Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-05-19


Effie.
1--WE shall see."
/ must confess that was rather deslrous
that the burglars should come back. Efiie
meanwhile became pale and thin. think
she was afraid 1 might kill some member
of the household with my shooter.
"You certainly will not fire until you
have asked who it is, will you CynicP"
maybe not. But shant have many
words with the Yretches. If they don't
want to get shot, they must not be caught
prowling around my house on dark
nights"
"But the baby might have the Group or
swallow the match-safe, and then nurse
would have to run through the halls"
81 am not bloodthirsty enough to want to
kill her. Don't get excited unnecessarily"
We did not have to wait always for the
crisis. 1t came sure and swift. 1t was
hardly two weeks after our first scare when
The events occurred which make my hair
stand on end to relate IL was always
trifle stiff, and part it in the middle.
1t was another stormy night. Signs and
shutters banged and clattered. l was
wakeful 1 must have had a premonition
of mischief. Ah what was that? Yes 1
was certain that / heard door latched or
unlatched somewhere not far distant
"Effie," / whispered, jumping up.
"Well, dear, what is it?"
somebody s in the house; don't make
a noise, for your lifev'
81 do wish the thieves and hobgoblins
4 t,,, ,lo nj sko
turned over without manifesting the least
apparent interest in the matter. | found
afterwards that she had slipped my pistol
down between the sheets where l could not
reach it easily.
opened the door into the hall and lis
tened. A step! Yea. 1t was approach
ing stealthily. Nearer, nearer, and more
near. | could almost feel the williams
breath in my face. 1 banged the door to-
gether and rushed for my pistol.
"Where is it ?" / asked excitedly.
"You had better see who the person is,
| Cynic. Perhaps it is one of the servants;"
and not finding me eager to ask the first
question in catechism, Ef1ie went herself to
the door before l had time to say "Jack
| Robinson"
at is me, madam" replied the well
known voice of Hilldragon, in strange
whisper. "There is something going on in
the house. There has been gentle wee bit
of knocking right in the floor, for an hour
almost. 1t goes tap. tap, just three times,
then stops awhile. thought it was spirits
and didn't like to make much of a stir but
finally | kinder thought to myself they
would be in more respectable business than
bothering round that way, and I grew to
suspconing that the house was broken
into"
Eflie threw her wrapper around her and
proposed to go to Hlldragons room, and
listen for herself. l went too, trifle
dumfounded by my wifes exhibition of
common sense bravery. Sure enough we
heard the rapping-there was no delusion
about that.
"This is over Lzzies room. She must
be in some trouble" said Effie.
at cannot be Lizzie, for the raps are in
the floor unmistakably. She never could
reach the top of her ROOM"
"I will go down and see," said Ellie.
"Oh, no, not you The house may be
full of concealed demons. Stay quietly in
your room, and will manage this busi-
ness
We spoke in softest whispers. 1t was
but the work of moment to organize my
army. was captain general, Jerry was
aid-de.camp, and Hilldragon was high pri-
vatc. Fife insisted upon bringing up the
rear, to look after the killed and wounded.
We Lut on our coats that we might not be
seen so readily in the dark. My orders
were:
"Single ont your man, and take steady
aim"
1t was a silent, solemn, ghostly process
sion that started out on that midnight
march. Step, step, step, along the corri-
dor, carefully creakingly down the stairs,
through the long north hall to the west
wing of the building, each and every one OF
us in breathless dread of dire calamity.
was conscious of an intense longing fol
those peaceful days when my blood was
not so stirred with the hope of shooting 0
burglar. I was foremost, and might en-
counter one at any moment, and what If ht
should kill me instead of l him Who
would comfort my widow and fatherles'
, ones?
There was a squeak in the floor under my
feet, and jumped backward into Jerry''
arms. The shock gave him retrogad'
impetus, and he rested in the bosom o
+ Hilldragon. The latter individual resisted
manfully, but was obliged in the end t
D fall back hitting his brawny elbow agains
Ehies face.
: / regained my equilibrium and we nov
, ed on. Before Lizzie's door we halted ant
q hearkened. All was still as the grave
Five minutes, ten minutes, twelve AM
, one-half minutes-then we heard distinct
ly, three knocks.
quaked from the crown of my head I
A the sole of my feet. But my presence q
mind forsook me not. / ordered Hilldrap
on to fix his eyes upon the window in th
b. rear end of the room and fire immediatel
= if shadow came between. / statione
r Jerry with uplifted cane little TO m
right, for the purpose of knocking dow
f any similar apparition.
Y "I4et me speak to Lizzie, said Efie, tai
n ing hold of my arm. Before l could repl
d she had pronounced the girls name wit
>. her lips to the keyhole.
!. There was stihed sob within. "Ol
a Mrs. Croaker, help me They have fas
Is ened me up and are all over the house stea
n ing everything, and l can't get up stairs
e tell you.'
a A council of war decided on burstir
d open the door therefore we three ma
IA culnes ran against ii with all our unite
,r force, and it yielded without struggl
"A Lizzie stood on the bureau. She had bee