Year: 1865




transact some professional business and attend
a trial which was then before the criminal
court, at that time in session. | reached the
place late in the evening, after hard days
Journey, and found that the only hotel in the
village was full with the exception of one bed
in a double-bedded room.


@The other bed is occupied by gentleman
from New York." said the landlord and as an
inducement for me to help on the profits ofthe
house, he added, "he is neither rogue nor
cut-throat, judging from his appearance. They
never have had any such characters up there
in Gotham. OF course you'll not have any
scruples about sleeping in the same room with
one of your own townsmen."


As had nothing about me to tempt even
third rate thief, and had never given any of
my fellow men sufficient reason for severing
my jugular vein in the dark, decided to take
the bed in question, and soon retired to my
room.


My fellow traveller was already in bed appa-
renty asleep, with his face turned towards
me. It was that of mild looking man Of
thirty-five, of sandy complexion with hun
erv look As / ran my eye along his outline
under the bedclothes, / did wish that he had
been fatter, for in one respect l am like Caesar,
prefer fat men about me when there is any
thing like prospective danger. There was not
in his physiognomy, however that led me to sus-
pecthim being given to deeds of darkness, SO 1
ensconced myself in bed, and with my last
thoughts upon dear Mrs. Jones, was soon
as unconscious as one OF the seven sleepers.
Little past midnight l was awakened by a
voice from my neighbor's bed. / listened. He
was muttering something in his sleep.


ooh, Mary1how can you cast me OFF," he
Went on in the pleading tone of distracted
lover. "How can you forget the love that has
followed you for SO many years, and never
turned from you in your misfortune when you
stood alone in the world y


Then came pause, after which he cOntinu-
ed in more moving tones than before:


"Say not so, say not so. Before he with his
wealth crossed your path. we were happy in
each other, and why should now be cast off
after YOU have sworn by all that is high and
good that you would be mine. All, Mary, if
YOU reject me my soul will soon be given up to
some dark deed that win destroy us both. I
shall have faith neither in God or woman to
restrain me-"


@Then you turn deaf ear to my last pray
er. You have chosen yeur own fate and mark
my word yoU shall perer marry him."


The mind of the sleeper seemed to have be-
come calm, and his dreams undisturbed as
soon as he had given utterance to these last
words.


He doesn't sleep well, thought /. He is GO
ing through with the romantic part life. He
has taken the disease at an untimely age; il
goes hard with him. And as | remembered
having Just such dreams at one time, when l
came near losing the present Mrs. Jones, l was
not alarmed at my neighbor's ominous expires
sions.


| thought no more about the matter till i
saw the man in court the next day. The case
was that of Young man on trial for the muir
der of young woman to whom he had been
betrothed The ground of his arrest was,
that on the night of the murder in her own
fathers house he was the last person known to
be with her. She had lived for several years
in New York city, and it was reported that she
had made the acquaintance of penniless
Young man to whom she was engaged to be
married: and that she had broken her engage
Inent with him for more wealthy rival whom
she met on her return home.


As listened to the proceedings of the court,
noticed that my fellow lodger seemed to take
more of an interest in them than would be eX-
pected of an ordinary spectator then began
to think whether there could be any connec-
ton between this crime and what had heard
him saving in his sleep the proceeding night.
1t was a striking coincidence that Mary was
the name of the murdered young woman. He
had seemed to be pressing his claims as more
binding than those of a later and wealthy low
er. His shreadbare suit and unkept general
make up, showed that he might personate the
poor lover. Moreover he was from New York,
and seemed to have no particular business, eX-
NNONS s@~~f @AOeO
the proceedings.


/ kept my thoughts to myself, however, and
watched for further developments.


That nightI went to bed first. My stranger
friend came up after was apparently asleep
He seemed wholly unconscious of my pres
ence. He placed his candle on table near
his he'd and began to examine some papers
which he pulled from the breast pocket of his
seedy coat. Occasionally he would rise and
mace hack and forth. as it there were some bur
den ON his soul.


dyes Il must be so,n he muttered, "there is
no other way for it.. A man driven on by such
passion as Mary inspired, IS not master o.
himself though close upon the horrld deed
may follow black remorse. But I'll to bed
and bide the morrow's events; and then II
see no other way, I'll do it," Z,
What was it that he was to do? could
only speculate. That it was connected with
the trial / could not doubt. 1t seemed PLAIN
that he was in some way connected with the
murder. Perhaps he might be the real mur-
derer, and driven by guilty conscience, was
awaiting the action OF the court before making
full confession of his crime.


The next day | attended court as before.
My strange friend was there and seemed
scarcely less interested than the prisoner at
the bar. l watched him attentively.


Later in the afternoon, as / was riding
through the outskirts of the village over des-
olate looking spot, passed him pacing slowly
along with his hands behind him, and SO lost
in thought that he did not even look up when
Invent by. lie returned to the hotel after the
other guests were seated at the supper table.
and ate his meal in silence.


When | retired for the night left him sit
ting in the bar room, with an elbow on each
arm of the chair, gazing intently into the
fire. - fuH J


1 had been in bed about half an hour when
he came up stairs with two candles, which he
placed upon the table, then went to his valise
took out several quires of foolScap, and lastly
drew from his pocket small black bottle, and
placed it by his side as he sat down and be
gan to write.


was too much interested in this movement
to think Of going to sleep, so | lay still ant
kept my attention fixed upon him.


AT hrst his pen moved deliberately ovel
the paper, and as his hand passed over page
after page, Its scratching became louder anf
more nervous There was evidently burn
ing thought that must have expression in
words. Inc VEINS Of his forehead were swol
len as IT ready 10 burst, and his whole ex
preston was That OF intense excitement. III,
seemed to have forgotten that there was an,
b dv else in the room, for could hear hin
muttering his thoughts aloud as he nenna,
Them. Now and then he would pause draw
> long breath, and then dash on again.
last he threw down his pen and struck HI
hand against his forehead, with the excIs
mation:


~ did it. and she is gone; why do 1 tarr
here to see that poor wretch suffer in m