Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-02-05


out looking round, replied IN the same form |
Of words as before .... .u...
Eyes, you can sleep, traveller"
"Whcre. In the loft above T. s
He nodded allirmativeiy, took the lantern |
from the table, aud turned towards the dairy. /
AS we passed, the light streamed for a mo.
ment over the crouching figure in tho cor
ner. g.. .....
"Is your wife i'll ?" asked, pausing and
looking back. ........
His eyes met mine for the first time, and |
shudder passed over his body. ni
Yes he said with an effort ''Shc is i'll.
/ l was about to ask what allied her, but
something in his face arrested the question
on my lips. know not 10 this hour, what
| that something was. | could not define il
then; | cannot describe il now but hope
may never see it in living face again.
followed him to the foot Of ladder at
the further end of the dairy. .I
up therel" no said, placing the lantern
in my hand, and strobe heavily back into the
darkness. .s .h.Ha af...1 sfl ...
Invent up. and found my self in a long,
low granary, stored with corn sacks, hay,
| onions, rock salt, chscses and farming imple-
ments. In one corner were the usual lux
uries Of mattress, a rug, and three legged
stool My first care was to make a system.
attic inspection Of the loft and all TINT it con.
tanned. My next, to open lttla unglazcd
lattice with sliding shutter, just opposite
my bed.
| The night was brilliant and a stream Of
fresh air and moonlight poured in Cypress
cd by strange, underlined sense o: trouble,
| cStinguished the lantern, and stood looking
out upon the solemn peaks aud glaciers. -
Their solitude seemed to mo more than usu.
ally awful; their silence more than usually
profound. could not help associating them
IN some vague way, with the mystcry'in the
house. pcrplcXcd myself with all kinds Of
wild conjectures as to what the nature Of that
mystry might be. The woman's face haunt.
ed me Ike an evil dream. Again and again
] went from the lattice, vainly listening for
any sound from the rooms below. A long
time went oy thus, until nj length, ovcrpow.
cred by the fatigucs of The day, stretched
myself on the iuattress, took my knapsack
for pillow, and fall fas, asleep.
can guess neither how long my sleep last
ed, nor from what cause | awokc. only
know that my sleep was dreamlcss and pro.
found and that started from il suddenly
nnaccountab!y, trembling in every nerve, and
possessed Ivy an overwhelming sense Of dan
ger.
Dangcri Danger Of what kirap From
what From whence? looked ar0und--l
was alone, and the quiet moon was shining
in rs srrencly as when fcl asleep. got
up, walked to and fro, reasoned with myself:
all in vain. | could not stay the beating Of
my heart. ! could not master the horror
that oppressed my brain. | felt that dared
not lie down again : that I must get out of
Spt0lphnLy I'D q,
= stay would be death; that tho instinct by
which was governed must tt all costs be
obeycd .f a.
| could not bear it. Resolved 20 escape, or
, at al events. - sell lie dearly, strarped on
my knapsack, armed myself with my iron.
headed alpenstock, took my large clasp knife
between my teeth, and began cautiously and
u"lsessly 10 descend the ladder. When |
was about half way down, the a'penstocl,
which was cautiously keeping clear Of the
, ladder, encountered some diary vessel, and
sent 1t Gathering TO the ground. Caution ar.
; ter this, was useless. sprang forward,
reached the outer room at q bound, and found
II, to my amazoment, deserted, with the door
wide open, and the moonlight streaming in.
Suspecting trap, my first impulse was to
stand still, with my back against the wall,
prepared Tor desperate defence. All was
silent. ] heard tie ticking Of the clock, and
the heavy beating Of my own heart. The
, pallet was empty. The bread and milk were
still standing where had left them on the
q table. The hcrdsman's stool occupied the
same spot by the dosolate hearth. But he
and his wife were gone-goue in the dead OF
= night--leaTng me, u stranger, in the sole oc,
, cupation of their home.
r While was yet rreso,utc whether to 20
or stay, and while ! was wondering at the
strnngeness Of my position, | heard, or fan.
ciod | heard, something something that
might have been the wind, save that there
was no air Notwithstanding that Nigh,
have been the wa;,lng Of q human voice.
held my breath--heard it agaia-Ioilowed i,
as It died away. | had not far 70 60 A line
, Of light CLEANED under the door of shed At
the back Of the chalet, and n cry. bittercr
and more piercing than any yet heard, guild
l. ed me direct to the spot.
looked n--recoiled with horror-wenI
back, as if fascinated; and so stood for some
: moments. unable to move, to think, to dc
anything but stare heplcsSly upon the scene
), before me. To this day, cannot recall i,
without something OF the same sicaeninc
j sensation.
d Inside the hat, by the light Of n pine torch
? thrust into an iron sconcc sgainst the wall.
u saw the hcrdsman kneclug by the body oi
bis wife; growing over her, like another
4 Othello; kissing her white lips, wiping blood
. stains from her yellow hair, raying oaI mar
5 ticulato cries of passionate remorse, and call
y ing down all the curses Of heaven upon hi.
. own head, and that Of soH,e other man whC
had brought this crime upon him Iunder
u stood 1t ail now all the mystery, oil the ter
ror, all the despair. She had sinncd agains
him, and no had slain her. She was auit,
dead. The very knife with, its hideaus ties
timony fresh upon the blade, lag near TIM
Q door. ~ ..,a...a..
+ l turned and fled -blindly, wildly, like :
: man with blood hounds on lis track nov
stumbling over stones; now. torn by b.;ars
now, passing moment 70 take breath nov
: rushing forward faster tisn before now
battling uphill with straipng lungs anc
trembling limbs; now, staggering across
! level space; nov, making for the highe
J. ground again, and casting never glance be
). hind!
y At length reached bare plateau abov
} the line Of vegetation, where | dropped ex
I, hausted, Here lay for long time, beate,
II and Supplied, until the intense cold Of ap
proachng dawn forced upon me the necessil
e Of action. arose and looked on a scene, n
- feature Of which was familiar to me. Th
r very snow peaks, though knew they mus
's be the same, looked unlike the peaks OF yes
q terday. Tho very glaciers, seen from a di
e ferent point Of view, assumed new forms q
q if on purpose TO battle me. Thus pcrplexet
'e had no resource but to climb The neares
"a height, from which it was probable that
'e general view migbt be obtained. did 8,
T. just as the last belt of purple mist turne
Is golden in the east, and the sun rose.
a superb panorama lay stretched befor