Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-02-27
A NIGHT OF ALARM.

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My sister Julia was always vel
courageous. In our youth the countr
was wilder than now; but it migf
truly be said of her that she was nc
brought up in the woods to be scare
by an owl. She would traverse tb
most unfrequent paths, wandering q
my timidity. There was nothing mas
culine, however, in Julia's appearance
she was simply sweet, joyous chile
with an absence Of fear in her char
acter, and a consequent clearness 9
perception in all cases of supposed Q
real danger.
When | was sixteen, and Julia eight
cen. my father hired laborer name
Hans Schmidt, a Hessian, who ha
been in the British service, and who
at the close of the war, had deserte,
from his regiment He was a power
full man, with heavy, imbruted count
enance; and both Julia and mysel
were struck at the very first with al
intuitive dread of him. The feeling
in Julia hardly took the character o
fear, but was one rather of loathing
yet, if she could have feared anything
I think it would have been that man
for she had an intuitive perception tina
he was demon-like, even beyont
what his looks demonstrated. On,
evening she read Of q horrible murdel
that thrilled our blood; and, upol
turning her eyes from the paper, the,
encountered those Of Hans Schmidt
There was something terrible in hi
glance; and, from that moment, sh'
resolved that the villain should b.
turned away. As her wishes and opin
ions were always of much weight will
my father, the latter gave the nessiaI
his discharge.
Soon after this, Julia and | were lefi
alone in the house, both our fathe
and mother being absent upon a visi
until the following day, and. We hap
pening to be without female servan
at the moment (for we only kept one)
So Julia and | had been remarkably
busy, since morning, making variou.
household arrangements with which
we intended to surprise and please the
old people upon their return, and, be
ing unusually weary, proceeded to oul
chamber at an early hour of the even
ing. We had partly disrobed our
selves, when Julia turned hastily tC
the window.
Il declare" she said. "the evenins
is SO pleasant that it is a pity to re.
main indoors. | don't feel bit sleepy
let's go down upon the lawn.
We descended to the stairs. How
little I imagined What was in julia
heart! Harry Irving come up just a:
we reached the lawn. Hewas only cas-.
ually passing the house. Julia engaged
him in conversation, and he came and
joined US. My sister was more than
usually lively and engaging.
Where are Tom, and Edgar, anC
Will? she asked, alluding to his broth
ers.
"Oh," replied Harris, 'they are ovel
at uncle's. They will be coming back
soon"
His uncle's farm was a mile off, and
his own house was about half that dis
tance. The three young men soon ap-
peared upon the road; to my surprise
Julia arose at their approach, and pro-
ceeded to meet them. Then she re-
turned to Harry and me, and called us
aside from the door.
Now, Mary, you need not be ner-
vOus, she said. "Keepquiet, and not
speak above your breath. There is q
man under our bed-there, there r and
she chssped her hand over my mouth
"a man under our bed, and the young
Irvings are going up to sucure himl'
They all provided themselves with
heavy sticks; and then, guided by Ju-
liza, ascended the stair.
As to myself | could not follow
them, but remained trembling and
moaning upon the door-steps. Never
did | experience greater sense of re-
lief than when the assaultlng party de-
scended. looking partly ashamed and
partly amused, having found nothing
to justify their sudden armament
Julia was in an agony or modification,
and wept piteously; for, although but
half convinced that her apprehension
had been groundless, the idea that she
who had never till now feared anything
had placed herself in light so ludi.
crous in the eyes of those young men
was insupportable. The man, she said
must have taken the alarm and fed out
of the back door, for she could not have
been so deceived. Our young friends
more in pity for her modification than
for her modification than from any be,
lief in the reality of the night intru
der, offered to remain in the vicinity
till morning but she would not lister
to the proposition, and they thus tool
their departure.
l was very sorry to see them go, anC
watched their forms till they were ou
of sight, for the affair of the evening
had almost frightened me into hyster
les. Julia, however, at once rushed t.
the chamber, and finging herself on th'
bed, continued bitterly weeping. Sh,
had exhibited herself in a characte
which she despised; and her man un
der the bed would be the talk of tn,
neighborhood. | followed her, bu
neither of US could compose ourselve
sufficiently to sleep.
The clock on the mantle. piece strucl
eleven; and then ''tick, tick, tick, i
went on for the next dreary hour
Julia at length ceased weeping, an,
Law in thought, only an occasional sig
betraying her wakefulness. Again tn
clock struck, ting. ting. ting" but
had reached the final stroke, whe
Julia, leaping lightly from the bed
flung herself upon an immense ches
at the further end Of the room.
"Oh. Maryl" she cried, quick
quick! He is here! he is here L can
not hold the .lid-he will get out
Quick! quick
There was indeed some living .hin
inside the chest ; for, in spite of Julia
weight. the lid was lifted, and then, a
the instinct of self-preseryation over
came nv terror, | sprang to her assist
ance. Whom or what had we caught
Imagine yourself holdingdown the Ii
off a showman's box, with u bOa-coI
scrictor writhing beneath or keepin
cage-top in its place by your weigl
alone, with hyena struggling to tea
his way out and devour you; Blu; "
were not long in suspense. H0rrid e,
crations. half-German, half Englisl
chilled our very hearts, and We kne
that there. in the midnight, only th
lid of an old chest was between oul
selves and Hans Schmidt
At times it started up, and once
twice. his fingers were caught In ii
opening. Then. finding our combine
weight too much for his strength,
would become evident that he was e.
J deavoring to force out an end of Il