The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-06-07

without Mrs. Hurdle. They had half
dozen bottles of the old lady's madeira on
the table-wine which had been stored
away forty years before by her husband,
and which she never produced except
couple of bottles Christmas. And there
they all sat, drinking, and laughing at Cap
tain Findley's tipsy jokes, and planning |
what they were going to do with the pro-
perty the old lady had left them. Poor old |
on to my room, what she would think of all
this if she could come back and see it.
had to pass the door of the room in
which lay the corpse, and l trod softly, as
people do on such occasions, as if any noise
would disturb that last deep slumber /
was just past the door, when it seemed to
me l heard some unusual sound in the
room. l stopped and listened, and heard it
again. 1t was like the sound of some in
strument scraping and grinding, and now
and then slight tap of a hammer. What
could Mr.. Simon be doing? l went to
the door and put my hand on the knob, but
found it was locked inside.
| The noise had ceased the moment |
touched the knob, and then Mr.. Simon came
| to the door, and opened it an inch or two,
and in the dim light saw that his face
l looked quite pale.
"Who is it What do you want, Mrs.
/ Hobson?" he said, quickly and with sort
of tremor in his voice.
Nptbipc T WOO poccipor or,5
e I would just look in."
IS " It's all right" he said and shut the
h door quickly.
: l stopped at the end Of the passage,
:, thinking Of the strange sound l had heard,
e and Of Mr.. Simon's manner, and then saw
}. him open the door noiselessly and look ur
# and down the hall, and then again the dool
# was closed, and presently l heard the same
"a creaking sound as before. 1t was like the
il noise that had been made by the under
w taker in driving down the screws of the
=, coffin.
,t knew that to the room in which lay the
9 corpse was another door, opening into
partially furnished and unused chamber
This door was kept always locked but
- remembered that one of the panels wa
"a warped and cracked. And Invent around
~ softly as | could, to this chamber, and there
~ in the darkness, saw the CLEAN of ligh
=, =, shining through this crack from the room
~ in which lay the corpse. / crept up, ant
) cautiously peeped through.
>, Yes; it was just as I had suspected.
- shudder now when l think of it.
In the middle Of the room was the coffi
which had seen some hours before careful
VI ly screwed down. 1t was now open. Th
heavy lid had been twisted around and la
u extended across the coffin, and stoopin
NC over the head Of it was Mr.. Simon, his fax
uS white and his hands tremblnga as they fun
= bled about the dead body within.
de l began to tremble, too as stood ther
up breathlessly watching him. could see IL
face Of the dead woman, exactly opposit
vas and not five yards from me, raised upon
not pillow and l could even see the dea
III CLEAN of her half-closed eyes. And / 50
IN, Mr.. Simon drawing aside the folds of Il
in shroud and displacing the hands, whic
all were crossed on the heart, take out som
psy thing bright and glistening, and transfer
al to his own breast pocket
ed' He acas rObbing the dead!
'ho There were, as / have said, three of Il
lch lockets, and when he had found them a
nc he turned away with them and leaned ov
llSS the lamp, apparently taking the miniatu
gnu out Of the settings. In doing this his ba
SOL was turned to the coffin, so that he nev
oor saw what did
saw-my blood runs cold to this d
, / when ] think of i'll saw the half-clos
md lids of the corpse upraise themselves, tn
all fall, and quiver and again unclose. l S;
alf- the pale lips move, and the thin, colorlC
the hands tremble and grasp feebly. Then
ride eyes opened wide, and gazed full and stef
md, lily around--at the ceiling, at the viii
airs draped furniture, and then at Mr.. Simon