The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-04-29

said, and never 50 mueh9as cast d
look towards where Was the other
door, completely: concealed ii the
shadow Of the recess s. s:s5:s
| Every pulse Beating wildly, She
lglanced furtivelys across the room !;
Through the tall, nargow, church
like window yonder sheF coulds see
1.-The moon struggling through thick
telouds, and she could ,see-hersigi1t
Iquickentd by the peril of tire mo-
Ement-she could see a faint thread
|of light on one side which to1dher
that the further door stood .sun-
latched.
80, Heaven help rnes and dgive
me time!' she prayed; bMs her
Hand shook so that it 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, ed;acrosss the
floor, out into the room beyond,
and flung to the door with forcs.
#Y gilmore was to- be done. She
drew the bolts with frenzied speed,
Iabove, belowsthat waysWas safe !;
Hhen, with the passion lteestrength
of the moment, she sped through
the room, out sen the landing to
the curtained door, aud made MM
fast from without, whilethe furious
captiyes beati at it from within !;
and then-Ah, then, poor thing,
her fortitud forsook her, and a
thousand fears she had not counted
on most cruelty beset her. She
slid down a few.stairs, clinging to
the rail; then, losing her hold, fell
heavily ION the stone floor of the
hall below.
Mr.. Ferguson had reached his
nearest station in safety, had sent
back the wraps his careful wife had
guarded 4hirnawith, and started by
the ten o'clock train to Fordham.
The rain beat on the windows as
the train few along in the darkness
and presently a prolonged whistle
told him that they were approach
ing a certain junction where they
would have to wait some ten min
utes or SO.
Two or three lamps on the plat
form by which they drew up shoged
some few passengers and a couple Of
sleepy porters. Another train had
Just come in from the opposite dircc-
ton, from Fordham, now only fifteen
miles Distant; and some of its. pas.
sengcrs had alighted and ~weremaks.
Ing their way past the line @ car
riages. s e
elers, without much. curiosity q in.
terest, Mr.. Fergussoh. caught ht Of
a face which he hadfttls ~ b ta|
soc. Shouting to%a porte
the door Of his cdnpal Bm hs
sprang out and grasped the artna@ q q
man very much like .himseK-irJacat,
his own elder brother.
y george" he exclaimed, "YagS yoa..
going for me? Is M tashsa n Il
"What on earth 6t : d INC INC
wherever did .yof pring from vas
the answer he got, accompanies q
look of profound amazement. g
80, George" he said. with agasp,)
"did you not telegraph ND vi eysIssal
ing that my father he5 ha 9gt beg
ft?"
20, my wife,. Ial sald ting .
clergyman; ands gered aFe
up to u heap oNp sat down
brother sdM "a y79s serious !;
50 he let hisowKst pass on with
out rcsuming his Journey, and was
soon in posses ba Of all the explana-
ton John. Fers sasson could give.
Porter" he asked, "what time does
the night mail 60 through to Wheel
borough %.
"1:25. sir" answered the man !;
"rcach Wheelbrough 2:l5."
Tho distance was tiVe-and-tWcnty
miles tho present time a quarter, or,
by the time tho explanation was end
ed, half:past eleven.
mo help for it, John, we must
wait for the down train wo couldn't
pick up horse, nor yoJ a 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; it's no use ta-
king 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-anythiug to
pass away the time-in vain; his
brothers mind was filled with over
wholming anxiety, lis eyes peoring
up the line to catch tho first glimpse
of the approaching train.
at last tho shrill whistle, tho glar-
ing lights creeping nearer aud nearer,
5hG minutes stoppags. md then of
Iagain Observation-Disclosures !--and
he bc~an TO dread tho moments he