New Britain herald., 1929-06-01

90Un01 &UWW10s wv " VII sAUsNSN to you the abaormal state of my mind and how unfitted was td pass on the nature Of what was to follow.
 tried to rid nay mind of its ob- session by focusing my attention on the events that had brought me to this graveyard town. Gold bul- lets poker chips playing cards the man "Jerry'' i. Andrew Ogden and Alex Reterson the same man . blackmihl :. !. Mrs. Joe Lundy Dillon ;. Furie Jerry flying for. his life but 1t wasn't Jerry! -. Nathan Hyde Jerry and Lucy driv- ing into the sandblaat.' And then: who had fired on me at the mine ? Furie = Dillon? Dillon = Furie ? Furie-?
 God help me" thought. "It can't be real! Or else I am going mad."
 I found. then. that the storm had stopped. When, l did not know. for had lost track of time. The silence was more devastating to my tortu1ed nerves than the uproar which had preceded 1t. I wanted to weep, to laugh, to scream. to dash my head against the floor.
 And then I made q discovery. The room wasn't as dark as it had been when I fell in through the door. I made out the shape of 8 small window on the north side Of the room. As I continued to stare at the window . paralyzing cold ness came over my body.
 was not alone in the room!
 Two men were sitting facing each other over . table in front of the window. The outline of their heads and shoulders merged into the shadows which enclosed the frame. but they were unmistakably there. That k. unless I were mad. And was not at all sure that was not! They must know I was here. Why didn't they speak. or come to me? They sat perfectly still. Why didn't they move? They sat in darkness. Why didn't they make a light?
 moved my lips in speech. but no word fell from them, but J hammered on the floor with my fists. Again tried to speak, this time with better success
 Say, there! wish you'd help me-"
 The two men neither spoke nor moved.
 That paralyzing coldness began to creep over me again, but I shook it off. Struggling nightly, I man. aged to get to my hauncheA. Then l remembered the solitary match in my hand. The very thing to at tract their attention!
 drew the match sharply across the floor: but it must have been de- fective. for while the phosphoroua flared up it did not light the stick. but missed and sputtered and began to go out The brief and feeble flame made little impression on the dark facs Of the room but 1t did slightly illuminate the surface of the table. At what I saw I dropped the match and flopped down on my back again.
 r1 am mad, or else | am dream- ing" said, quite aloud. The two men did not speak,
 In that moment of lirht I had seen playing cards and stacks of poker chips on the table. The two men were playing poker in the dark and their cards were exposed [. It was a showdown.
 Crouched against the floor. I fought the horror rising in my breast. was asleep! That was 1t, pf course. Afterwards. I would laugh at my crazy nightmare. And yet-and yet-I ran my hands over the floor. Sand secured my finger ends. ! felt Of my body-thin and bony. but real enough. Breathins deeply. lifted my eyes to the win dow again. The outlines of the two heads and shoulders were still there.
 We'll" I said aloud. "if you want to sit in the dark pretending to play poker. why shouldn't you? It's your business. isn't 1t? And if you don't choose to take notice Of me l can likewise ignore you"
 But this nonsense didn't check my rising hysteria. which sudden. ly got the better of me.
 Who are v0u?" l shrilled.
 Silence still.
 What are you doing there? Yo, can't play poker in the dark! Yol can't make a fool of mel" I pound