The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-04-16

with fatal precision, they reached the
point where the screen had stood, and
not finding it, flew in open terror to
Ihe door it was set there to conceal
when that something else, huddIed in
oozing blood, on the floor beneath,
drew them to itself with the irresist.
l0ieness Of grim reality, and he forgot
all else.
Dead! Bela Dead! and lying in
his blood! The rest may have been
no dream, but this was surely one, or
his eyes, used to inner visions, were
playing him false.
Grasping the table at his side to
steady his falling limbs, he pulled him.
self along by its curying edge till he
came almost abreast of the HELPLESS
hgure which for SO many years had
been the embodiment of faithful and
unwearied service.
linen and then only did the truth of
MS great misfortune burst upon his
bewildered soul; and with cry which
tore the ears Of all hearers and was
never forgotten by anyone there, he
flung himself down beside the dead
negro, and, turning him hastily over,
gazed in his face.
And where was |, when all this
happened?" he demanded in a voice
made low by awe and dread of its own
sound.
You? You were seated here" muir.
INJURED the little woman, pointing at
the great chair. you were not
quite-quite yourself" she softly ex-
planned, wondering at her own COM
posture. Then quickly, as she saw his
thoughts revert to the dead friend at
: his feet, Bella was not hurt here. He
was downtown when it happened; but
he managed to struggle home and gain
this place, which he tried to hold
against the men who followed him
de thought you were dead, you sat
there so rigid and SO white, and, be-
fore he quite gave up, he asked us all
to promise not to let anyone enter this
room till your son Oliver came"
Understanding partly, but not yet
quite clear in his mind, the judge
sighed and, STOPPING again, straight
ened the faithful negro's limbs. Then,
with sidelong look in her direction,
he felt in one of the pockets of the
dead Negroes coat and, drawing out
small key, held it in one hand while
he fumbled in his own for another,
which found, he became on the instant
his own man again.
Miss Weeks, seeing the difference in
him, and seeing, too, that the doorway
was now clear of the wondering, awe.
struck group which had previously
blocked it, bowed her slight body and
proceeded to withdraw; but the Judge,
staying her by gesture, she waited
patiently near one of the bookracks
against which she had stumbled, to
hear what he had to say.
81 must have had an attack of some
kind" he calmly remarked. will you
be good enough to explain exactly
what occurred here that / may more
fully comprehend my own misfortune
and the death of this faithful friend"
Then she saw that his faculties were
now fully restored, and came step
forward. But before she could begin
her story he added this searching ques-
ton:
WAS it he who let you in-you and
the others-I think you said others?
Was it he who unlocked my gates?"
Miss Weeks sighed and betrayed
fiuster. 1t was not easy to relate her
story; besides it was woefully incom-
plete. She knew nothing of what had
happened downtown, she could only
tell what had passed before her eyes.
But there was one thing she could
make clear to him, and that was how
the seemingly impossible gates had
been made ready for the woman's en-
trance and afterwards taken such ad-
vantage of by herself and others. A
pebble had done it ala pebble placed
in the gateway by Bela's hands.
AS she described this and insisted
upon the fact in face of the judges
almost frenzied disclaimer, she thought |
she saw the hair move on his forehead. |
Bella traitor and in the interests of
the woman who had fronted him from
the other end of the room at the mo-
ment consciousness had left him! Evil
IDENTIFY this intrusive little body did
not know Bella or his story, or
Why should interruption come then?
Why was he stopped, when in the pas.
sion Of the moment he might have
let fall some word of enlightenment
which would have eased the agltated
curiosity of the whole town! Miss
Weeks often asked herself this ques-.
ton and bewailed the sudden access
of sounds in the rooms without, which
the entrance of the police
and put new strain upon the judges
faculty of self-control and attention