The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-08-20

"Whois that ?D she cried, holdin
=. the door slightly ajar.1
: "a stranger SAID the voice. ''On
e WHO has something particular TO ss
e to you"
:. "You'H have to wait for to-mol
row." said Maggie. "You can't com
= in tonight"
"My good woman" said the strAu
ger, ''yOu are Margare. Black ?"
y THAT'S my name"
- "Mr. Van Motifs hOusekeeper fU
* twenty years ?"
ayes"
d. MY good woman, il you are attach
a ed TO your master | have very bai
Z, news for you"
"Gracious Lord ~ cried Maggie, bu
= she did not open the door much wide
only enough to thrust her head out
''Don't scare me, Mister; what is il p
"The worst you can think Of" sAiC
the man. 'Mr. Van Mott travelled OF
the-railroad. There has been al
accident"
"Preserve us :" cried Maggie, lettins
the door fall back, "and him On his
way to his wedding. He's hurt bad.
ly, then ?"
nHe's dead p said the man "Dsad,
and we've brought him home"
Maggie sat down on chair and be-
gan to cry.
"We've done what we could" said
the man. "The lady he was to mar
ry, and her friends, will be down To-
morrow. Meanwhile my instructions
are that you shall watch with him,
and allow no strangers to enter the
house. There are valuable things here,
Pm told; and Mr.. Van Motifs lawyer
must take possession of them, and
seal them up before strangers have ac-
cess to the rooms"
''Oh dear, DEAR" cried old Maggie.
THAT it should come to this. Yes !;
I'1 watch alone. Pun not afraid, but
oh, dear T'
/ Then she sbrdnk back, and let two
men carry horrible coffin into the
front parlor.
They came out with their hats of,
and the other man held his also in his
hand.
'I regret to leave you Eli alone in
the house." he said.
81 don't mind that" said old Mag
gle, "but it's terrible, terrible"
you'd like me to stay" said the
man.
NO" said Maggie. "Pve no fear
of living or dead folk. You ean go.u
Then she locked the door and went
into the parlor, and putting the candle
on the mantle, looked at the coffin
through her tears.
"He was good enough to me-" she
said "pOOr Mr.. Archibald And this
comes of wanting to marry at this
time of life, and galllvanting on rail-
roads. l wonder whether he has
changed much. I'll take look ;" and
Maggie crossed the room and lifted
the lid over the face of the enclosed
body.
'I'll take look" she said to her
self again. Ppm not afraid OF dead
| folks"
In a minute more Maggie dropped
the lid again, and retreAted, shaking
from head to foot. She had seen, with
in the coffin, o face with its eyes shut,
and with bandages about the head,
the CHASTITY features of a clown in
circus mines the red mouth.
But it was living face well chalk
ed, and not her masters and Maggie |
knew at OIL ce that she had been well |
humbuggeo-that this story of her |
masters death was lie, and that q |
burglar lay within the coffin ready to
spring upon her, or, perhaps, murder
her at any moment.
She could, OF course, open the door
and try to escape; but the accompli- /
ces of the man were doubtless outside.
1t was long distance to the nearest |
house, and even if they did not kill
her, they would execute their purpose
and rob the place before she returned.
master looks naturaI,'' said Mag
eiIe,, ,al6pd and 'triad tn collect her
the next XII Foo@, M2ttlf Size RKeR,a foaaesr;r JsA
shots in each. Maggie could use pis-
tolls. She had aimed at troublesome
cats with great. success more than
once. If she could secure these pis-
tolls she felt safe.
"Poor, dear MASTER" she sObbed,
and edged toward the back room.
"Poor dear master" She lifted the
desk lid. She had them safe.
She gilded back to the front parior
and sat down on chair. She turned
up her sleeves and grasped pistol in
each hand and she watched the cof-
fin quietly. In half an hour the
lid stirred. A cautious hand crept
up the side. A willy eye peeped out;
it fell upon the armed figure and clos
ed again.
You'd better" said Maggie to her
self.
Again the head lifted. This time
Maggie sprung to her feet.
"YOu're fixed quite handy,n she |
said coolly. "No need of laying you
out if 1 fire; and can aim first-rate,
especially when Pm afraid of ghosts,
as | be now.n
The head bobbed down again. |
Maggie reseated herself. She knew
this could not last long-that there
must be q conflict before long. 1t |
was as she supposed. A moment |
more and the coffin was empty, and |
ferocious looking young fellow sat
on its edge, and thus addressed her
ave meant to do it all quiet" he
said; "and don't want TO frighten |
old women. Just put them down.
'pm not frightened" said Mag
gle.
"pm coming to take them things
away from yOu," said the man.
"Come," said Maggie.
He advanced one step. She took
aim and he lodged, but bullet went
through his left arm, and it dropped
by his side.
Furious With pain, he dashed to-
ward her. She fired again, and this
wounded him in the right shoulder.
Faint and quite helpless, he stagger-
ed against the wall.
"There, you've done it, old wo-
man." he said. "Open the door and
let me out. My game is up."
"Mine isn't" said old Maggie.
"Get into your coffin again, or this
time I'll shoot you through the
heart.n
The burglar looked piteousIy at her,
but he saw no mercy IN her face. He
went back te the coffin and lay down
in it. Blood dripped from his wounds
and he was growing pale. Maggie
did not want to see him die before
her eyes but she dared not call aid.
To leave the house before daylight
would be to meet this mans compan-
ions, and risk her own life. There
was nothing for it but to play the
surgeon herself, and in a little while
she had stopped the blood and saved
the burglars life. More than this,
she brought him a cup of tea, and fed
him with it as if he had been a baby.
Nothing, however, could induce her
to let him out of his coffin.
About one or two o'clock she heard
steps outside, and knew that the
other burglars were near, but her
stout heart never qUailed. She trust
ed in the bars and bolts, and they
did not betray her.
! The daylight found her sitting
quietly beside her wounded burglar,
and the milkman, bright and early,
was the ambassador who summoned
the officers of justice.
When the bridal party returned the
next day the house was neat and
tidy, and Maggie, in her best alpaca,
told the news in her laconic fashion.
frightened :" she said, in answer
to the sympathetic CALCULATIONS of her
new mistress. Enlightened Oh,
no Fear wasn't born in me-"
The Herald is in favor of the pro-
L . 4