The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-11-07
QUIZ HOMES; THErIs OUR


I was ON my feet once more, and cnught
Ben's hand as he came over towards my bed
""What ails you p he cried. 2@ .
"Nothing," said 1. "Did you hear voiccY'
"Yours, said Ben, .syclling woke mo up !;
you fairly frightened .mc.' ,,...,. ....1 5. n
"Bcn," said [, "wait till I light lamp
heard another voice. Must be some one in
the housc or outside" t.. -r .nr.l ~
So again lit a lamp, but We searched in
vain. ..s,H! u 54& sH
Nightmare" said b., when told him my
story. .aa5
"Bcn, said I, "what is there ut tho cross
roads. 3 iY
GA house," said b. EIe had lived in the
neighborhood long while, and I not long.
"One little house, beside two oak" trees
and a fence. An old man lives therc-a rich
man, and u bit Of q miser, they say Ills
grand daughter keeps house for him."
"Ben, that fellow may have meant harm to
them. may be wanted at the cross roads"
"Brothcr," said Ben, $50 to sleep. Il, You
had a nightmare" and Ben plunged in be-
tween tho blankets, and was snoring again.
l also, in ten minutes, slept as souhdly as
before, but the awakening soon came again.
I opened my eyes, TO see a girl standing at
the foot Of my bed. A girl in whites robes,
with golden hair all about her shoulders who
wrung her hands and cried: ooh, wake up
you arc wanted ut the cross roads" u -
= This time / starte out of bed, bathcd in
cold pcrspcration. / trcmbled like q leaf l
had no doubt that had received supernatural
warming. n.
''Bcn," cried, i'Bcn, for the third time
have been told that l am wanted at the cross
roads, and am going .aE
And began to dress myself as speedily as
possible, listening the while to the storm rag
ing wilder and wilder than ut any other period
since its commencement: saa s;,tcn,o9 y-a
Ben demonstrated with mo in vain. At last
he also began to huddle on his clothes. +,
IF you have gone mad, 1 must go with you
aiyl take care of you, s he said, 1,sss &, y
lsat staney another nap going oqtsira,
nightmare caused him to do So aud what You
think of him?" =, ,'i5 5 - . - l',a 9
| i said nothing. All could have answered
would have been: s.Gi
II am sconpellcdto to go; l must go.,, j. dare
not rcfusc, whatever lnay be thought of me r.
In ten minutes wcswcre splashing through
tho mud and rain along the roadair 1T was
perfectly dark; now and then blazing red
star in the distance told us that a lamp was
bcaming through the rain III some cottage
window, but otherwise we would not have
been conscious Of our proximity to any babita-
ltion whatever. At last, nearing tile spot
who're tho road from S. crosses tho road to
p-,wc wcro indeed in as solitary place
as can be imagined. =. q e'l g" '9srlf
The house, which abuttcd on the very angle.
of the roads, called in familiar pnrlance the
Cross. Road, was tho only one for some dis
tancc in either direction, aud certainly on
such might nc were not likely to meet many
travellers. 5dft"a
All was quiet qs the grave. We stood quite
still. In a moment, B. broke out in one Of
his widest laughs. 2''t'
"Wcil," he said, show ?"-Will you 60
home now and have another nightmare ?v j,
But hardly had the words escaped his lips,
when shrek broke OH the air and woman S
voice, plainly coming from tho interior of the
cottage, cried: "Help! help! hclp!"i "a
"Ben," said /, "wc are wanted at the cross
roads," and then understanding each other,
without more words VIC made our way to the
window, through which q light shonc. A mus
lin curtain draped the pancs, but through it
we saw an awful sight. H
An old man lay on tho floor, and over him
bent ruffiian, clutching his throat, and hold
aistal ta his asS Will aRathssa en-
girl