Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-06-11


turned on the light from a small lantern
slung at his side. She linel her eyes slow
ly, as fearing whom she might see but
there was little enough visible OF the burg
lars face-a wide hat a thick reddish
beard, aud a loose, rough gray coat, were
all she saw"
Hush. hush,' she murmnred to Ruth.
"Mothcr will send them away; don't look
al him" Aud she turned the baby's face
towards herself; then raising her tremb-
ling voice, "Rosie my darling, your moth
er IS coming" bat Rosie did not answer
her. 40 my Godi" she painted, and look
el up wildly.
"Maie," said her clptor, loud enough for
the other man 10 hear, take your hand of
tha, child's mouth il you aren't in a hurry
to be strung up" The siiange muflled
sounds upon this broke out again into the
Old cry, "Oh, mother, motherv
"Now," said the man, tone good turn
deserves another. You're plucky enough
for q woman, but cant waste all the night
talking 10 you;' and then he gave her a
look that made her shivcr from head to
foot anew. "BunGle those two brats OF
yours into one bed and come and get Us
what we want"
She seemed powerleSs now, and her very
soul tainted within her as she crept afer
the tall dark figure over the landing into
Rosie's room.
"Oh, my child!' cried the poor woman,
and essayed to run 10 the little bed where
lay the small figure, pinioned down by the
heavy grasp ofataller, darker man than her
own captor.
"IIands of, missus," growled the jailor.
GLANDS of, now! Just put that other
one in here along Of This one, and I'll
take and turn the key on 'em both, while
you take us yonder TO what we we're look
in afler."
No choice again but to obey; two pas
sionaie kisses and low "God keep you;"
aud between the two men she was marched
from the room, followed by the children's
piiful cries, their wild frightened sobs.
Sac led them down the first short flight
OF stairs to the door hich, as We have al
ready said, was partly overhung with cur
tain. This door opened into a room which
had been used by Mr.. Fergusson's prede-
cessor As an oratory. The rectory had been
built in the time Of the late rector, and
built consequently very much to suit his
tastes and faucies.
one more PECULIARLY of the room to note:
the doors-for there were two-fastened
with spring on being pushed TO, and
could only be re-opened by hand accus-
toned 10 the task, and they also were fur
nished with heavy bolts on the outside :;
one door opened on the landing; the other,
smaller one, in one side OF the recess at
the fur.her end. led into bedroom which
had been Mr.. Fersusson's predecessors.
and whence he could go in and out of his
favorite oratory at any hour Of the day or
night, as it pleased him.
Here, as the kitchen clock below struck
the hour ofthree, stood the strange trio-the
mufiied disguised men, the trembling
white-flced woman.
But one Of them carried light the other
had len his lantern outside.
"Now," said the darker of the men,
''here's the room, you say; we can finish
this business pretty quick"
The small safe, let into the wall, was di-
rectly before them below it four drawers
reached down to the floor; in the loves; of
these, at the back Of ii, Mr.. Ferguson bad
laid the key.
She pointed silently to the drawer, which
they at once dragged out, with too much
strength, for they jerked it quite out on
the floor. One Of them suddenly turned
pa rticular about max ing a noise, and bade
their unwilling helper "shut the door,"
As she felt the spring catch securely be-
meath her hand there suddenly flashed up
on her thought-a hope-a way OF escape
for herself, a way Of saving yet that fatal
money.
From the look the men had east around
the room Mrs. Ferguson was sure .hey
knew nothing of their whereabouts.
"Shut that door, the man had said, and
never 80 much as cast alook towards where
was the other door, so completely conceal
ed in the shadow of the recess!
Every pulse beating wildly, she glanced
furIively across the room; through the tall,
narrow, church-like window yonder she
could see the moon struggling through
thick clouds, and she could see-her sight
quickened by the peril of the moment
she could see a faint thread of light ON one
side which told her that the farther door
stood unlalched.
40, heaven help me, and give me time -
she prayed but her hand shook so that it
could scarcely obey her swift thought. An
other moment, and she took in her exact
position the men STOPPING over the keys,
ba 10 ka sla
had flung her shawl over the lamp, darted
across The door, out into the room beyond,
and flung to the door with force.
Yet more TO be done. She drew the bolts
with frenzed speed, above, below-that
way was safe; then, with the passionate
strength OF the moment, she sped through
the room, out on the landing TO the cur
tanned door, and made that fast from with
out, while the furious captives beat at il
from within; and then-ah then, poor
thing, her fortilude forsook her, and a thcu-
sand fears she had not counted on most
cruelty beset her. She slid down few
stairs, ciinging to the rail; then losing her
hold, fell heavily on the stone floor o. the
hall below.
Mr.. Ferguson had reached the nearest
station in safety, had sent back the wraps
his careful wife had guarded him with,
and started by the ten o'clock train to
Fordham.
The rain beat on the windows as the train
flew along in the darkness, and presently
prolonged whistle told him that they
were approaching a certain junction where
he would have to wait some ten minutes or
so.
Two or three lamps on the platform by
which thev drew up showed some few pas