Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-11-26
$3.50 IN ADVANCE.

Yards from the head OF the upper flight OF
the new stairs, and by looking over the and
rail could see where the broad landing ioined
the lower. and so down to its foot in the hall
But here my surprise was intensified ten.
fol5 by beholding my cousin in the act Of
turning to and fro upon ts base one Of the
newals which surmounted the pedestals at
the termination Of the balustrate
He has set a small dark-lantcrn on the
lower stair; now he raises IT, and by its light
examines the carved ornament, which ap-
pears TO move on pivot He works the
piece Of mechanism, whatever II Is, several
times, and eventually, seeming satisfied,
creeps nolselesslv out Of sight. But the
circumstance which startles aud mystiies
me beyond all else is that he wears q pair OF
short riding.boots, with socks drawn over
the feet to deaden the tread, and my cap and
ea-iacket Restraining the impulse 10 call
to him / go back to my room bewidered
and without making a sound. While striv-
| ing to divine the meaning OF what has
passed | am again attracted by light flash
ing outside the window. Looking out as be-
| fore, dimly perceive, by the aid of the Ian
tern he carries, MalSerace leading out OF the
stable my horse saddled and brided Final
| ly, after examining the stirrup-leathers ard
! girths, and softly closing the stable door, he
| puts out the light and, ] suppose, mounts
/ and rides away. But the deep snow mufiles
every sound save the clank of a bolt in the
| direction of the stable gates; and beyond a
ghostly paleness, which the white sheet
now overspreadng roofs and ground re-
fleets for few yards under the dark night,
nothing can be seen.
| Once give a naturally unsuspicious nature
cause 10 suspect and distrust becomes habit
ual and often unreasonable. From the mo-
ment / saw Mackerace Intentionally dis
/ guised in my hat and coat / was convinced
foul play was meditated To instantly slip
| on some clothes was the unconscious act of
the next few minutes; then to make quite
| sure / was not dreaming took the candle
which had lighted and walked straight into
| Mackeraces room. OF course 1t was empty.
A seaman's impulse TO look out from aloft
| when off a dangerous coast urged me to as
| cend Immediately to an attic window in the
roof, whence view of the whole country for
| miles around could be had. Yet It was bare
| ly six o'clock and still pitch-darlS Neverthe-
| less, putting out the lights up | went. Moth
! ing was visible save the faint glimmer from
the snow, which discovered by opening the
| window had ceased falling; and a big star
| twinkling in the east seemed to hetoken a
clear morning. Sorely puzzled as to the best
| course to take | fingered Ion ger at the win
dow, I suppose, than I thought, and at
length became aware of the approach of
! dawn.
Gently gently, the night lifted, as had
! seen it many time from the masthead; but
! the ghosty, weird Thiteness all around had
| a strange and rather appalling effect. As the
country was gradually revealed the sensation
Of solitude exceeded anything had ever ex.
perienced at sea. The main road to WorCes-
ter was only here and there marked by the
! thin lines Of hedge-rows, which, with the
| Struggling copse and larger trees, looked
gaunt and fantastic under the weight of their
winter garb As the light increased odd
| patches Of dark in the hollows, indicating
homesteads or solitary barns, plantations,
ponds OF indescribable spots that stood con-
| spicuous from being more sheltered and less
MOI qla6 Gil SIM 1xf ha
morning frightened / could trace in the
snow a distinct line of horses hoof- prints
along the lane that ran past the stable gates
down from the house to the high-road
Clearly they showed the way Makerace had
| taken, and, If | may so express it, were the
only signs of life to be seen; they seemed To
give me a clew, and followed it up eagerly
In places, however, it was lost, but my quick
eye enabled me to take it up again and again
where it crested hills, dipped into hollows and
emerged upon the succeeding side Of the ris
ing ground. For an inconcevable distance
all along the road toward Worcester plainly
tracked the horses hOof- prints by the increas
ing light; then, remembering there was
telescope among my kit, l fetched it, and by
its aid could make them out great way
farther.
