Show AN ODD NUMBER AND AN ODD CASE and the Is had thirteen any thine to do with th cur there was a commotion in the hotel when the denver stage came in and the men who were playing poker in the bar room and the loafers who were waiting for somebody to treat hurried to gee what was ap theres a rick traveling man hes awful bad and cant go any further fix him up a bed and send for a doctor ome one in authority waa saying there were plenty of volunteers to help carry the side man to a room and soon a temporary nurse was installed and a doctor in charge of the case there was nothing unusual about it he the first rick man that had stranded there and would not be the last the only curious thing about him was this he heard the landlord say take him into thirteen no he said feebly that is an unlucky number to me dont put me there AH right said the landlord give him eighteen empty and the men bore him carefully upstairs but the landlord had winked to those who had him in charge and they had responded by an answering wink which said in dumb show all right wa en der stand so they carried him into the room with the unlucky number and he having faith in the man he had appealed to asked no questions indeed ho could not for as they carried him into the room he swooned and they had enough to do with the doctors alp to revive him then he dozed and started up in feverish delirium and called tor people who were far away and raved and muttered and the landlord wax laughing down at the bar telling of his ffoyd joka in deceiving the sick man i hell never know the difference he said 1 I aint no patience with and what the eye dont bee the heart dont feel heres health and long life to the estranger et ranger in no 13 they clinked glasses and drank the noise of their carousal penetrated the room above where death wrestled with life in an unequal encounter what time is it the sick man had wakened suddenly and aa he asked the question the clock on the mantel began to strike the hour one two three four ha counted the strokes aloud the nurse tried to dissuade him from speaking by shaking her head in disapproval and laying a finger on her lips but he persisted and had his way five eix aleven eight the doctor held his finger on the rick mans pulse and felt an accelerated thrill in its irregular beat the rick mans voice continued nine ten eleven twelve midnight said the doctor giving the nurse a warning look the clock struck one too many it is out of order grumbled the nurse it has stopped said the doctor taking his finger from the pulse to which he referred Stra agel I 1 did not think the end was so near neither did the landlord who bad jest wished the traveler long life but the clock that struck one too many had been the strange instrument f fate detroit free freaa |