Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-02-21


nearly dropped the candle as my eyes be- 4
held the contents.
FIRST, there was a5great bundle of coarse
plack hair; then one of curly-faXen, like
chllds; then another of silky brown,
woman's, evidently. Along with these
were four-six-eight-row Of teeth, some
large and strong, some fine and white. Al
common ring or two, silver watcL-chain,
a poor cloth cap, filled the remaining space
in the box
The horrible truth flashed upon me.
mad been brought here, not to be robbed Of
my poor,clothes, nor Of what little coin
might have about me. These were only to
be tae0a01a into He6argaip.- They We're seek
ing to compass my life, as they had, done
tile lives of others, for the sake kofE sueh
possessions as these before me-possessions
independent of poverty or wealth. I re-
membefed the tales chat shaR been rife in Z
my. OWN country, not long before that time,
touching Burke and Hare. And / now re-
membefed, too, the look that Lori had
given her sister, when, in my ldioticA yani-
ty, had: smiled and showed my teeth Il
Now l. knew what was the danger to
which Gretchen, in a sudden .compunctionl
and softening Of. the heart towards me,
had referred Now l. could see clearly
whittier every incident of the evening tend
ed. The beer at supper was drugged with
some strong narcotic Gretchen had tried
to save mesa Had She. really done so? T.
had tasted the drink; and though never
felt wider awake III my life than I did at
that horrible moment when the sweat start
ed out upon my brow, In the consciousness
that my life might not be,worth an hours
purchase, might not the effect of the drug
Il
IheTsmalIquantityI had imbibed had ex4i
cited my brain into an abnormal condition
for the time. | had little doubt OF this.
Might it not be. succeeded by a reaction?
I was seized with horrible dread of sue
.cumbing, sooner or later, tosleep. Should
then be powerless. I cared for nothing
comparatively, if could only keep awake,
? | Started UP? TWAS dangerous to sit still.
litraVefsed thereon with l1asty.s I
tried to turn the handle oflthe door; it did
not yield; it was locked on the, outside.
There could no longerf]1e "a doubt of the
design ;againstme993
.iuThe many church clocks through the old
city struck two. I listened tor any move
ment in the house, and once l -fancied /
heard some one breathing outside my door.
But waited a long time and it was fol
lowed by no other sound. Then I began to
drag the bed, the table, and the chairs and
to pile them up into barricade against
the doof.? {phis occupied some little time,
and, work as quietly as might, the neces-
sary noise prevented my hearing anything
else. 1t was not until my task was done
that 1 became conscious of something
moving moving in the garden, just below my win
dow,
+ There was a dull, low thud, as of some
hard substance striking the earth at uregu-
lar intervals. / crept to the, window and
looked out into the moonlight, which was
now fast disappearing behind gabled roof.
Instead Of illuminating the entire plot of
ground, the faint rays now fell slantWise
into the garden, Of which more than one
half was swallowedin black shadow But
[ clearly distinguished two. figures Do
you remember Millais' Vale of Rest?
When saw that picture, years afterwards,
Icould- not help lshuddering. 1t recalled
so wildly the attitude of the two sisters as
[ beheld them in that terrible moment
The women were digging a grave; the
elder one with all her masculine energy !;
the younger-reluctantly, as it seemed
removing, with slow strokes Of the spade,
the black earth, and pausing long between
each. Once she looked up, and the moon
light, fell upon her wan, haggard face. She
put back the long, silver-lighted hair from
her brow; she leaned upon her spade and
then a whisper, like a serpent's in her ear,
urged her to her task again. gr
Should l fall asleep now, was dead
man. Iknew it, No strength, no agility,
could save me. The dread of this became
so acute that it worked upon my magma
ton. began to think felt drowsy. A
numbness seemed creeping over my limbs.
A weight was falling gradually on my stiff
ened eyelids. l prayed, in an agony of ter
ror. that might not be killed asleep-that
might at least have fight for my life.
Suddenly Lori raised her head ard list
ened. The sound to which she listened--a
whistle, so low that / could scarcely hear
twas repeated She crept stealthily
across the garden, and raised the latch of
the postern, which evidently did not open
from the outside A man came in, burly,
thick-set fellow, and the door was closed
again The three stood together for a mo-
ment in the moonlight Lori and the man
looked up at my window Il took care they
should not see me-, while Gretchen turned
her head, away and wrung her hands.
Then all three came slowly and noiselessly
towards the house. a0 e.'l' ..92i'A
NOW or never was my moment for es-
cape! There was, one chance for me. i
had seen how the door opened. :. if
could manage to reach it !. !. But if 1 hes
itated, few moments hence the drugged
beer might complete its work, and be
unable to move hand or foot. I opened the
window softly and looked out There was
a drop of about twenty feet into the gar
den (Which, it will be remembered, was
some feet below the kitchen AGAIN.. fl
jumped this, the noise must attract atten-
1tion; and might.sprainlo or break my leg
into the bargain. An expedient, occurred
to me- I had not replaced the flooring
which I had removed The board, which
ran the full length of the room, measured
nearly sixteen feet Leaning, as far as
could stretch, out OF, theowndow,I man.
aged to rest one end of this board uponthe
ground, the other against the house wall
some four or five feet below nhe.Aj3Gf .,or
goI had scarcely accomplished this, when /
heard the sound of feet outside my, door, a
bolt Withdrawn, the handle turned My
barricade would obstruct the doorway for
some few minutes; but for some few, min
utes only. y | had just time to. swing my
self from the window-sill by my hands, to
get both feet round the plank, to slide to-
the ground, tolhyI like the wind, to raise
the postern latch, when the crash of fall
ing table and chairs reached my ears. j
rSn-I know not in which direction-up
one street,and down another, on, on, fan
cying heard the sound of feet behind me
no soul visible, to right or left. At last,
breatlIless and exhausted down by the
rivers side, i came to a soldiers guard
house. "A sentry was at the door; there
was the ruddy light of the mems pipes, and
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