An Hour of Terro.

Southland Times, Issue 9389, 1 December 1886, Page 4

An Hour of Terro.

When he had been there one week the boarding-house keeper "id .that he was one of the nicest, qnietert4roong men she bad ever bad in bet boose. HrMwl no complaints to make «t th« tafcl* iaA hfe left his mom so sliok ißltten that tht cMaßbmnaid had so* pldflnsthate^wasawoinanmdiignUe. At the end of a month, rather tkah'have/hiin go, the landlady would haVe agreed to (arcnase porter house steak once a week, and lo re* place theold rug in his room with a new one v costing fifty eenta. The other night, how ever, her enthusiasm ; received a setback. One ot the boarders came downstairs and repotted that be had beard groans and sighß and cones from the quiet boarder's room. Three or»four people tiptoed np, and after a bit they plainly caught bis words : . 'Ouch! Hang it. It's killing me by inches r Then it Was realised that the quiet man bad some great sorrow on bis mind, and it wm sntpected tbat he was contemplating snicida. •Oh l' he called oat, ' gmt heavens, bat how I suffer r Why was I Bach a fool as to follow taat villain's advice? 1 - He had probably taken poieon, or was try- - iog to 'drive a) darning-needle to his heart. The landlady thought of the Coronet's inqnest, the item in the papers and the queitioris the reporters would ask; and she grew frantic. . .... ' Hey, . Smith— Mr Smith— you, -Fmith I she called as she rappod on the door, ' but what on earth it the matter V 1 Nothing,' came the solemn answer, but as ■W put her ear to the keyhole she heard soft groans,, and a whispered yoice saying : < It's got to be done at any cost.' •Mr Smith,' she continued, 'don't you dare commit suicide in my house. If you do I'll k»ve you Bent to gaol for a year. It wasn't fix months ago that a woman tried to poison, beneif to,. death in that very room, and I hayea'c got over the fright yet. Pay, yon,' 'Well,' came the faint repij. ' Have you taken poieon V •No.' There was an interval of silence while she put her ear to the keyhole again, and pretty soon she! heard the boarder gallop up and S^owq and hits between his cleDcbed teeth : 'Great Bcottl but was mortal man ever called upon to suffer as I do ?' ■ Say V 6he whispered v she turned to the boarders, ' this door has got to be broken down without delay. That ungrateful man has taken rough- on-ratß and is deter min d to die on a' bed which cost me over 20 dollars last fall, saying nothing of a second-hand carpet which I traded a sewing-machine for. Mr G en, kick open the door.' •If Gieen is there I'll let him in,' annoanced Smith, and he opened a crevice ja*t large enough to squeeze in. Then came a whispered consultation, followed by shouts of pain and terror, and Green came to the door with an object in his hand and calmly said : 1 Ladiex and gentlemen, it was simply a case of pulling off a porous plaster which he bad worn for six weeks. Pieaae forgive him for he'll never do so again.'