The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-12-09

laid in the hall" sObbed Harriet.
"GO Oh, Jones'" interpoSed Janet.
Jones continued
$50, before we went to bed, Miss
Harriet persuaded me to come and
take another look at the package.
You know did not approve of its be-
ing left, Mss" he added.
"Never mind that" said Mildred,
4 'tte!l US what you have seen."
"Well, miss, thought iE great nom
sense, but I went. We took hold OF
tire bundle and turned it about a lit
tie but could make nothing of it.
Presently Harriet found a small hole
Pin the wrapper. She pulled the rent
rather more open. and looked in.
saw her face change. She turned aud
drew me out of the room, pulled the
door to, and locked it. This is all
know at present, ladies' )" and here
Jones bowed to us politely.
Harriet had become quieter, so Mil
dred inquired
"What did you see, Harriet ?"
The girl shivered and covered her
face with her hands. -.-z-.--.g 81
"Come, Harriet, speak, said Mil
dred, becoming little pale.
"Yes, tell us, and instantly ~ cried
Janet.
Harriet too her hand from her face
and looked up.
SIT was an eye, miss" she said in
horror-stricken tones; "sueh an swfu!
looking eye, and it glsred at me !"
she added, with repressed shrek.
We looked at each other in mute
CONSERVATION.
"Was it living one, do you think,
Harriet ?' 1 asked.
eyes, it WIS all alive, miss, I am
sure" she sobbed. "Oh, what shall
we do =? 1t looked so maiignsnt and
terrible ~
We looked at each other for a few
moments, and then Mildred spoke:
"I can scarcely believe that you are
right, Harriet" she said "I fancy
that ycur Imagination must have been
making goose of yOu."
"Still, Mildred" / ventured to say,
Harriet may be right, and it would be
well to do something at once. This
may be plan to rob the house when
we are all in bed"
sand murder US all, >" shIIeked HaF-
riet.
Janet began to cry, and meanwhile
the butler had left the room.
"Where is Jones ?" inquired Mil
dred, suddenly observing his absence.
'Let US go and find him, and see what
is to be DONE"
She passed into the hall and We fol-
lowed. Jones was rummaging in a
large closet, the door of which stood
open be had lamp in his hand.
The other servants stood by, and we
together waited for him to emerge.
He was rather a long time-sO Mill
dred went close to the door and whis-
DeTed
"What are you doing there, Jones?"
Jones made no reply, but came out,
armed with an old rusty looking dag
ger and two pieces of strong rope.
"You are not going to kill him ."
Inquired Janet.
''Never fear, miss" replied Jones :;
ga little prick, however, will do no
hurt. / must take care of my mas
ter's house."
ave will come with you," whis-
pered Mildred.
Every good, miss" he answered.
'Please bring the dog to the door, and
keep him there till want him."
So off went Jones with his lamp,
his dagger, and his ropes, we and-the
servants following closely with the
dog, who seemed to possess q strong
consciousness of something being
amiss.
Jones opened the door of the little
room quietly, and went in and placed
the lamp on a small Siderable which
stood near. Then at once, dagger and
ropes in hand, he walked toward the
pack, which lay on the settle but L
now observed that there were one or
two openings in the wrapper. --.-.
There was deep silence among US
for moment or two, interrupted on
ly by the low growlings of the dog,
who became manifestly more and
more uneasy, and was with great diff
ficulty restrained from rushing into
the room. Then there came a scene
of noise and confusion. Jones reached
the pack, and throwing the rope over
his arm, and still clutching the dag
ger, stopped to inspect the slit in the
wrapper, where Harriet had asserted
she had seen an eye. At that mo-
ment one of the most fearful and ter
rible yells I ever heard broke from
between the folds of the. wrapper
The pack struggled violently, then
rolled over and fell heavily on the
ground, while chOked voice begged
for mercy at the same time a knife
was seen endeavoring to effect an
opening. The screams of the ser
wants, the hysterical sobs of Janet,
the loud howlings and winnings of
the dog, who was still restrained by
Mildred from rushing frantically into
the room, made q din that / never
can forget.
remember that Jones alone looked
very composed and unmOved through
out. Before the man in the pack had
time to free himself from the wrap
per, Jones had managed, despite his
opponents struggles, to pass the ropes
several times round and round him,
and to secure them. By the time he
had accomplished this we had all be-
come pretty quiet. The dog was
silenced and made to lie down in the
hall, while Mildred and 1 and two of
servants, the terrified Harriet not be-
ing one, went into the room.
The pack presented very ludicrous
appearance. The wrapper had been
slit open from the center upward, and
displayed the figure of a man appar-
emily about 80 years of age, lying in
it, the ropes wound around him. He
had long pale face, a brown grizzly
beard, and eyes that glanced doubt
fully from Jones and his dagger, who
knelt beside him, to us, as we ap-
preached him. He was perfectly
mute, and refused to answer any ques-
tiOns.
''See, he has got WHISTLE" cried
one of the servants.
Jones instantly seized it, and after
few moments consideration beck
Oned Mildred cut of the room. l fol-
lowed.
"Young ladies'" he said, "the man
is now quite secure, anu his accom-
plices will certainly not attempt to
enter much before midnight. 1 ex-
pect the whistle was to have been the
signal. Would you be afraid if I
slipped down to the coachman'S house
and got his wife to send one of her boys
into the village for other assistance
We could then probably secure all the
villains.n
"But you may be attacked by them
on the wsy,n urged Mildred.
mo fear, miss; I can slip unseen
behind the shrubs iE the darkness"
''Go, then, and quickly" said Mil
| dred.
"You are sure that the man is quite
safely bound %
"Quite so, miss but perhaps you
would like to ask the consent of the
household before leave you ?"
Mildred soon obtained our cOnse mt
TO the plan, and Jones was cautiously
let out of small side door, In about
twenty mlnutes-Which had seemed
two hours to us-he returned, and his
low tap was instantly answered.
"It is all right,n be said "I have
seen and heard nothing of the men.
The boy is sharp enough, and he has
his directions, ard is to bring a party
from the village to this door by the
same way that I took"
More than an hour passed away ;
then low tap was again heard, aud
six men appeared, accompanied by
the boy who had been sent to bring
them.
About midnight Jones opened the
/ shutters OF easement window in the
4 holI opd hloxr Ioud xuhiSfIa "a