The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-03-07

spective chambers. leaned a moment
out Of the window to inhale the cool air
after extinguishing my candle, and noticed
tall figure stalking across the yard with
out giving it any thought, more than pre-
suming it to be one of the field hands
on some errand at the house.
| had fallen into heavy slumber, and
been asleep some, an hour or two at the
least, when suddenly l sprang from my
bed as ifa cannon had exploded at my
pillow. A shriek-the most thrilling,
unearthly, blood-freezing scream that ever
chilled the ear of human listener-rang
out on the quiet stiffness of that midnight
hour, simultaneously with the report Of
firearms. With staring eyes and chatter
ing teeth, Ned and sprang to our feet
and graspcd each others hands-not in
fear or tremor, but with the awful pre-
sentiment of some heart-rending calamity
BY this time we heard a wailing noise,
another report, and renewed screams Of
woman's voice. l groped my way to
the candle, found match, and struck a
light. Then hurrying on our clothes,
Ned and l hastened out in the direction
of the screams. 1t led us on to the bed
room of Romez.
Heavens, what sight met our gaze |!
There, stretched out upon the floor in a
pool of blood, with protruding eyes and
face drawn away by the fearful death
struggle, lay the hospitable host who had
sAid goodnight to us with such merry
voice and beaming face. His wife was
leaning over him in wild-eyed horror,
calling his name and frantcally wringing
her hands. Just beyond her, knelt Car
lota in her pure white robes, supporting
in her arms the head of young man but
few years older than herself The
strangers thick black locks were CORY
with the blood gushing from a terrible
wound on the head, and his closed lids
and pallid lips, and laboring breath,
showed life was failing fast Ned flew
to her side and raised the stalwart form
in his own arms to relieve her delicate
shoulder, while caught off cloth from
the table and commenced tearing it into
bandages. AS bent over them to staunch
the blood, Carlota looked up into my face
with wild shivering glance, and her pale
lips quivered pitifully as she asked:
what have we done that this horror
has come upon us? Do you know what it
means ~
l saw the poor girl was scarcely sane
after the shock and terror, and replied,
soothingly:
81 know nothing about it yet, but we
will find out after we have taken care OF
him"
"Then he is not dead yet? he will
live 2" she cried, more, wildly still.
Mother, mother, do you hear ? Juan is
not dead we have one left us yet. But
my father o my father?" And with a
sob that shook her slender form like a
reed in gale, she bent above the rigid
form.
A large mantle was lying on the bed.
l wrapped it around Carlota without, l
am confident, her being at all aware of it
and then hurried out to find the servants
who slept in remote l. Of the house. The
report of the pistol had aroused them, and
I met them hurrying through the passage
way. | could give no Ineligible answers
to their excited inquiries as to what had
happened. I only knew what / had seen
the cause of the terrible tragedy was
was still mystery.
When l returned to the chamber l
found the mother more collected. She
had wiped away the blood from her hus-
bands face and laid cloth over it, and
was mechanically assisting Ned in his eff
forts to revive the young man. A SER
want was despatched Immediately to a
neighbor who was supposed to possess
considerable surgical skill. removed
the body of the unfortunate Romez to
another room, and drew Carlota away
from her trance-like watch above it, |
led her into the sitting-room we had left
so joyfully, and stroking softly her cold,
clammy fingers, said
"Now, dear Carlota, tell your friend
what is the cause of all this"
She lifted those sorrowful gazelle-like
eyes to my face, and then, with sudden
movement, dropped her head on my shoul.
ders and burst into tears. Twas thankful
to see her weep, for l knew it would
save her brain from paralysis aud her
heart from breaking; so only stroked
gently the beautiful head, wishing it was
still to be on my shoulder and not Ned's
where her future tears should be shed.
"Who is the stranger?" Said al
length.
She wiped away the torrent of tears
from her drenched face, and essayed
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