Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-02-27

| was HOt tqudl 10 lne test. MY muscles
refused to obey my will and lay su.
pine, inert. powerless. would have
learned the time, but to seek my
watch, which | fondly fancied was
stu In my pocket, seemed such an
| enormous eXertion that / reluctantly
gave over the idea. To breathe, to
draw air into my lungs and eXpel IT,,
was prodigious labor. wearylng me. 1t
appeared. to exhaustion; though with
every inhalation lucidlty 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
cribbed. 1t was cramped. confined
place, upholstered, 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 a stool, and upon the stool
the pipe and other paraph-rnalla pc
culiar to opium smoking.
Then, very slowly, there came 70 me
realization Of the vulpine cunning OF
these orientals into whose hands had
fallen. ] was to be found here, dead,
not from inhalation OF foul air in an
ill-ventilated cellar. which might ex-
cite suspicion and provoke inquiry,
but from over-indulgenoe in opium, to
which l 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 hest
tate, therefore, to prosecute, prefer
ring to avoid unpleasant publicity.
Yes; 1t was very clear they had
thought me dead, and so had left me
here unmatched and unattended with
the evidence Of my mode Of passing
Electrically displayed beside me. II
only remained now for some employee
or visitor to discover me and give the
alarm.
! had about reached this conclusion,
after a long and desperately trying
effort at logical reasoning. when my
50 AAhAA6 Ncll uENtSlCu inc SOuuu VI
footsteps in the passage. The door
OF the den was slightly ajar and l lay
well In sight Of any passerby who
should glance through the narrow
opening
Whether TO feign death, or boldly
make known my recovered conscious
ness, was for Just a moment a ques-
ton. 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 Mongol-
ian had expected. but a white wom-
an. tall and shapely, with hair Of iron
gray and the very kindliest eyes that
ever ! looked into.
made as II 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 me silently.
/ felt that seeing the pipe and the
little peanut-oil lamp, she must draw
there was no reproach in her look, I
wished. If possible. to correct that
false impression. therefore made
effort 10 gesture denial. employing
glance 70 indicate the objects and
very feeble side movement OF the
head 10 express reputation.
1t is possible that she understood
| but | question that she believed.
have no recollection that she spoke a
single word 10 me. and yet, when she
was gone, | felt that she would sure.
ly return 10 my rescue. And | was
not misled. ! suppose this partial re-
lief TO my anxiety resulted in 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
:wo men, one white and one yellow.
who carried me down a narrow flight
of stairs, out onto the street and into
waiting cab. | cannot recall that
spoke, but | learned afterward that
| had mumbled the word 'Loyalton,"
and thitner she accompanied me.
There a physician came. one whom
| had never seen before; and / was
dosed with aromatic spirits OF am
monia and made to breathe oxygen
through q funnel. by whitehead
nurse, who also, at intervals, painted
my 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, | was In.
sietent; 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
/ Loyalton by telephone several times
and had been informed OF my condi.
ton Ave minutes after my arrival at
my chambers.
There we're times during the week
which followed when was nigh unto
I daath, ana whan Ana1Iv sffar ten