The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 129: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AN AMATEUR IN DYNAMITE. 129 ‘What is the matter with you, Gottlieb? Are you sick ?’’ she exclaimed in alarm. ‘No, I’m all right,’’ he replied, with impatient gruffness that sounded strange from his lips. Soon he wanted to go out, but she positively forbade it and compelled him to remain with her. But to keep him, she had ‘to threaten that if he went away then, he need never return to see her. A little after three o’clock she ran down to the street and bought an evening news- paper. On its first page her eyes caught at once the startling headlines. ANOTHER DYNAMITE OUTRAGE. STRIKERS ADOPTING ANARCHISTIC METHODS. Fiendish Attempt to Blow up the Residence of Colonel Withers of the Vulcan Works. She stopped outside long enough to read the article and chuckled at its conclusion : The bomb was carefully opened by the intrepid sergeant, after it had been thoroughly soaked in water, and was found to contain more than a pound of dynamite. The cap attached to the fuse had evidently done its work and that it should have. failed to set off the terrible explosive, with which it was in immediate contact, is simply miraculous and can only be regarded as an evidence of the direct interposition of Providence, When Ottilie retnrned to Gottlieb, she found him with his head bowed upon his arms, which were crossed upon the table before him, but at her sudden entrance he sprang to his feet, pale and trembling, with the look of a hunted man in his eyes. Affecting not to notice anything unusual in his demeanor, she exclaimed : ‘Oh! Gottlieb! Such an awful thing! The Vulcan strikers have blown up Colonel Withers’ house! Surely you did not know anything about that, did you ?”’ ‘“Oh! Why—no—of course not—how should I?’’ he stammered. ‘‘Tt was last night, and they used dynamite.’’ ‘And Colonel Withers ?’’ ‘‘Oh! He wasnot hurt. He was away from home.”’ “Thank God!’’ burst fervently from the young man’s lips. ‘But his sick wife and two poor little children, his little girl and a play- mate who was spending the night with her——’’ Gottlieb threw up his arms, with a hoarse, inarticulate cry, as of a beast in agony, and fell forward senseless upon the table. Ottilie dashed water in his face, fanned him, held ammonia under his nose, and eventually restored him to consciousness, but not to his senses. She was frightened by the over- whelming effect of her story and, if he had given her a moment’s time, when he came to himself, would have confessed how far she had perverted the newspaper’s statement of facts. But as soon as he could breathe and move again, he struggled to his feet and staggered out, beating aimlessly with his open hands, like a man who is fighting for air. Ottilie strove to detain him, but he broke loose from her hands and went away, seemingly deaf, though she called after him again and again. Eomichook (<@)