The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-05-12

tracteQ my atCeQClOn dI ONCE, auu L hhOlC uo II
on the hearth-rug to examine it more closely
I saw that every charge had been draan.
You may be sure this discovery quite took
away my breath. I looked at the empty pis-
ol-the pistol which was harmless as child's
toY-in blank dismay. 1t was with this that
I had patrolled all the lower floor in search OF
burglars! 1t was with this that 1 had meant
to defend the household from any assault or
danger whatever. 1t was in the possession OF
this that had felt so secure as not to be alarm
ed by the open window, or the falling chair.
Here stopped short, and something Like a
sudden, cold terror seemed to clutch my very
heart. What if the window and the chair
meant that somebody was secreted in the
house?- ?-somebody who had drawn the charges
of my pistol, and counted on my ignorance not
to discover the fact until too late2 Everything
seems possible in the awful loneliness of mid
night; and the more / thought of this, the
more probable the supposition appeared. No
body ever touched the pistol nobody could
have drawn the charges unless -. Another
sudden pause, and listening with bated breath.
Was that noise below stairs? laugh now,
but it is with hysterical and half frightened
sort of laughter, as I remember how my teeth
chattered, and my heart rose up in my throat,
as I knelt there on the hearth-rug, with the
empty pistol in my hand, asking myself that
question. There certainly acas noise, just be-
low me in the dining-room but then rats
abounded in the old house, and heard much
worse uproar every night, without giving it q
moments consideration. Tonight could not
be philosophical and remember the rats.
could only think of the window, the chair,
Dicks disagreeable suggestion, and my unload
ed pistol Then suddenly it occurred to me
that the whole family might be murdered in
their BEDS while sat there trembling and de-
liberating. So sprang to ny feet with a
bound. "Give me five minutes, and I'm ready
for you" said, addressing the unknown bur-
glar, and rushed eagerly to my bureau:
Opening side drawer, I ran my hand in, and
cartridges Like most of my countrywomen
I had been reared in an atmosphere of fire
arms, and was very expert in handling them.
In five minutes, therefore, the pistol was once
more loaded, and 1 felt to the core that erich
ard was himself again" I don't wonder that
men-strong men, whom nature and art have
both abundantly supplied with means of de-
fence-should be quite insensible to the sensa-
ton of physical fear. There is so much
indeed there is almost evcrything-in feeling
that one can at least make good fight of it.
The unarmed and the weak are necessarily
cowardly but that anybody could be afraid of
anything when armed with well loaded six
shooter ten years ago, would have laughed at
the idea. So, having arranged all my charges,
felt quite comfortable, and began to think
that had been very foolish, and that it might
be as well to go to bed.
"You see, Mary Lindsay" said Whenever
wish to be severe, call myself by my proper
baptismal-"if you 60 on in this way, you will
become as ridiculously nervous and fanciful as
old Mrs. Moore, who calls up her sons and
makes them search the house two or three
times every night. Don't you know that if
you encourage yourself, there is really no tell
ing where you will end? Haven't you lived
here all your life, and don't YOU remember that
ever since you were born, the rats have been
making just such noises? 2"
A sudden pause. Had Ireally grown so ncr-
vous that, like old Mrs. Moore, / could fancy
anything, or was it the dining-room door which
opened and shut very softly? I felt confident
heard stealthy step cross the passage below !;
vet it was not terror which came over me then,
but resolution. If there had been any man in
the house upon whom to call for assistance,
might have screamed or tainted, or given the
alarm in any of the charming ways peculiar to
nv sex. But as it was, / felt that all the re-
sponsibility rested on my shoulders, and with
this knowledge there came to me strength
which equalled my DESIRE" Ny mother, the
girls, the little children was their defender
for the time being, and 1 am sure that no
knight of old, no Sir Tristram, or Calidore ever
felt more chivalry for the weak whom he de-
Tended, and the oppressed whom he succored,
than / did for them at that moment. MY
poor darlings," I thought "thcy have only
me-" And then opened my door very softly,
and stepped out into the passage. There was
no good in rousing anybody, knew. If the
alarm was false, should only be laughed at /;
and if it was we'll grounded, there would be
such commotion that would be more apt to
shoot one of the family than the midnight dis
turber of our peace So with the supreme
daring-the daring which would be grandly
heroic, if it were not so foolishly rash-of
eighteen, I took my stand at the head of the
stairs and listened.
For while I thought must have been mis-
taken, everything was so still. l could hear
the clock ticking away in the lower hall, and
the rats running races and playing football up
in the garret, but nothing more.
"I shall certainly take pneumonia if l stay
here" I thought, and as thought it, a sudden
idea occurred to me. Perhaps the Somebody
below had heard my door open, and was wait
ing for it to close again, before making any
farther movement As there was only freight
in my room, had lett the door ajar, with a
vague, irrational sense of security in at least
having port of refuge near at hand. But 1
now turned back and closed it. "God will take
care of me-" thought, as shut myself out
all alone in the dark passage, and yet this was,
perhaps, the hardest thing Of all to do. 1t was
So cold, SO silent, so full Of the strange awe of
the night, with only few pale CLEANS of ghost
" moonlight. The moon was on the wane,
falling in patch through high window, on
the head of the stairs. I drew back from this
into the darkness, and stood quite still, clasp.
ing my pistol tightly. did not think to feel
my pulse, but I am sure that if / had done so,
would have found it beating as steadily as it
ordinarily did. We came Of good stock-we
Lindsays-and there was never man or wo-
man among us who had been a coward. So |