Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-04-04

EbOou uulhbCuCus
so, Heaven help me, and give me
time !" she prayed; but her hand shook
SO thatit could scarcely obey her swift
thought. Another moment, and she
took in her exact position: the men
stopping over the keys, the lamp on the
floor, and the next she had flung her
shawl over the lamp, darted across the
floor, out into the room beyond, and
flung to the door with force.
Yet more to be done. She drew the
bolts with frenzied speed, above. below
that way was safe; then, with the pas
sionate strength of the moment, she
sped through the room, out on the land
ing to the curtained door, and made
that fast from without, while the furi-
Gus captives beat at it from within; and
then All, then, poor thing, her forti-
tude forsook her, and thousand fears
she had not counted on most cruelty
beset her. She slid down few stairs,
clinging to the rail; then, losing her
hold, fell heavily on the stone floor of
the hall below.
Mr.. Ferguson had reached his near
est station in safety, had sent back the
wraps his careful wife had guarded him
with, and started by the ten o'clock
train to Fordham.
The rain beat on the windows as the
train flew along in the darkness, and
presently a prolonged whistle told him
that they were approaching q certain
junction where he would have to wait
some ten minutes or so.
Two or three lamps on the platform
by which they drew up showed some
few passengers and couple of sleepy
porters. Another train had just come
in from the opposite direction, from
Fordham, now only fifteen miles dis
tant; and some of its passengers had
alighted and were making their way
past the line of carriages.
Looking out upon his fellow-travelers,
without much curiosity or interest, Mr..
Ferguson caught sight of a face which
he had little expected to see. Shouting
to porter to open the door of his COM
partment, he sprang out and grasped
the arm of man very much like him
self-in fact his own elder brother.
George" he claimed, "were you
going for me? Is my father worse ?"
"What on earth do you mean, and
wherever did you spring from ?" was
the answer he got, accompanied by a
look of profound amazement.
go, George" he said, with a gasp
"did you not telegraph me this even
ing that my father had had antoher fit z
"Most certainly did not"
go, my wife, my wife p said the
clergyman /; and then he staggered up
to heap of luggage and sat down and
hid his face in his hands. His brother
saw the matter was serious so he let
his own train pass on without resuming
his journey, and was soon in possession
of all the explanation John Ferguson
could give.
"Porter," he asked, "what time does
the night-mail go through to Wheel
borough"
"1:25, SIR" answered the man !;
"reach marlborough 2:15."
The distance was fve-and-twenty
miles (; the present time quarter, or,
by the time the explanation was ended,
half-past eleven.
No help for it, John, we must wait
for the down train we couldn't pick up
horse, nor yet pair, that would be
ready to start this time of night and get
us to marlborough before q quarter
past two. Come, old fellow, cheer up !;
its no use taking for granted everything
you dread !"
But George Ferguson thought in his
own mind that matters looked black
enough to justify any amount of fears,
and had hard work to find hopeful talk
for the next two hours. He tried family
matters-anything to pass away the
time-in vain; his brothers mind was
filled with overwhelming anxiety, his
eyes peering up the line to catch the
first glimpse of the approaching train.
At last the shr1ll whistle, the glaring
lights creeping nearer and nearer, the
minutes stoppage, and then off again
homewards-b0maeaOardS!-and he be-
gan to dread the moments he longed
for.
At marlborough the two brothers
struck out at once from the station on
their fve-mile walk; and, as they left
the further outskirts of the town, the
church clock chimed half-past two
o'clock.
George Ferguson could barely keep
up with his brothers rapid stride, and
thought him half-crazy with excitement
when he saw him lightly leap a ditch,
and start running across q broken
piece of earth.
George" cried the rector, pointing
to his own house, not stone's-throw
distant, "look at that light" And
through the long narrow window of the
oratory light shone plainly.
"Great God, if we are too late"
The brothers scarcely knew how they
covered the short remaining distance.
A blow at the hall window, and their
united force at the shutters within,
and they made good their entrance to
see Kate Ferguson lying senseless on
the floor; to hear the wailing and cry
ing of children overhead; and strange
sound of low voices whispering and
hands cutting away at woodwork.
Late indeed they were, but not too
late. An outdoor bell, set changing,
soon called ready help from the village,
while Jane, already reused by the
sounds, but too frightened to venture
from her room alone, busted herself
over her unconscious mistress.
The captives in the oratory fought
like cats, and one of them gave George
Ferguson bite in the arm, the mark
of which he will carry as long as he
Gves--that was "Rough Dick" "Gen-
tleman Jim" turned sullen, and sub
mitted to the force of numbers at the
last with better grace.
When on their trial, two months
later, Gentleman Jim" paid Mrs. Fer
gusson several compliments, and polite
ly assured the judge before whom they
were tried that he esteemed it no dis