The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 130: what you’re looking at

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

130 AN AMATEUR IN DYNAMITE. Wher he had plunged almost headlong down the stairs, she stood still a few moments in dreadful uncertainty what to do, then ran back into the kitchen to watch for his appearance in his room. Presently he walked in like a drunken man, gesticulating wildly and muttering incoherently to him- self as he staggered to and fro. ‘Then, as if struck by a sudden resolution, he strode to the window and pulled down its shade. Ottilie realized that the moment was one of supreme peril; that if she would prevent a desperate deed which would fill the rest of her life with heart breaking remorse, she had not a minute to lose. ‘To run down the stairs and up those of the next house to his room would take too long; the leap from time to eternity can be made much more quickly, Almost as quickly as the thought flashed into her mind, she had the board in place over the chasm, darted across it, pushed aside Gottlieb’s blind and sprang into his room, through the window. He sat at the table writing, and momentarily dashing away from his eyes the tears that were blinding him, deaf to her entrance and unconscious of her presence, though she stepped quickly behind him and looked over his shoul- der. She read: : Farewell, beloved Ottilie ; the longest of all farewells—forever—for I shall never see you again—either in this world or in heaven. I have done what God never will forgive, aud I must never look upon your dear face any more. In afew moments I shall be among the lost, where I belong, and you ‘“No! no! Gottlieb !’’ she cried, unable to restrain herself any longer, seizing the paper from under his hands and tearing it into shreds, ‘‘ I will not have itso! You have done nothing of the sort ! I tell you so; IJ, your Ottilie. Come—understand me—sit up—look at me.” She pushed him upright in his chair. He gazed dazedly at her for a moment, then throwing his arms about her, dropped his head upon her breast and burst into a passion of weeping and broken lamentations. She held and soothed him, until his excitement had in some degree exhausted itself, and then said to him: ‘Come now, Gottlieb. Be yourself again. Beaman. Sit up straight and stop crying. Itisenough. There; that is tight. Now; do you know me? Do you know what I am saying to you?” He nodded. He could not trust himself to speak. She went on: ~ Very well then ; understand this—the bomb did not go off. I just made that story up. The colonel was away from home and the others were there, it is true, but they were not hurt and no harm was done at all, because, as I tell you, the bomb did not go off.”’ ‘“ But—the paper—and—lI heard it.’’ ‘The paper says it did not. I only told it that way to make you know how bad you would feel if things had happened as they very well might had it been real dynamite.’’ , ‘* But—it was.”’ “No. Do you think I would have let you blow people up with real dynamite for that villain Max ?’’ | (E(0) Eomicbooks