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Show ijf CUPOLA rn SKETCHE.' ) J3y ErBON YMLLiATIS A staid physician of our acquaintance acquaint-ance hnd a most rcmnrkablo dream tho other night. It Is tho nucleus for a novel, but Just now wc aro too busy to become a novelist, nnd wo pass It on wheto It will do tho most good. Tho doctor had been out to ono of those performances whcro tho clothes nro supposed to be all ready and tho go-cart landed In tho woodshed. Ho wns n weary when Morpheus seduced him to sleep, nnd his tired limbs Jumped a bit now and then as a new Initio does when tickled slyly on tho bottoms of her feet. Then Into "God's beloved sleep" there cropt n drenm. Tho doctor was on a journey. Finally ho landed In a wldo-opcn town In an unknown territory. terri-tory. As ho walked nlong tho streets tho people continually consulted their wntches. Abruptly n bell rang and sopio one cnllcd out In n loud voice: "Tho Crack ol Doom!" Immediately thurc arose a mighty din, men, women nnd children screamed, firearms wore discharged, Incendiary fires sprang up, painted women dashed through the btreets In negligee, vice Haunted a red flag, liquor flowed from tho open doorways of tho saloons, and" scream upon scicnm of. distress rent the nlr. Of a sudden a red-faced brigand grasped tho doctor's watch and wns nwny In tho flutter of a second! Again tolled tho bell! And tho voice: "Tho Crack of Doom Is now over!" Immediately business resumed and peace settled upon tho city. "What does all this moan?" questioned ques-tioned tho physician, wonderment and fear depicted In his face. Tho man accosted stopped and turning turn-ing said: "Art thou a stranger to 'tho Crack of Doom'?" "Except to the oxtcnt of ono gold watch," answered the man of medicine with an attempt at a smile! "I will explain!" continued tho citizen. citi-zen. "In this place men nro wronged, ns Indeed they are everywhere! Wo have no courts to punish tho wicked, but overy thirty minutes thero Is nn Interval of ten minutes In which scores nro paid lawfully! "Should n man lnjuro yon, you mny, with impunity, kill him during the ten minutes Interstice. The law absolves you from all blamu! Vice Is permitted permit-ted only during theso recesses, nnd no liquor Is sold except between strokes of tho bell!" "In a moment doom will strike again," ndmonlshcd tho Informant, turning away, with his watch In his hand! It was oven bo. With a great clamor the brazen note blared on the air. Toward the physician came a great burly virago with a bloody knife In her teeth! Thero wns murder In her cyo and determination In overy set lino of her fncc. Without waiting for tho attack, tho doctor flow full at her throat! Thero was a piercing scream. Tho man of pills awoke with a start, his hands clutched wildly In tho laco of nis wlfo's robe-ae-nult at tho throat! "Oh! Oh! Oh!" screamed that frightened woman, "what are you doing? do-ing? Trying to kill mo?" "No, my dear," answered tho doctor dazedly, H have Just got homo from 'The Crack of Doom." "Well, for goodness sako, doctor, nover go thero ngaln' If you nro to repeat this operation," gasped his bettor bet-tor half with fervor. And ho never has! Sdmo ycarB ago wo saw a man hanged! As a general diet wo would prefer loss solemn functions but In following follow-ing whore duty led, wo witnessed tho execution. This bit of experience is recalled by a nowspapor account of n hanging during which the populace clamored tp see the villain die. Strango, Isn't It, that men seek tho death exhibition? And yet wo have aoen them climb treos and mount tooftops to look within tho boarded lnclusuro whoro grim Justice demanded u life for a llfo! And womnn! tico wo know a woman, wom-an, lovable In many wuys, a lady alwaysand al-waysand yet sho sought to seo raurderor hanged I When pleading failed, sho sought an eminence hard-by hard-by tho Jail yard and Btrovo to seo tin trap when It boro downward with Its victim. Seeing a man hnngod la not so ter-rlblo ter-rlblo ns somu Imaglno but the memory mem-ory over vividly recalls tho scone, tho whlto fncod wretch trembling in tho death march, tho last quavering look oro tho death cap hides tho light for-ovor, for-ovor, tho moment of suspense, the awful plungo, tho slight Huttor of suffering suf-fering physique and tho dead calmness! calm-ness! Happy tho day when man shall bo elevated above tho premeditations nnd tho passions that lead to murder,, Thon thore will ne no cyo for nn eye, or tooth for n tooth, In its present day significance. |