Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-14

OCtAy JUST cBOUb OAAO etOOAs
Dinner time came and passed; and in
the middle of the afternoon as she
heard the sound Of the returning cart,
it was with a feeling Of relief. 1t didn't
require twice bidding TO induce Mr..
McCarty to again enter and do honor
to her brewing. And now shekept him,
by one device and another, as long as
possible, and felt more lonesome THAN
ever when he was gone. She could not
rid her mind of a gloomy foreboding Of
coming danger. She assured herself
again and again that her fears were
groundless, but all to no purpose.
As the sun went down she stood in
the door and look wistfully toward the
bridge,
81 wish John were at home!" she said
almost ready to cry. Then she reused
herself, called the little ones in, and
fastened the door.
After their frugal supper the children
were soon put to bed; but the mother
sat up, trying to overcome the restless
ness by fatigue. Then, at an hour that
was quite late for one of pastoral hab-
lbS. ClC lplCu nCl NOlA bN-c,1
to prepare for he'd.
at is cheerful for John, and he al
ways expects it, when he is coming
home at night" she said, as she placed
a candle in the window, first having to
pin q cloth across the sash, where john
ny's ball had knocked out pane of
glass. Then she undressed and laid
herself beside her sleeping children;
but not before she had offered up an
earnest prayer for their preservation
through the night,san the safe return
Of her husband.
1t was long before shefell asleep, and
then her rest was troubled; but at last
oyertaxed nature yielded, and there
succeeded some hours Of dreamless re-
pose. Then her mind began to work
again. At first it was merely a sense
of depression. Then it seemed as If
some underlined danger were impending
over her and her little ones. 1t was as
if great black cloud cast its chilling
shadow over her. Finally the atmos-
phere began to clear, and the dread
spectre took the form of something-a
man or animal-creeping stealthily
toward her.
She essayed to start up-terror par
alyzed her Embsl She tried to cry out
her tongue Glove to the roof Of her
mouth! And still the dangerapproachcd
nearer, nearer, until she felt its breath
on her cheek. But whatever it was, it
could not be human; for its breath was
like ice, and seemed to freeze the very
marrow in her bonesl
With mighty effort, she struggled
through the spell that bound her, and
sat upright in bed. Her heart was pal
pitating wildly, a clammy sweat stood
in beads of ice on her skin, and she
shook, from head to foot, as with an
ague.
The candle was out and everything
wrapped in darkness. The tapping of
the cloth which she had pinned over
the window explained the extinction of
the light, and also the cold breath of
the phantom that had haunted her
dreams wind had forced the pin
from its hold.
She smiled at her fears, and was
about to get up and relight the candle,
that her late-retu1ning husband might
not miss the cheerful beacon. when she
was suddenly thrilled by sound from
without. 1t was only the swapping of a
dry twig; but in the present state of
her nerves it was enough to FL her with
alarm.
She sat perfectly still and listened
/ I,,+ .,.s,aal ,lp
without a repetition Of the sound. She
shivered with cold and ached with the
continued tension Of her muscles. Still
she could not prevail upon herself tC
move; she could not persuade herself
that it was not foot that had caused
the breaking Of the twig.
Only her eyes were free and they
| roved about the room necessarily
Suddenly they became fixed. She saw
something move. 1t was slowly com.
ing in to view above the sill of tn,
window. 1t was round. like the head
Of a man.
All power Of motion was now gone
She was frozen with terror. She sat
bolt upright and stared at the dreadful
spectacle. Slowly, inch by inch, it rose
| Fear and the darkness prevented her
from noticing anything save that it was
round-that it was head. Higher
higher-untl from its conformation
she Judged that the eyes were above
the sill and then stopped. Her ex-
cited mind pictured horrible glaring
eyes-eyes so fierce, SO flaming that
they would almost seem to burn and
scar all that they rested upon.
Just then little Sue awoke, and as
she strained her eyes through the
gloom, said, in a voice hushed by child
ish alright:
Mamma -
Her moving aroused the other chill
drcn, and seeing their mother so still
they sent up a plaintive wall OF terror
H 'sh my poor babes" cried The
agonized mother, clasping her httl'
ones to her breast.
The next moment she started and
looked about in amazement. The cause
of her emotion was a deep, ferven
Thank God" In an instant she wal
out Of bed, and her trembling fingers
were busy with the fastening Of tn,
door. The next she fell almost faint
ing into tie arms of her. husbands anC
the greeting of the parents, and tn,
voices Of the little girls who kept coo
ing softly Papa. papa,'' were drowned
in the lusty cheers of master johnny
A hasty explanation disclosed tn
fact that Mr. Best had heard of tn
Indian raid, and had FASTENED home t.
find the light, which always awaited
his return, no longer burning. Feel
ing that his worst fears for his famil,
were realized, and apprehensions tina
the undisturbed appearance of tn
house was but a snare to entrap him
he crept cautiously forward to recon
noitre when he heard the voices of hi
children and he knew that all was well
Our FEreSjde Friend.
AN HONEST MAN OF THE OLDEN
| TIME.
Bowling Green (Ky) Democrat.
| Mapv wears 400 9hOlt the wear 1914