The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-11-18
@isfellaueuas.
Prom the Overland Monthly.
GRANDMOTHER'S STORY.

such frightfnl ideas into your young heads
grandma replied. stroking Mary's brown
curls as she spoke. Your aunt Lucy
shouldn't have mentioned it. But since
she rds 50 foolish, an you've got your
curiosity raised, So
You think IL best to crafty it, cried
Mary. clapping her hands; so dol. Now,
girls. don't dare to speak n word;
wouldn't for the world miss n SYLLABLE
1t was about two years after my mar
riage.' began grandma, with little shake
Of her head ut the roguish speaker. that
the adventure rs Mary calls It, took
place. John and went West directly
after our marriage. We were pretty poor
both of us. Not but what our families
stool rs high rs any in the village added
the old lady, drawing herself up little.
MY father. he was deacon in the Baptist
Church there. But, rs was saying, we
were not very well of. and John and l
had little 10 depend upon but our own
heads and hands. But he was smart
fellow, and I was strong and healthy, and
used to housework. Work was more the
tasaioz then than IL Is nowadays. Many's
tho large washing my sister and have
got through with in the time one Of your
Biddies would have spent in fretting over
it
The girls laughed mcrrily. and Kate.
glancing slyly up into the handsome old
face, said, You were very pretty. rs well
as smart, grandma, or I am much mistak-
Gu
"Oh, yes.' said Mary, demurely, Il have
heard of those .peachy cheeks, and violet
eyes and that loreiy hight brown hair.
But. oh dear! We shall never como to
the adventure. nj this rate. Girls do bc
quiet
Well. rs was saying. we had moved
out West. We owned n house, very
small one-and quite piece Of ground; ;
and by degrees we grew better of. Aftcr
n long time. Sairy Henderson came to live
with us-the first hired girl we'dhad since
we were married. She WAS tall. raw
boned thing. nigh on to six feet high. 1
should imagine. She was smart tidy
body. an John liked her. But / never
could, not for any thing she ever said
she was rather close -mouthcd than other
wise-but on account Of queer little ways
she seemed to have at times. But, think
ing this might be fancy, and not being
apt TO give way to my feelings, i said
nothing TO John about Il.
When my baby (your father, Katie)was
six months old. Sairy had been with us
then about three weeks. John received
letter from his brother in the big city.
lie wanted to see him on business impor-
tant to John. rs well as TO himself. We
both felt badly; he'd scarcely left me n
,lay since we were married, but there
seemed no help for il. But he arranged
that should have neighbor (thc nearest
lived only two miles of. girls) come and
stay with us. lie insisted on this, though
I laughed well Mt him, saying wasn't n
mite afraid.
Well. he left, and week passed by,
and by that time I began to feel most rs
secure. with only Sairy an ourselves in
the house. rs when a neighbor came to
stay with us. For this happened twice.
and when Mr.. Wilson sent word for the
third time that he couldn't come, and
asked who should he send instead. l
laughed. and said {: u. never mind.
Sairy's rs good rs man, any day, she
can handle n gun. and, fancy, could
throw Mr.. Wilson, In n minute, If she
tried
So that was settled; and Sairy, baby,
and / were lell alone. Aftsr making
every thing secure downstairs, wo camo
up To bed. Sairy's room was u. one end
Of the passage, and nj Inc at the other.
never was one of your nervous" wo-
man, going into conniptiorits, II a
mouse runs across them. But. somehow.
that night did feel nervous and restless
and after nursing Willie and laying him
in the bed. sat some time by the window
trying To gct breath of air. At last
arose and undrcSsed me. I had said my
prayers. and was creeping into bed. when
n great horror and trembling-I can't de-
scribe II any other way fell upon me.
There seemed no reason for i'll didn't
think Of any reason. that lremember-but
but there l stood shaking. though IL was
n July night. shaking from head TO foot,
aud grasping the bcd-post.
Il mus be nervous. said |, ut last, with
n laugh; ..sakcs alive! how father would
LAUGH at me- But. lor! it must be be-
cause I'm so tired out And. getting into
bed. I drew Willie toward mo with a
feeling OF relief, rs I felt his son hand on
my breast. The shivering tit had left
me. bat couldn't sleep.
that blessed night The nom rs hot rs
any oven; the qucercst Esncics. in my
head of hearing son footsteps through tho
house. Relieving them to be fsncies. l
wouldn't give way to 'em though. no
ways; till at last, toward one o'clock.
fell asleep. l must have slept till nearly
three, and then the great horror and
trembling WAS on me again, taking mo
this time In my sleep. But had con-
sciousncss now Of some thing wicked near
me-of something dreadful about to hap
pcn-and l woke. There. In the gray
morning-light, sat Sairy on the bed, look
Ing down. So I couldn't see her eyes. She
had the hatchet in her hand-the one we
used for chopping woodland she was
drawing IL back and forth. over the fin
gers Of her other hand.
Did l scream. you ask, Katie? No. my
dear. What kept me from IL? Perhaps
Il was fright; perhaps Il WAS my haby's
dear little lips pressing against my breast
begging me to be calm for his sake. No;
l said one silent prayer to God. and lay
still, watching her. Suddenly she turned
and looked at me; knew now what that
queer look in her eyes meant-the Great.
ure was crazy-and there lay Willie and
I in her power. ..I.-..r. 20
.Ss.iry, said I. looking right in her eyes.
though my voice sounded hollow and
strange to me. not like my own, is Ii time
to get up?
She said not . word. but looked away
again. nodding her head up and down two
or three time. and drawing tho hatchet
through her fingers rs before.
.S:siry.' said j. again. with difficulty,
for my hcart seemed to rise to my throat,
and lie bsating there, i, it 50 htes Then
L mnst get up
She turned on mo now with q sharp,
suspicious look: Il won't be given up 10