Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1852-01-29

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nounced these words he cast pro
Itecting glance towards her; and she
felt less repugnance at the idea oI
passing the night in that house,
When, therefore, the red-haired
man, after a polite bow, went uF
stairs, she said, that as her friend:
had not arrived, they might as vel
show her to a bedroom.
81 thought it. would come to thai
at last" said the landlady. "Pierre,
take the lady's trunks up stairs"
In a few minutes, Mrs. Martin
found herself alone in a spacious
room, with large fire burning on
the hearth. Her first care, after
putting the child TO led, was 10
examine the door. 1t closed only
by a latch. There was no bolt in
side. She looked around for some
thing 10 barricade it with, and per-
ceived a heavy chest Of drawers.
Fear gave her strength. She half
lifted, half pushed it against the
door. Not content with this, she
seized a table to increase the strength
of her defence. The leg was broken,
and wher she touched it, it fell with
crash to the floor. A long echo
went sounding through the house,
and she felt her heart sink within
her. But the echo died away, and
no one came; so she piled the frag-
ments of the table upon the chest of
drawers. ToIerably satisfied in this
direction, she proceeded 10 examine
the windows. They were all pro-
tected with iron bars. The walls
were papered, and, after careful
examination, seemed 10 contain no
signs of a secret door.
Mrs. Martin now sank down on a
chair to reflect on her position. As
was natural, after having taken all
these precautions, the idea suggested
itself that they might be superfuous,
and she smiled at the thought OF
what her friends would say when
she related TO them the terrors Of
the night. Her child was sleeping
TRANQUILITY. its rosy cheeks half buried
in the pillow. The room was full Of
pale trembling shadows, but she had
no superstitious fears. Something
positive could alone raise her alarm.
She listened attentively but could
hear nothing but the bowling OF the
wind over the roof, and the patter-
ing of the rain against the window
panes. As her excitement dimin-
ised, fatigue--which had been for
gotten-began again to make itself
felt, and she resolved to go to bed.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
For a moment she seemed perfectly
paraIyzed. She had undressed and
put out the candle, when she acci-
dentally dropped her watch. Stop
ping to pick it up, her eyes involunta-
rily glanced towards the bed. A
great mass Of red hair, and gIeam-
ing kniIe, were revealed by the light
Of the fire. After the first moment
of terrible alarm, her presence of
mind returned. She felt that she
had herself cut off all means Of
escape by the door, and was left
entirely 10 her own resources
Without uttering a cry, but tremb-
ling in every limb, the poor woman
got into bed by the side Of her chill
An idea-a plan had suggested itself
had flashed through her brain like
lightning. as the only chance left.
Her bed was so disposed that the
robber could only get out from be-
meath it by a narrow aperture at
the head, without making a noise;
and ii is probable that he would
choose, from prudence, this means of
exit. There were no curtains in
the way, so Mrs. Martin, with terri
BILE decision and noiseless energy,
made a running knot in heI silk scarf,
and held it poised over The aperture
by which her enemy was TO make
his appearance. She had resolved
10 strangle him in self defence Of
her own life and that of her child.
The position was an awful one,
and probably had she been able to
direct her attention 10 the circum-
stances around her she might have
given way to her fears, and endevor-
ed to raise the house by screams
The fire on the hearth, unattended
to, had fallen abroad, and now gave
only a dull, sullen light, with an
occasional bright gIeam. Every
object in the vast apartment showed
dimly and uncertainty, and seemed
to be endowed with a restless mo-
ton. Now and then a mouse ad-
vanced stealthily along the floor, but
startled by some movement under
the bed, went securing back in ter
ror to its hole. The child breathed
steadily in its unconscious repose:
the mother endeavored also to imi-
tate sIumber; but the man under the
bed, uneasy in his position, could not
avoid occasionally making a slight
noise.