Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-03-28
NUMBER 3.

arose ana began 10 prepare Tor supper.
 I withdrew to the window out of the reach of that girls eyes, and amused myself with gazing out into the corn which grew almost up to the very sill, I was tired and dejected, and it must be confessed, terribly homesick. Il wished with all my heart that 1 was safely back in Passayuod.
 Twilight gathered, desolate. cloudy, threatening rain. Likea pail it settled down on the pine wood beyond the corHfield. The green blades clashed together with melancholy, mysterious whispers. From my seat Icould hear Nurse Gerty wrangling with Tcrcse over the fire, and the girls sharp answers falling like shots in the pauses. After that came supper.
 could not eat. The air of the place had begun to affect me oddly. But Terese's bowl of black bread and soup had the effect of keeping her eyes off my face for the time. | sat watching the shadows chase each otherin strange fantastic shapes along the low rafters, the crimson flame creeping and curling about the smoky black log, the sad night falling beyond the windows. Everything seemed strange and unus- ual, like the things in dream.
 When it was fairly dark in the room, Nurse Gerty thrust tallow candle in- to dingy brass candlestick. and ligh- ted it's sputtering wick at the fire on the hearth.
 q spose you re pretty we'll tired ont, my dear?7 she said to me.
 "Yes," answered.
 Well, you can go to bed any time" said Nurse Gerty.
 arose at once.
 Terese was standing in the open door, her brown forehead leaning against it, her brown arms wreathed listlessly ovcrher head. At this move ment of mine she turned hastily, came in, ana took up the sputtering candle
 "Go back, you jade!" said Nurse Gerty snatching it from her hand.
 "Let me go up with her?' said Terese.
 "You'd better not" answered nurse :; ''you'd better not try that, my girl"
 Terese slunk sullcnly back. She was beating the floor with her bare foot as ' passed, and she did not look up.
 "Come, my love" called Nurse Gerty, standing on the stair, and beck oning to me in the candlelight, like | very like some wrinkled old witch. l ! followed her up the rickety flight. 1 The room where I was to sleep was provided with a bed, table, and a chair. There was one window looking out upon the road. Nurse Gerty l placed the candle on the table, embrac- ed me tehderly, and went away, closing the creaking old door behind her. noticed that it had no lock.
 l Black night in the cornfieid now, the i blackness of darkness in the pine wood 1 beyond What a strange, weird whisp- ering the green blades kept up! Ever since that night the rustling of corn i has filled me with horror that no words can describe. As stood look ing from window, my cheek wet with tears, the clouds passed suddenly to westward, and the silver tip of the young moon glimmered through. Alas it was tho moon that had forebo- ded ill-luck to this journey of mine. Was danger coming, too? My good sense told me no, it was impossible ; but my heart, all alone there in the l shadow and silence, answered yes.
 For moment that silver bow hung, pale and frightened, above the tree tops, blankly peering in at me through the narrow pane, when the clouds, like great night-moth, spread themselves above it again and plotted it out.
 l wound up my watch and laid it with my purse under the pillow of the bed. Then l knelt down and said my prayers again and again. After that blew out the candle, and having I thought once Wf mamma and Lo, 0 faF away in the gay, bright parlors at Newport, and of papa, sitting lonely over his evening paper at home, think ing perhaps ofhis poor silly little Belle, I threw myself, all dressed as was, down on the bed, and quite worn with the days journey, fell fast asleep. 1 I slept and I dreamed. Then I awoke, and found that some one was standing in the darkness at my bed side.
 neither moved nor spoke. For my life I could have done neither. lay par alyzed from head to feet. I think, for the moment, my very heart stood still. Slowly, softly hand was thrust under tho pillow. heard the soft elashing oi my watch and chain and purse, as they were drawn out together. My own hands were lying clasped at my side. On the left one wore two rings, one a diamond solitaire which mamma had given me, the other, a ruby set in Etrus- can gold---a gift from Louise Gently this hand was disengaged from the l other, and the rings were drawn off. Evidently the person did not design to wake me; but the agony of terror which thrilled me asthat dreadful hand touched mine was uncomfortable. By the hard broad palm, by the strong grasp, knew it to be the hand Of a man.
 fro BE coNTlSUEp.l