Show THE FACE AT THE WINDOW By Allen M Walker VHieii I was 19 years old the death of my mother mude me the mistress of my fathers house a post of no small importance when you know that there were six younger children to look after and quite a number uf servants to oversee over-see and manage Vo lived upon a large fruit farm In Michigan which my father had bought after the close of the CIvIl war through which he had served as a Coloiicl in lie Northern army Neighbors wore not plentiful the nearest near-est house was a halfmile away and the nearest ton eight miles but there were so many of ua that we were never lonesome I 1 shared the same room vt 1th my sis tor Fanny a great lofty apartment with three windows Ono hot summer nIght I could not sleep for ages At last I fell off and dreamed though all the time even in my dream I saId to myself this Is not a dream il ia real It Boemed as If the houso for some unexplained reason was eniptj I as absolutely alone sitting reading In the parlor u ith my back to one of the windows win-dows Suddenly a dark shadow came between me and the light and turning round I saw a tall powerful man with his head pressed closely against the glass his face was shaded by a weatherbeaten slouch hat he was dressed like a tramp and the only thing 1 partlculaQy noticed about him was a pair of very large dirty hands and a red worsted necktie lie remained for some seconds leaning against the sash and gazing Intently Into the room then I started to my feet and called out What do you anf Is the Colonel within he asked In a hoarse voice Nol he Is out screamed in reply J want to see him badly said he I served in his regiment during the war Im dying ofhunger Go to the front door 1 called and hastened there Intent on supplying him with all the food he could hold The tramp was there ahead of me Is everybody away from home miss he asked hoarsely All I replied and I was about to add except myself but ere I could utter another syllable he had sprung at me seized me hy the throat with hrutal ferocity and piosslng me hard against a stone pillar ho proceeded to strangle me I could nol move sttug glo or scream J felt his foul breath on my face his savage wolfish eyes fastened fas-tened on mine Everything was becoming becom-ing black the world reeled a strange sound of the sea roared In my ears I was suffocalod dying dead No for here 1 nwoke and found myself Pitting up and shrieking shrieking like a maniac I saw Fanny Jump out of bed by the light of it palo summit night and conic running over to me She hold mo tightly tight-ly while T gasped and panted precisely as If 1 had been really choked Meantime Mean-time all my relullvos poured Into the room believing that murder was being clotio Presently I recovered my voice and in faint broken senlencos stammered out my tragIc tale which tale was received re-ceived with angry derision by I father and yells of laughter by iny kindred Goorgo my oldest brother who hud boon Hie I flrst to arrive upon the scene armed with an ancient horse pistol was particularly indignant If I you are taken like this again Nell you will have to leop lu the corncrib corn-crib or in I the back yard your yells sounded for all the world like a pig being be-ing killed Then with ia much dignity as was compatible with a pair of long bare legs he made his exit NelPfl friend with the reel necktie hocame a family Joke which the boys lid not forget for inar v months At last however they ceased to I wit mo about my horrlblo dream and T iiiynelf never thought of II Two years passed Fanny was away on her honeymoon George was in business busi-ness with a fruit merchant across lie lake In Chicago and except my father there were only fivo of us In the household house-hold besides iho servants One September Sep-tember day father the boys uml most of lie hired help went to the county fair show or fair In a distant town They had set out before sunrise and wore not expected home until after dark No one romalninl nt tim farm except one old cook and adecrepit veteran of the war whom father employed out of lilLy to answer the rare rings at the bell and rlo other light almost unnecessary unneces-sary work We always addressed him sis Corporal though ho had never been anything but a high private in the army Tt was not often that T hud a lay to myself totally undisturbed and 1 made the very most of U 1 wrote letters mandrel garments made two family cakes and gathered ana arranged a quantity of ro es Then I Prepared to enjoy a wolloarned rest and Oliver Twist I drew my chair near a window in t to parlor and cat with my back to the light thrilled by the murder of poor Nancy My nerves were strung to their highest tension as I followed the awful career of Bill Sykcs my silly mile heart was beating tumultuously n mere mouse In the walnscoat had actual v made me Jump Judge then my tcoliiTg when suddenly a black shadow fell across the nage and turning I beheld the man of my drearn Red necktie and all les there he was and no I was not I aiheep l I was wide awake ills hulk Ing body leant heavily against the sash his frowsy hat was Pulled over his eyes vhllp his sn Ht hands fumbled awkwardly awk-wardly for Ito handle of the window r fastened the bolt precipitately r glanced quickly at thft other windows hank < Jod ihoy were all closed I then screamed out What do you Il antIs ant-Is lie Colonel within I 7 No ho Is out I want la sec him badly 1 served undor him Waif I cried Then I darted across the room 1 i < rn a it the bell how It clangoil and roerhornled through the empty house L I hold the door ajar and saw as it wero oiisclously a gaunt slouching figure puss to the front tit a shambling run The corporals military step was oh w hat a sweet sound to I me I 1 spoke lu him still holding the door ready lo fly at an instants I notice There Is a clroadful looking man about a t ia nip Put the chain upun lie hall door and don t let him lnl called mil hysterically All right miss replied the corporal departing with I loud leasurely footsteps foot-steps I hoard him put up the chain and opon the door with I his usual flourish flour-ish Presently he Hosed it and came back Faying very peevishly Thoie Is not a soul there Miss Ellen You woro up curly and you fell asleep without doubt and you earned It No not this time was the answer T expect he is hidden In the laurels keel the door locked and barred for hfuxons sake and corporrtiiii my most coaxing keylf you dont mind would you sit In the hall till they com back Thoy meaning the family and se vants returned about S olloek all full of their days doing and in the highest sph Its they discoursed volubly of their bargains And you of course saw no ono and you slick at home Nell said my brother Ted You have nothing to toll us You are mistaken for once I answered an-swered tremulously The tramp I dreamed about called Ihe man with I the rod necktie Woll Dint Is news I did not go to receive him this time I as you niay Imagine T continued with illassumed composure I called corporal I cor-poral and When he opened the door there a as no one to be soon You dont say so cried Teddy sarcastically sar-castically I should have been rather surprised If here was you were dreaming again how does corporal like attending on your visionary callers I thought he looked rather black Hut It was no dream this time I repeated I saw the tramp as plainly as T see you the dream was a warning and sa ed my life Saved your grandmother TTpon my word Nell It Is getting sorlous jou and your isltor with the rod tie and he roared with laughter Nevorfholcbs Iho next morning he and ovory nno looked grave enough when nous wus brought lint Mr and Mrs Kelly who lived tit a lonely spot about a mIle away and were oredlloil with considerable savings had been found vIth their house pillaged and their throats out Their spoons walrh I and money had boon carried off although al-though lie old couple had evidently made a desperate struggle for their lives and property The furniture was upset and lie walls wore splnsk with blood Ilouovor the only clue to the inurdoiors identity wus part of a rod woolen necktie found in the dead wo mans rigid clutch the other half was subsequently picked np In the wood but the tramp Its I owner was never ssen fuaii no nol ovon in my dreams Buffalo livening News |