course. I pushed boldly
on and, entering the half open door.
struck q match and peered anxiously
about.
Emptiness here Just as everywhere
else, a few chairs, a dresser-it was
a ladies' dressing room-some smolder-
ing ashes on the hearth, lounge piled
up with cushions. but no person. The
sound I 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 SILVER
ing there in the darkness. a prey to
sensations more nearly approaching
those Of fear than any had ever be-
fore experienced in my whole life.
Why I 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 I stood-and my dread
lay before me. in the room itself,
which. as l have already said. ap-
peared to be totally empty. had for
gotten the intruder. The interest which
had carried me thus far had become
lost in a fresher one Of which the be-
ginning and ending lay hidden within
the four walls now stared upon. I'M
seeing. Not to see and yet to feel
did that make the horror1 If 20 an
other lighted match must help me out
I struck one while the thought was
hot within me and again took look
at the room.
I noted but one thing new. but that
made me reel back till was half.
way into the hall. Then a certain
logged persistency I possess came to
my rescue. and I re-entered the room
at leap and stood before the lounge
and its pile Of cushions. They were
numerous-all 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 az un-
natural.
But at this point my second match
went out.
Thoroughly reused now (you win
say by whatD. I felt my way out Of
the room and to the head Of the stair.
case. I remembered the candle and
candlestick I had heard thrown down
on the lower door BY Carmel Cumber.
land. would secure them and come
back and settle these uncanny doubts.
I had a hunt for the candlestick and
q still longer one for the candle. but
finally I recovered both and. lighting
the latter. felt myself for the nrst
time more or less master Of the situa-
don.
Rapidly regaining the room in which
my interest was now centred. I set
the candlestick down on the dresser
and approached the lounge. Hardly
knowing what feared or what ex.
pected to find. I 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 I saw a shiny tress of woman's
hair. I gave q gasp and pulled OF
more cushions. Then ! fell on my
knees, struck down by the greatest
horror which a man can feel. Death
lay before me-violent. uncalled FOR
death-and the victim was woman.
It was she-she indeed. Dead
Adelaide, the woman I had planned to
wrong that very night and who had
thus wronged me! For a moment l
could take in nothing but this one
astounding fact; then the how and
why woke in maddening curiosity
within me.
But beyond the ever accusing. pro-
tuberant stare those features told
nothing, and. steeling myself to the
situation, made what observation
could Of her condition and the sur.