Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-08

1t would not trouble him at all TO
spend the night there. but he didn't
believe there was a girl of the party
who would dare do so.
Now, Louise Dana was Just the kind
Of girl to take up with such a propo-
sition. A lot of chaff followed, at the
end Of which she offered for a pound
of candy, to be given by the bachelors
to each and every girl of the party, to
sleep In the pavilion. Her proposition
was accepted. Going upstairs. she Sc
cured the articles of toilet she requir-
ed. At first she thought she would
leave the jewels in her room. but on
second thought preferred to take them
with her and put them under her pill
low. Going downstairs, the party
were waiting for her. Her lover took
her aside and begged her not to carry
out her intention. He appeared so
troubled about her doing so that she
would have refrained had she not
gone so far that her pride would have
suffered at a withdrawal. She en-
deavored to reassure him. saying that
the pavilion was as safe as the house.
She was escorted to her sleeping
place by a crowd of young people.
Field would not be of the party She
was rallied on the spooks that would
visit her during the night and the
burglars. But 1t was all banter, for
the pavilion was not 100 yards from
the main building. and no one dream
ed Of any danger. Finally they left
her alone, returning to the house with
shouts and laughter.
There was a dresser opposite the
door. Before this dresser Louise stood
and took of her jewels, laying them on
it till she should go to bed, then began
to disrobe. While doing so she saw
peering through the transom reelected
in the mirror something that chilled
the marrow in her bones. 1t was a
face. a human face, yet the face of a
demon.
It was there but a moment Never
theless Louise knew or believed that it
had not departed Gradually she re-
covered her equanimity sufficiently to
play such a part as would save her.
ESavfng her jewels on the dresser,
she got into bed. Her heart was wild
~ beating, and sleep, Of course, was
over as soon as possible. she purposely
breathed hard as If in slumber. II was
not long after this that she heard q
faint click from the door-she had pur-
posely left it unlocked-and some one
stealthily passing over the floor. She
kept her eyes closed, but could distin-
guish that there was light in the
room.
The steps went to the dresser, and
Louise could hear the jewels being TAX
en- OF It. Then the light came to-
ward her, and he who carried 1t held
it closer and closer to her face. 1t was
all she could do to refrain from start
ing up with wild shrek. But she
maintained herself, keeping her eyes
closed so thoroughly that she saw moth
ing, though she knew that the light
was held down almost against her
eyes, for she could feel its heat. Every
moment she expected to feel weapon
crashing down upon her. Yet she knew
her only hope was to convince the rob-
Der she slept so soundly that she was
unconscious of his presence.
Then when she felt that he was NOV
ing away and the danger had passed
how could she refrain from 'betraying
} herself by some expression Of relief?
Still controlling herself, she lay per-
fectly quiet until she heard a creak at
, the door and knew the robber and her
) Jewels had passed away from her.
And now with the reaction came a
frightful bitterness. 1t was not that
she had been robbed OF her jewels.
This was nothing compared with an
other deprivation. The love she had
felt for Langdon Field was turned to
horror. In the face she had seen re-
} fiected from the transom she had rec
ognized the man who was soon to have
been her husband.
: What next? Should she stay where
she was till daylight or get up and
give an alarm? In the latter case, If
: she met her visitor, 1t would be sure
death. Doubtless he had fed. She
waited as long as she could repress q
desire to go elsewhere. then, arising,
put on what clothes she needed and
went out. All was still, the late revel-
ers being in bed. In one of the win
dows she saw light Throwing some
gravel from the walk against the pane.
the summons was answered by young
! man who was smoking with others and
talking over the dance. When the door
was opened Louise fell on the floor in
: heap
Langdon Field whose mind had been
for some time giving way under his
reverses, had at last broken down.
Being unbalanced. he had conceived
the idea that If he possessed his fan
GEES jewels he could save himself
from financial ruin. He was captured
: in the city and sent to an asylum. In
sane as he was, he was conscious of
+ what he had done and told his physi-
clan that he had held the light down
close to Louise's eyes to make sure
that she was asleep. Had she shown
the slightest evidence of being awake
. he would have killed her.