The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-09-10

mirror -
My mind worked rapidly. The only
object in the room heavy enough to
serve as baricade was the bed, and
it was too heavy for me to move, l
feared. / suggested it, of course, in
voluntarily lowering my voice to con-
spiratorial whisper.
"Pull it over, quick!' she com
manded promptly.
"Perhaps I'd better run out and
get Max and Ru--"
''lf my hus-if Mr.. Pless should
open that secret door from the other
side, Mr.. Smart, it will be very en-
barrassng for you and me, let"
/ put my shoulder to the huge creaky
bed and showed. There were no castors.
1t did not bulge. The Countess assist
e me by putting the tips of her small
fingers against one end of it and push
ing. 1t was not what one would call
frantic effort on her part, but it
served to make me exert myself to the
utmost !, big strong man, couldn t
afford to have slim countess pushing
bedstead about while I was there to
do it for her.
"Don't do that" protested 81
can manage it alone, thank you.
l secured strong grip on the bot
tom Of the thing and heaved man
fully.
"You might let me help she cried,
firmly grasping side piece with both
hands.
The bed moved. The veins stood
out on my neck and temples Ny face
must have been quite purple, and it
is hue that l detest When l was a
very small laddie my mother put me
forward to be admired in purple vel
veteen. The horror of it still fingers.
By means of great straining | got
the heavy bed over against the mirror,
upsetting the tin bathtub with a crash
that under ordinary circumstances
would have made my heart stand still,
but now only tripled its pumping ac
tivities. One of the legs was hopelessly
splintered in the drop from the raised
platform.
"There," she said, standing off to
survey our joint achievement, 1--WE we
stopped it up very nicely She
brushed the tips of her fingers daintily.
"This afternoon you may fetch up a
hammer and some nails and fasten the
mirror permanently. Then you can
move the bed back to its proper place.
Goodness! What a narrow squeak"
"Madam," said I, my hand on my
heart but not through gallantry, "that
bed stays where it is. Not all the
kings horses nor all the kings men
can put it back again.
"Was it so heavy, Mr.. Smart'"
swallowed very hard A prophetic
crick already had planted itself in my
back. "Will you forgive me if I sub
NIT that you sleep quite distance from
home7" I remarked with iustifiable
irony "Why the deuce don't you stay
on the upper floorsq"
"Because am mortally afraid, - she
said, with little shudder. "You' we no
idea how lonely, how spooky it is up
there at the dead hour of night. I
couldn t sleep. After the third night l
had my things moved down here, where
could at least feel that there were
strong men within--you might say
arm s length of me. I'm-I'm shock
ingly timid. "
She smiled; wavering, pleading lit
tie smile that conquered.
"Of course, don It mind, Countess, )"
I hastened to say. "Only l thought it
would be cosier up there with Rose
mary and the two maids for company"
She leaned little closer to me. "We
all sleep down here," she said conf
dentially. "We bring Rosemary's little
mattress down every night and put it
in the bathtub. 1t is very good fit
and makes quite nice cradle for her.
Helene and Blake sleep just across the
hall and we leave the doors wide open.
So, you see, we're not one bit afraid"
| sat down on the edge of the bed
and laughed.
"This is delicious" / cried, not