Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1869-05-06

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IN his hand but Marie was far too aler
and wary to be caught at work, and wa
. always found IN bed by her nocturna
visitors, and to all appearance asleep
20 y was only when the wintry wind
blowing shrilly round the EXPOSED
: 'range. shook the crazy old bUildin,
IN It's burly arms, causing doors and
windows to rattle and creak, and
haunting the dark wakeiulness of such
OF The inmates rs could not sleep with
strange weird noises, never heard nj
other times, that she could labour a,
ner task with any degree of safety,
And now that task was all but done.
With the old knife which she had pick.
eh up ny stealth IN the orchard, she had
sa"h through two Of the iron bars with
winch one of the windows was secured
or So nearly through them that two or
three hours more would see her lahonr
accomplished. Had not the bars been
rustei and corroled with age, they
would probably have bafiied all her
efforts with the feeble means at her com.
hi'hd hut such - they were, she had
overcome every difficulty, and now
her reward seemed almost within her
grasp.
She nal been working for freedom.
10 get away, anywhere. out Of that
horrlfic prison. IN which She hal been
shat UP i"r so many weary, weary
weeks, was the one absorbing idea that
i he h., 4.
night. What she should do. after get
'liIs away what was to become OF her.
without money or friends, at that bleak
season OF the year, was "A thought that
Fa1iF troubled her that one passion.
ate longing 10 escape absorbed all the
niue mental energy that was left her in
'hese latter days. Whenever she tried
% look forward. TO calculate future
probabilities. there rose before her
mental vision dim blurred picture, in
winch everything showed indistipctlv.
a ihoagh seen through a mist that was
far too dense for her wearied ach;no
"Faih l" penetrate. IL was always the
same, too, when she sat down on the
h'"r, and stuiiing her fingers into her
ears. tried 10 think out some scheme Of
W. geance upon the arch-enciny Of her
Nir. She knew that Duplessis wa,
beneath the same roof with her IN. T.
MAJ he.ri MS voice On two or three oc-
ca~ions, although she hal never seen
Iiin SINCE the first night Of her iucar
ceratlon and the sound hal filed her
Win ~uch secret but intense fury. /
thHt bad she been abi. Ia reach him
shr would have flown at his throat lik,.
soinc savage creature of the woods.
Yet. with ali her hatred OF the man,
whenever She tried 10 work out 10
means Of which ,he should wipe Oh at
once aud for ever the accumulated
srprc of many wears, her feeble brain
would again play her false; and how
ever hard she might strive to retain her
gripe or them, her thoughts would De-
uin IL Slide and vccr, and crash one
;tratu,t another. like iccbcrss III
troubled -ra and thea the ine'itapie
for would swoop suddenly down, ana
everything would become blurred anu
,,itn and She wouli wax. from her
rctcrir with start. and :. chiidish
treble LAUGH, and set I" wurA with re-
uewrI a,-lduity al the dressing ni her
dolls. But when midnight came round,
and all the house was STILL then sue
seemed an altogether different rrcaturs \
i. ~h,. crouch,d on the window seat, |
with her knife in her hand, iabourinS |
SLOWLY ani steadily. with a sort OF con
crntra,ed ferocity of patience, IN which |
there wa> no trace OF weakened in- !
telI.ct. You and |, chsr Henri. have |
a heavy account To settle. she would |
then often murmur 10 herself. 1t Is \
debt of long standing. and must he paid
10 the uttermost farthin5.
The night fixed upon by Dnplessis
as the one for the secret expedition OF
him self aul Antoine to Bclaif. WA, also
the one on which Marie had decided,
urnyiilr,i the weather were favourable
10 carry oat her long cherished plan Of
escape. During the afternoon there
va, 4 light fall Of snow. just Sufficient
ia .hitcn the mporiands. hit not deep
enough. except here and there, where
! Il hul drlitcd. to impede walking. As
night sci in. u keen uorthcrly breeze
~prung ~. wAich cr!>pci the fallen
. n ,>r,. AMI whi,tlel >hrllI, round the
n.d Grange. grulnbiing hoar,ely III the
cn!mnry>. and trying the fastening, OF
door and window and making the mad-
wolnan'> heart beat high with hope. II
onIy Il would last till AN hour after
midnight She went 10 bed "A, usual
ah,nt ten O'Clock: she could trust 10
her instant to awake at the first stroke
ol' twelve. When Peg Orchard lett her
tAi,t nigut. Marie called the Siri hach
.,tt-f IN. hil pnt utlt-i,ir the door. u
siyr her another kl--. lneh she got
lato bell. ann in i've minutes Wa
.nundly asleep: hut before the clock
on the staircase had done striking
twelve. sae wa- n wide AWAIT ~ ever
she. hal been in her lille. She sat uP III
BED. ana listened intenIiy. Inc "in'
, seemed. ii ANYTHING. more hiu>terih!
. than ever. How lucky that was >ht
, would have lcarl, liked T. scream III
chnrtl. with il wild Tree music, 80 light
!. hearted Id lie feel but she bit one "l
hrr finger, instead till the purple teeth
Z marks made deep indented ring r"unt
, it. Then -hc slipped n"i-elesslv "u
: of bed. and crept to the door and pu
her ear 10 the kevho!e. Dia6fs : the,
were not all in bed yet; those BEAST
: there She could distinguish iain
+, ,nrr.nnr of voices below stairs; aii'
& presently - door opened, and The voice
: grew lnudcr, and then she recognises
i them for voices Of Dupiessis and An
e tome aud She snarled in the dark, a
= She listened to them. like some ferocl
il oiis animal. She could not distinguis