Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-03-02

trunk up stairs
In : few minutes, Mrs Martin feand
h9rssl IN raam. witty large gro burning
on the hearth Her first care after putting
the child to bed. was 10 examine the door.
Il closed with latsh There vas 10 bolt
inside. She looked arouad fer something
to barricade il With and pereeivea.a neayy
chest ii drawers Fear gave strength She
/ helf lifted kalf paklel it against f.ss a or.
Not eonte ut with this, she seized q table to
Increase the strength Of her defence The
leg was broken, aud when she touched It it
fell with crash to the foor a long ecks
weRt sounding through the house, and she
felt her heart sink withia her But the
echo died away and no ons came; SO she
piled the fragments Of the table upon the
chest Of drawers Toierably satisfied 10
the walls. Thsy were al papered, and af
ter examination, seemed to coataia no SCI
cret door
Mrs. Martin now sank down into chair
to tAiail on her position As was natural
after having all these precautions. the idea
suggested Itself that it might be superhu0us
and she smiled at she thought Of what her
friends would say when she related to them
the terriers Of the night Her child was
sleeping trsHquilly, its rosy cheeks half bu-
ried in the Pillow. Tire FIRE had blazei up
.iRto bfighEAame while the unsnuffed can
die burned diinly Tie room was full Of
pale, trembling shadows, bat she had no
superstitious fears. Something positive
coalI alone raise alarm She listened at
tentively but could hear nothing but the
bowling Of tho wind over the roof. AMI tie
pattering Of the rain sgainst the window
panes As her excitement diminished. Tie
fatigue which had been forgotten-be
to make itself felt and she resolved 10 IN
dress and 90 to led
Her heart leapea into her throat. For
momeat she seemed perfectly parslyzed -
She had unares>el aud put out the candle,
when she accidentally dropped her watch
STOPPING to pick Il M her eyes Voluntarily
turnedtowarls the bed A great mass Of
srel hair a hand and cleaning knife were
revealed by the light ef the FIRE After the
first moment of terrible alarm her presence
sf nin5feturned She felt THAT she had
herself cut OF all means of escape BY the
aaer and was entirely left to her own re-,
sources Without uttering cry, but tremb1i
lag in every limb, the poor woman got into
the bed by the side of her child Aa idea
plan had suggested itself It had flashed
through her brain Ike lightning 1t vas
the enly chance left
The bed vas SO disposed that the robbsr
s sSaf ps & YS Fad Without making noise
and it was probable that be would choose,
from prudence, this means Of exit. There
was no curtain in the way, SO Mrs Martin,
With terrible decision aud noiseless energy,
made rusLing noase with her silk scarf.
and held it poised over the aperture by which
her enemy MAS to make bis appearance. =
Sha had resolved 70 strangle him in defence
Of her own life and that Of her child
The position wassp awful one; and prob
ably had she been able to direct her attention
to the surrounding circumstances, she might
have given way 10 her fears. and attempted
to raise tie house by her screams. The
Ere On the bearth, unattended to, had fallen
around. and now gave only a dull. shllen
light, with an occasional bright CLEAN
Every object in the vast apartment glowed
with a restless motion. Now and then a
mouse advanced stealthily along the feor.
bit, startled by some noise under tie BID
went securing back in terror TO its hole
l. Be CAtll CLC1b1EN eAEdnllJ AtS nAtSa
seieas repose the mother endeavered also
ITO imitste. slumber; but the man under the
Ned uneasy in his position. gould net help
oeea.ioaally making slight noise.
Mrs Martn was occupied with only two
ideas First she reflected Oh the extraordi-
nary d5lusi0n BY which she had been ledto
see enemies in the people Of the house and
a friend IN the red haired man and secondly,
it struck her that as he would fear no resis=
lance from woman be might push away
the chairs that were in his way, regardless
Of the noise. and thus avoid the snare that
was laid for him. Once she thought that
whilst her attention was strongly directed
to one spst, he had made his exit, and was
leaning over her but she was deceived BY
Pickering shadow on the opposite wall In
reality there was No danger that he weuld
compromise the success Of his saaguinaTy
enterprise the shrieks Of victim put on
its guard might alarm tho house.N.
Have ysu ever stood hour after hour with
your fishing rod in haad, waiting with the
fetecious patience Of an angler, for = .nibblel
If you have, you have sOme faint idea of the
state Of mind ID which Mrs Martin-with
far otherinterests at stake passed the time,
until an old clock on the chimney piece told
ore after midnight Another source Of
anxiety now presented itself-the fire had
nearly burned ont Her dizzy eyes could
scarcely see the floor, rs she bent with fear
full atteatioa over the head Of the bsd-the
moose hanging Ike sword Of Damocles,
above the glsomy aperture. what thought
she, If he delays his appearances until the
light has completely died awayl Will il
| not then be impossible fer me to adjust the
soarf-tO DO the deed--te kill the assassin
to save myself and my child7 O, God de-
liver him into my hands
A cautious movement beloN-the drag
rins Of hands and knees alsng the foor-s
4 kcavy suppressed breathing --anneuuced
that The supreme moment was near at hand
1 Her white arms we're bare to the shoulders
her hair fell wildly around her face. ike til.
name Of lioness about to leap upon ii
prev: the distended orbits Of her eJes glared
I dswn upon the spot where: the question q
/ life and death was scan to be decided
/ Time seemed immsisurably heightened
ami. everv second assumed the preportienl
AZ an hour. But Al last Just IS al lines ans
farms began to float before her sightthrougl
An indistinct medium of blending light AMI
darkness. = black mass interposed between
her eyes and The Assr Suspense being ever
the time sf action having arrived everything
seemed to pass With rnasiealrapiaity. tn
rsbbsr thrust lis bead carefully fsrward-
Mrs Martin bsRt down There vas hall
CHECKED cry-ths Sound Of knife falling d
The fsor--a convulsiss struggle Pull
null n pulllli Mrs Martin heard nothinl
-ssw nothing. bat tie scarf passing hefMsc