Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-08-26

liquor; and they had begun to sprout
In hia systen. This was not the first
time that he had returned, uncertain
Of tongue and foot, In the hours Of
Vice. On the last occasion, he made 80
much noise that Miss Harding refused
him her countenance for week and
Mrs. Moore gave him warning. That
warning rested ct the bottom OF his
maudlin psychology a. he crept up To
the front door, unlocked 1t. and stole
within.
Unjust avoid disgrace" he muttered
to himself; awful brand on young
manhood. Fair women avoid me.
Pestllence." At this thought. he
dropped tear. Suddenly, his mind
turned = full revolution and tho situa-
tion occurred to him ~ ridiculous.
Whereat he laughed beneath his
breath. - he thought. The vigilant
Mrs. Moore, who awoke at every night
entrance Of dodgers. heard that raucous
laughter. She leaped out Of bed,
opened her door crack, and observed
Tommy a. he stood balancing himself
under the dim point Of the gas-jet. OBJ
livious to the open door and the watch
full aye, he made q turn about the
newelpost and began putting one foot
cautiously; before the other, saying
over and over, Q drunken refrain which
ran:S
Ebay foot-straw foot one goes up
and the other goes down" So he van
ished from the vision OF Mrs. Moore
BY similar devices no negotiated the
stretch OF hall carpet on the second
floor, and took the next flight. He
was near his haven now-his own
room-third floor front. In the dim
hall light. he balanced himself and let
his tongue play again.
Energy and perseverance, - victory
almost won," he said. "Just talk to
your feet and let 'em do your work. !
But the muscular effort OF climbing
two flights had sent his liquor surging
to his head, 80 that he dizEied and
staggered. He caught the banister for
support. Then something, real or
fancied. caught his eye-somethine
which held his drunken attention. He
stopped and clutched at 1t. The effort
Qverbalanced him and sent him sprawl.
Ing on his hands into some wet, sticky
substance.
Fearful careless housekeeping" he
said as he regained his feet, forces
me to extreme measure wiping hands
on shirt. No other place to wipe hands.
Renewed necessity arises" - he
stopped and repeated the phrase with
inordinate delight-'renewed neces.
sity for reaching own room" He took
the last three yards in series OF
staggering bounds which landed him
with thump against his door. He
caught the knob as he fell. and the bar.
rier opened. letting him tumble on his
own motion to the floor He kicked the
door}shut as he lay PROSTATE. and then
managed to pull himself upright and
reach the electric light button for
Mrs. Moore burned gas IN the halls for
economy, but electric lights In the
rooms. The two tumbles had thrown
him into another state OF conscious
ness, his head began to clear and his
motions to steady. So he turned, hia
predtcament still In his mind. TO the
vast stand In the corner.
Above It hung . mirror. IN passing
Tommys gaze swept tho glass, leapet
back. caught on what blanched hi
face 70 q sickly white, what steadiet
his unsteady figure until It stood
straight and stiff. what cleared his
head 80 violently that he could think
with, all the swiftness Of terror.
On. his dress shirt front was the i'm
print Of huge red hand.
"Whose?" Tommy asked himself
one instant. The next. his gaze bound
ed from the mirror to his own hands
Blood mired his fingers. On his coat
was blood, on his sleeve was blood, on
his knees was blood, on his very
shoes. He looked at the mirror again
Across his chin zigzagged . dark red
line blood also.
His first sane thought was that he
had cut himself. and was bleeding to
death. He looked again at his hands
but saw no wound. Then, drunken
memories lingering little in biz
sober mind, he remembered the fall
and 1.-THE process of wiping his hands
He. ran back to the hall way, turned
up the pin-point Of light on the gas
let. There 1t was, thin stream o.
blood where he had fallen in 1t. And
1t was widest where It began It's flow
lat the threshold Of Captain Hanska's
door, In a weak access Of real terror
he fell to pounding on the wall and
shouting:
Murder! Murder"
Suddenly mastering himself, M
seized the knob Of Captain Hanska'i