Abilene weekly reflector., 1912-04-04

"flumbugl ~. humbugl
Hnmbugl@ :,
But. suddenly, he raised himself on
his elbow. A cold sweat poured from
his temples. Two eyes. like blazing
Goals, had appearSd AZ the foot Of his
bed. They stared at him fixediy. ter
rlbiy, IA the darknesssof the night.
RaouI was no coward; and yet he
trembIed. He put out a cropping. hesi-
tating hand toward the table by his
bedside. He found the matches and
lit his candle. The eyes disappeared.
Still uneasy in his mind, he thought
! to himself:
"She told me that his eyes only
showed in the dark His eyes have
disappeared in the light. but he may
be there still"
/ And be rose, hunted about, went
round the room. He looked under his
bed, like a child. Then he thought
himself absurd. got into bed again and
blew out the candle. The eyes reap
peared.
He sat up and stared back at them
with all the courage he possessed.
Then he cried:
"Is that you. Erik7 Man, genius. or
ghost, is It your
He reflected: III it's he. he's on the
balcony!"
Then he ran to chest OF drawers
and groped for his revolver. He
opened the balcony window, looked
out, saw nothing and closed the win
dow again. He went back to bed,
shivering, for the night was cold, and
put the revolver on the table within
his reach.
The eyes were still there. at the
foot of the bed. Were they between
the bed and the window-pane or be-
hind the pane, that is to say, on the
balcony? That was what Raoul want
ed to know. He also wanted to know
If those eyes belonged to human. be-
ing. He wanted to know
everything.
Then, patiently, calmly, he seized
mis- revolver and took aim. He aimed
a little above the two 'eyes. Surely,
If they were eyes and II above those
two eyes there was forehead and II
Raoul was not too clumsy
The shot made terrible din amid
the silence Of the slumbering house.
And, while footsteps came hurrying
along the passages, Raoul sat up with
outstretched arm, ready to fire again,
II need be.
This time, the two eyes had disap-
peared.
Servants appeared. carrying lights;
Count Philippe. terribly anxious:
What is it?"
II think have been dreaming" re-
piled the young man. Il fired at two
stars that kept me from sleeping"
You're raving! Are you Ill? For
Gods sake. tell me, Raoul; what hap
pened?"
And the count seized hold OF the
revolver.
mo, no. I'm not raving. Be-
sides, we shall soon see :"
He got out of bed, put on a dress
ing-gown and slippers, took light |
from the hands OF a servant and,
opening the window. stepped out on
the balcony.
The count saw that the window had !,
been pierced by a bullet at mans
height. Raoul was leaning over the
balcony with his candle.
"Aha!" he said Blood -
Blood! Here. there. more
blood! -. That's good thing! |
A ghost who bleeds is less danger
ous!" he grinned.
"Raoul! Raoul! Raoul!"
The count was shaking him as
though he were trying to waken
But, my dear brother, I'm not
Raoul protested impatiently.
You can see the blood for yourself.
thought / had been dreaming and FIR
ing at two stars. 1t was Erik's eyes
and here is his bloodL- ..
After all, perhaps was wrong to
shoot; and Christine is quite capable
Of never forgiving me. All
this would not have happened If / had
drawn the Curtains before going to
bed"
"Raoul. have you suddenly gone
mad? Wake up!"
what, still? You would do better
10 help me find Erik for,
after all, ghost who bleeds can al
Ways be found"
The counts valet said:
THAT is so, sir; there is blood on
he balcony"
The other man-servant brought a
amp, by the light of which they ex-
lmined the balcony carefully. The
marks OF blood followed the rail till
hey reached gutterspout; then
hey went up the gutter-spout.