Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-01-08

FERGUSON 5 marriage with doWerleSS
woman, fomented by petty families jeal-
ousies, strengthened by the independent
attitude the young man had assumed
such differences had been. after all, the
heaviest grief of Mrs. FergusSon's mag.
red life And now she wondered and
pondered on them till the clock on the
chimney piece struck the hour of ten,
and startled her out of her meditations.
This is the night" she thought, "for
winding that time-pieCe up;" and she
sought among the ornaments for the key.
In her search she found something she
had not expeCted-this letter, not in an
envelope, slipped behind the time.piece,
most likely, as soon AS read:
DEAR SIR-The sum you name in Your letter OF
the 9th. :. t70-will be reujttcd 70 you in the
form you request on Monday the 10th inst. The
receipt of Mr.. Holland viii hr quite sufficient.
1--WE beg to remain yours obediently,
WILLIAM n Frederick MATHERS,
Managers OF the Fordham Savings Bank"
ooh, John, you careless manm muir
INJURED his wife; land yet you say you
never leave anything about! This is the
10th; so that's been lying there three
days, | suppose, I'm very glad Sarah
has been out most of the timcW
of YOU please, IN, I'm going up stairs
now as soon as I've cleared these things
away" said Jane, entering with arespect-
fully aggrieved air; "and glad ! shall be
to get to bed; for what with the night
being so rough and Master goin' off so
suddint, feel all queer like, and as if !
had the cold shivers runnin' down the
spine of my back"
When the servant left the room Mrs.
FERGUSON remembered her husbands in
junction, took the bags of money from
the desk, and carried them to the room
he had desired, there locking them Sc
curely in a small closet or safe.
This done, she went and stole her
youngest born, Ruth, from her little cot,
and carried her off to her own bed. A
lingering good night over her darling
Rosie, the siX-ycar old daughter, whose
sweet, tender young face looked wonder
fully like her mothers, and soon Kate
Ferguson was sleeping by her child,
with her husbands likeness under her
pillow, and a prayer for his quick return
filling even her sleeping thoughts,
1t seemed to the mistress of the house
that she had slept so long that morning
must be near, when she awoke with an
lI.tN l)llAdult lttIlhG VI II lEhN--t ltClluG
Of something, or some one, near her
"What is it?' she cried, starting up in
the bed, and instinctively catching the
sleeping child inh her arms.
No answer.
Only distinct sound of breathing, and
then of a movement like hand feeling
along the wall--t0Dard heri
She began to tremble violently; moth
ing but the presence of the child on her
painting bosom saved her from fainting.
"Who is it?' she cried, her voice so
shaking and hollow that it awakened
Ruth, who clung to her, sleepy and
scared.
This time she had answer
eve will do you no harm," a voice
spoke out Of the darkness, "ii you give
up that money you've got" And then,
before Mrs, Ferguson could muster
courage and breath to speak, another
voice, out Of the room apparently, added
III "A rough undcr-tone, "And tell her to
look sharp about it, too"
"7'a0o Of them! O God help mel" she
whispered to herself, and Ruth began to
break into screams and sobs
Keep that brat quiet" angrily nut
tered the voice on the landing, and don't
keep us here all night"
Now surely if ever a woman was in a
miserable plight, Mrs. Ferguson was
that woman. Not a house nearer than
the Hollands, full quarter of a mile of;
oJ hard NV dew eleni bard NV mirbt and
slent noroover in o ', jttn rn@m ~
,hd 1ar, ton ~ tho bo,so. oII , oIona
,rorse t6.r alamo 1ttorIr holninsg and a
women ,,eho cnnfaesod - thn ,,g,,oi Can,
ir ir'l'' sharo oc cn,yardico '' ''''
81 an, sho drow her Lroatb o,d tboro
a,Shal frnn, hor haart a rr,, Co.,. hni,. and
tbnn Cor fa,,, hriof ,,,",oay,s sho tEa,,alt
III thnr.lt ,,,ith al har rai,,I and so,i
go 49, ~ - NM ~