was in the act of lowering the glass wher
a black speck moving along the last patch o
roadway visible in the distance stopped me
and close inspection of the object showed
it to be riderless horse. Yes, certainly; and
/ watched him quietly trotting by himself
through that lonely waste until thick snow
flakes, which were again falling, shut him
from my sight. What was | to understand
The next few minutes served, with what had
gone before, to suggest the truth, TO give me
an inkling of Makerace's intentions, and
: Jumped to a conclusion as by instinct; fol
. who was this slouchlng up the hill through
the struggling copse but the man himself-nC
longer wearing my pea-iacket and cap, but
t his own soft wide-awake and close-titting
sho oting-coati
, With the quickness of lightning I under
stood that he would wish it to appear that
) had left the house, and-I hardly dareC
breathe it to myself-had come to some un
, timely end upon the road, which idea my ri
derless horse, by naturally returning to his
! stables in Worcester, would confirm; ant
= that now, having prepared this show of facts
, he was coming back to carry out on my per
E son the remainder of the diabolical scheme
c whatever ii was, that he had planned-i
a short, by some means or other, here, with NJ
e one but ourselves in this isolated house, +
i make away with me. This, say, was tn
f conclusion jumped to in far less time tina
!, it takes me to utter il, and a confirmation {
b these suspicious Immediately followed. II
q was ringing at the front-door-he, who ha
l gone out by the back, and could so retur
It had he wished But no; he was trying t
q bring me to the porch by the ring which
e housekeeper coming to her mornings worl
e 1t was just the hour | was to expect her
s seven.
e As glided from my post of observation {
e the window in the roof down to my own room
q | decided what TO do. l would leave th
k house by the stable-yard If l could withou
being seen. l would not yet confront thi
. man, for the dread with which his actor
u filled me was so overwhelming that whatevC
! amount of superstition there may be in nj
u nature forbade my disregarding it. AM
, where else | would face him, and make hiI
!, explain himself; but not here, not in tn
q house, where to me, within the last two {
three hours, unseen dangers and treachel
had appeared to start up from its very wal
y and foundations.
\ For his own sake he should not have II
~ chance of completing the crime which fe
u he contemplated, and for my own sake
+ would not have the chance of his blood upC
u my hands, as in elf-defense might happen.
- Away, then, with the utmost speed; dow
L the old stairs, and out by the back doc
"a through the stable-yard, into the open, snO'
~ clad country. The gentle ringing in the fro
~ ~ still continues while huddle on some mo
N clothing--is still continuing as | quit u
~ house. Now straight TO Nuncester, we
n dwells the friend whose advice l mean
10 seek. Softly closing my door after me, find n
n waywith atditiiculty by a short cut throul
rp the struggling copse TO what recognize
= the right road to the little town. Two hou
,e of heavy plodding in the face Of the still fas
- falling snow-which l welcome for the veil
, throws over me and over my foOtsteps-and
VI stand, at ten a. IN, without having met so
a on the way, bare-headed, snow -besmirche
* weary and excited, looking like a hunt
tramp, in front Of a substantial house on d
~ outskirts of Nuncester.
20 As | walk up the shrubbery | am seen
ss the inmate of a snug library on the groun
rs floor, and am admitted by him with many
- expression of surprise, before | have HI
~ time to lay my hand on the bell, which swim
ts over the words engraven on brass plat
u "Mr. Crouch, Solicitor"
ne "Cant agree with you; don't take yo
nd view of 1t at all. Queer and mysterious,
of doubt but not necessarily treachery; the f
10 low is mad. Open TO explanation, | shou
think. Certainly shouldn't have done VIII
at you have. Don't mean 20 say there was n
/ cause for caution; but, face TO face, you a
~ as good man as he is, and, should ma
en- thought, could have taken care Of yourse
Y | I WOuld have had il ont with him then al