Smyrna times., 1874-03-11
MiSceIIH 70 e D IS.
My Frights.

There are some people who aver that they
have never been frightened. AS | am far from
Ueing a strong minded woman, | cannot say as
much. Perhaps | am too easily alarmed,
am for instance, afraid of a COW. Ii may be
very silly but cannot help it. All the plea
sure of country walk through fine land
scape has been oftencd spoiled for me because
of cattle in field. If pass through them
without fear of being tossed or gOred, the recol.
lection that | have got to come back again re-
mains with me for the rest OF the day. As tor
a bull, | would rather never sea the country
han run the chance of meeting with such a
creature. A dog is thought to be very harm
ess anima-a domestic animal-and the
friend OF man" lie is not, however, the
rlrnd of woman-or, at least, of nervous
uonan like me. | should be afraid to write
,lown how often | have been prevented from
alling at friend's house by the presence of
little noodle or terrier upon their doorstep. |
should as soon have thought Of disturbing an
adder. The Romans Ia people quite remaIka-
tile for their courage) used, | am told, to puint
| Care canem-" Beware of the dog"-at their
| front DOORS But such warning would have
| been unnecessary IN my case. L am always
fully " Beware" OF it. Every farmyard in the
country has dog, aud that is why don like
iarmyards.
NV widowed sisterin-lsw (the fat ons) and
| mVnef a
mer. during which lost more flesh than it
had been all the time in Turkish bath. From
sunset to sunrise | was in perpetual fright,
from fear of robbers; and when the days grew
shorter. aud the nights longer, the place tie
came insupportable, and fed from it. The
usual nightly programme was as follows: My
sister in.Iaw, who occupied the same apart
ment as myself, would fall asleep AS soon as
her head touched the pillow, and leave me, as
il were, alone, a prey to my terrors. She al
} ways reminded me OF the irritating bedfellow
described in ghost stories, who will not wake
: while the apparation is eering through the
bed curtains at you, and who, when all tbs
J dreadful things are over, cannot be persuaded
that they actually occurred. Next to ghost
themselves, dislike people of this cast, anc
r | would almost as soon have no companion a.
! all. If the wind was up, at OLce began t,
!. picture to myself band Of rufhans effsctlng
. forcbls entry into ali the room beOw-stairs
!, and giving shouts of triumph at the ease will
e which they accomplished their purpose. w,
" could not afford to keep man-ssrvant; and
even il we had done SO, should have Away
imagined him the accomplice Of the burglars
= or coming upstairs upon his own account will
" a carving khife concealed in a scutile OF coal
|: as had once read OF in book. Our h0us
n pretended to no means OF resistance, and | al
ways placed the plate basket and its content
+ upon the landing of the stairs, In hopes tina
9 the gang might take what they came TOR, an
e 90 away without asking for my money or IN
q. life. On particular occasion, being unable
J. sleep. | fancied that heard the approach q
:, robbers up the stairs. Being no longer able
Z contain myself /, with an effort, reused Char
!, lotte. who, however pooh. poohsd the. Who'll
+ affair, and dropped to sleep again, leaving IN
2 to my tears. -,
u However. one very wet and dark night sh