The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-03-08

/ ! would have risen, but my strength
was not equal to the test. Ny muscles
! refused 10 obey my viii and | lay SD
| pine. Inert, powerless. | would have
| learned the time, but to seek my
watch. which | fondly fancied was
still In my pocket, seemed such an
enormous exertion that l reluctantly
/ gave over the idea. To breathe. to
! draw air into my lungs and e1pel II.
was prodigious labor. wearying me, 1t
| appeared. TO exhaustion: though with
every inhalation lucidity OF thought
and. | suppose. physical force as well,
were being imperceptibly augmented.
After a time | found myself listen
Ing intently for sounds that might
prove informatory. while with head
slightly turned ! made scrupulous in
ventory OF the room in which | was
cribb@d. II was q cramped, confined
place, unplastered. and furnished with
four rough board hunks. one Of which
| occupied. The other three were
empty; but in the scant passageway
between my resting place and that op-
posite was STOOL and upon the stool
the pipe and other paraphernalia pc
tulltT 10 opium SMOKING.
Then. very slowly, there came to me
a realization OF the yulpina cunning Of
these orientals into whose hands | had
fallen. l was to be found here. dead.
not from inhalation Of foul air in an
tll-veutilated cellar, which might ex-
cite suspicion and provoke inquiry,
but from overindulgence in opium. to
which | had probably been addicted
for years. unknown even TO my closest
friends. For the hop fiend' there is
small sympathy. no matter what his
position, and my family would hesi-
tate, therefore. to prosecute. prefer
ring to avoid unpleasant publicity.
Yes; it was very clear they had
thought me dead, and so had left me
here unmatched and unattended with
the evidence OF NY mode Of passing
theatrically displayed beside ne. 1t
only remained now for some employe
or visitor TO discover ne and give the
alarm.
had about reached this conclusion,
after a long and desperately trying
effort at logical reasoning, when my
straining ears detected the sound Of
footsteps In the passage. The door
Of the den was slightly aiar and lay
well in sight of any passerby who
should glance through the narrow
opening,
Whether to feiEn DEATH or boldly
make known my recovered conscious
ness. was for just moment a ques-
tion. But before my sluggish brain
could decide, choice was snatched
from ne. The footsteps paused, and
simultaneously, it seemed, the door
swung farther inward, disclosing, not
the pig-tailed. greasy-bloused Mougol-
ian ! had expected. but white wom-
an tall and shapely. with hair OF iron
gray and the very klndliest eyes that
ever | looked into
| made as il to speak, but my swol-
len tongue refused to perform its
office. and something that may best
be described as a gurgle was the re-
suit. With that she came to my side,
and for little regarded ne silently
| felt that seeing the pipe and the
little peanut-oil lamp. she must draw
the natural inference, and. though
there was no reproach in her look. |
wished, If possible, to correct that
| false impression. | therefore made
effort to gesture denial, employing
| glance to indicate the objects and
| very feeble side movement of the
| head TO express reputation.
1t is possible that she understood.
I but | question that she believed |
| have no recollection that she spoke
single word to me- and yet. when she
was gone. felt that she would sure
ly return to my rescue. And l was
not misled. l suppose this partial re-
lief to my anxiety resulted in a slack
ening of mental effort on my part, for
| must confess that what followed is
very vague in my memory. | know
only that she was accompanied by
two men. one white and one yellow,
who carried me down a narrow flight
| OF stairs. out onto the street and into
a waiting cab | cannot recall that l
spoke, but | learned afterward that
had mumbled the word "Loyalton,"
and thitner she accompanied me.
There a physician came, one whom
II had never seen before; and | was
dosed with aromatic spirits Of am
monia and made to breathe oxygen
through a funnel, by Whitehead
nurse, who also. at intervals, painted
nv ankle with iodine, and, whenever
attempted to speak. domineered me
in a gentle and perfectly ladylike
manner to silence.
With regard to sending word to
EVELYN Grayson. however, I was In,
st.tent: and though she had refused
absolutely to crafty my curiosity in
other respects, she set my mind at
rest on this point by informing me
that Miss Grayson had called up the
Ioyalton by telephone several times
and had been informed OF my condi-
tion five minutes after my arrival at