The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-11-13

politely.
Harriet had become quieter, SO Mil
dred inquired:
What did you see, Harriet?" The
girl shivered, and covered her face with
her hands.
"Come, Harriet, speak," said Mil
dred, becoming little pale.
Yes, tell us, and instantly p cried
Janet.
Harriet took her hands from her face,
and looked up.
eft was an eye, MISS" she said, in
horror-stricken tones, "such an awful
looking eye, and it glared at me !" she
added, with repressed shrek.
We looked at each other in mute con-
sternation.
"Was it a living eye, do you think,
Harriet ?" I asked.
eyes. it was alive, miss, am sure"
she sobbed. go, what shall we do?
1t looked so malignant and terrible p
We looked at each other for few
moments, and then Mildred spoke.
"I can scarcely believe that you are
right, Harriet" she said "I fancy
that your imagination must have been
making a goose of you"
"Still, Mildred" ventured to say,
" Harriet may be right, and it would be
well to do something at once. This
may be q plan to rob the house when
we are all in bed"
"And murder us all r' shrieked
Harriet.
Janet began TO cry, and meanwhile
the butler had left the room.
"Where is Jones ?" inquired Mildred,
suddenly observing his absence. "Let
us go find him, and see what is best to
be DONE"
lowed. Jones was rummaging in
large closet, the door of which stood
open he had lamp in his hand. The
other servants stood by, and we to-
gether waited for him to emerge. He
was rather long time, SO Mildred went
close to the door and whispered
"What are you doing there, Jones?"
Jones made no reply, but came out,
armed with an old rusty-looking dagger
and two pieces of strong rope.
"You are not going to kill him ?" inn
plored Janet.
"Never fear, MISS" replied Jones;
ga little prick, however, will do no
hurt. I must take care of my masters
house."
"We will come with you," whispered
Mildred.
every good, miss" he answered.
Please bring the dog to the door, and
keep him there till I want him."
So off went Jones with his lamp, his
dagger, and his ropes, we and the SER
wants following closely behind with
the dog, who seemed to possess q
strong consciousness of something being
amiss.
Jones opened the door of the little
room quietly, and went in and placed
his lamp on small side-table which
stood near. Then at once, dagger and
ropes in hand, he walked towards the
pack, which still lay en- the settee; but
now observed that there were one or
two openings in the wrapper.
There was q deep silence among us
for q moment or two, interrupted only
by the low growlings of the dog, who
became manifestly more and more un-
easy, and was with great difficulty re-
strained from rushing into the room,
Then there cume a scene of noise and
confusion. Jones reached the pack,
and throwing the ropes over his arm,
and still clutching the dagger, stopped
to inspect the slit in the wrapper where
Harriet had asserted she had seen an
eye. At that moment one of the most
fearful and terrible yells 1 had ever
heard broke from between the folds of
the wrapper. The pack struggled vio-
lently then rolled over and fell heavi-
1x-4 10 Il al,
begged for mercy; at the same time a
knife was seen endeavoring to effect an
opening. The screams of the servants,
the hysterical sobs of Janet, and the
loud howlings and winnings of the dog,
who was still restrained by Mildred
from rushing frantically iuto the room,
made din that never can forget.
" l remember that Jones alone looked
very composed and unmoved through.
out. Before the man in the pack had
time to free himself from the wrapper,
Jones had managed, despite his oppo,
nent's struggles, to pass the ropes sew
eral times round and round him, and
to secure them. By the time he had
accomplished this we. had all become
pretty quiet. The dog was silenced
and made to lie down in the hall, while
Mildred and and two of the servants
the terrified Harriet not being one
went into the room.
The pack presented a very ludicroui
appearance. The wrapper had beer
slit open from the centre upwards, anG
displayed the figure of a man, appar
emily about thirty years of age, lying
in it, the ropes wound round him. HI
had long, pale face, brown, grizzly
beard, and eyes that glanced doubtful,
from Jones and his dagger-who knel
beside him-to us, as we approached
him. He was perfectly mute, and re
fused to answer any question.
"See, he has got whistle" crieC
one of the servants.
Jones instantly seized it, and after
few moments consideration, beckoneC
Mildred out of the room. followed.
"Young ladies" he said, "the mai
is now quite secure, and his accom-
plices will certainly not attempt to en-
ter much before midnight. I expec
Would you be afraid, if slipped dow
to the coachman's house, and got hi
wife to send down to the village for as
sistance? We could then probabl
secure all the villains"
But you may be attacked by one O
them on the way" urged Mildred.
"No fear, miss can slip unseel
behind the shrubs in the darkness"
$50, then, and quickly" said Mi
dred. "You are sure that the man j
quite safely bound ?"
Ouite so. miss buf perhaps yo