Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-12-08
THE LONG PACK.

THE LONG PACK.
s.Aunty, tell me story" I said, ~ /
sat with my maiden relative in . huge
tApestried apartment in . rambling
old -fAshioned house ii the country.
nWhat Kind Of / story do you want,
Harry 7" she asked. "Gravc or gay,
trne Or untrue, pleasant or sad? For
my. life has been long and my expsr.
iencss many" she added, as she gazed
dreamily and thoughtfully into the
Gre that blazed on the hearth bcfore
NJ. 49,
sOh, something narrowing and
thrilling, fearful and shocking, and
above Ill, trne--there's dear aunty!'
/ exclaimed, - I drew near her side.
and gazed shndderingly around the
large, gloomy room.
q a little pause ensaed. while annty
rared meditatlvely into the fire, and ]
watching her face In eager hope OF the
exciting tale that was coming.
I was Aboni. 10 tAnnt Betsy began
at last) when / was invited to go and
stay With some relativea In Snssex,
whom / had never seen. My life In
this old house. where | was born
and have lived al my days was
somew hat monotonons | WAS q live.
" girl then, and, Wild with delight At
. prospect Of change Of scene, l
looked anxioualy for my parents per-
mission to accept the invitation.
Affer some deiiherAtinn, the de-
sired permission was Given; so. early
one morning. accompanied hy my
father, set ont in high spirits for my
destination, arriving there in the
pleasant twilight of an antnmn eve.
Ring. n
Onr friends gave ns = cordial well
come. Squire and Mrs. Oldham were
etaid. good-tempered. rather elderly
people, and their two daughters :
girls of lS and 90-as merry and AZ
wild as could possibly desire. Their
names we're Mildred and Janet,
The house, standing on its own
/ grounds. and surrounded by lofty
trees, was old and spacious, with
many long corridors and passages, and
plenty Of rooms oi all sizes and de.
| scriptions. I can recall 40 well the
great entrance hall. Ii was OF i'm.
mense size and gloomy, and from il
assembled 4 wide staircase, which led
| to An open gallery above.
i During my stay with my Sussex
| friends, MIR. and Mrs. Oldham went tC
spend a few days at gentleman
1 house few miles distant from theii
own, and II was while they we're alb
/ sent that the alarming occurrence sT
abnnt 10 relate to you took place.
The household consisted of the but
Ter and four maid servants. Ths
coachman, who lived in n cottage on
! the grounds shout a quarter OF a mill
distant, was now absent with his mas
ter and mistress. The butler was a
pomp0Rs, stately, mi.ldle-aged man
!. given somewhat To patronizing, ,thongf
always respectful in his manners t6
us Young people. lie evidently con
sidered the safety OF the house as hi
peculiar charge. and was very particn
lar in the extiaguishing Of fires, ant
in looking after the fastening of door
and windows.
We had heard Of one or two robber
]. les being committed in the neighbor
hood; bat we did not feel nervous
and my cousin placed great depend
ence on huge black dog, which al
wxys slept at night in the hall.
One eyening--I believe it was In
, third after Mr.. and Mrs. Oldham's de
parture-my cousins and I were sittin
chatting merrily around the fire in
, large room which opened from tn
! hall. ! think IL was about O'CLOCK
when there came . pull at the from
door bell, aud, after short delay, th
butler answered it. Presently, heal
ing Q somewhat prolonged parley oul
side, We opened our room door an
peeped ont.
!, 1. Two men, apparently much exhaus
; cd, stood at the lower end OF the hal
, while on the floor at their feet lay
!. large, long package. Opposite /
them stood the butler and one Of Ii
maid servants, and stormy discu
; sion seemed going on between then
4 Mildred, my elder cousin, after fe'
! | momsnts' pause, walked forward %
requested An explanation. Ono I
: them rather respectable-looking II
: eividnal, 1 thonght, advanced towAl
J. her, and making . low bow, began
!. speak: ~ ta3
! aM adamo, ,said he, ,s'we have brongl
: this packsge to your honse by mi
I- take we werc to take IL to Mr.. Nee,
: ] hams, mentioning q house about a,
!, miles distant, s'but have carried
U here instead. We are much exhaus
Z ed, for We hAvo walked far, tho mig
D.. IL tempestuons, and We feel that '
! can take It no farther. VIII "
kindly let ia leave II here till NOR
Y ing :" 81
p Mildred looked at the bntier inqai
|. .ltuRiY before ahe answered. The o
!. eervaut shook his head with q don't
S ful and suspicions dir, whereupon u
!. man who hAA inst spoken Obsery'
= hAstily: .'s z 4
y ave DO mot ask FOR lodging for OF
d selves, madame, we shall mako o
i. way to the nearest public house.
% only the pack wa wish to leave. ,
:. ID very heavy, and VIC viii call for
te IN good time tomorrow. We thrt
d ourselves upon your compassion"
n HLet the poor men leave their lar
!. package, Mildred" said Janet, q
= younger cousin, land have IL put
IN tho ante e-rOom until tomorrow
10 Mildred consented, and In disrcga
:. OF tho frown and omnions looks OF I
u butler, ordered the pack to be carri
- into q little room near the entran'
q This waa done, and glad and than
q mi was TO sec tho door bolted a
Is barred behind the formidable stran
!. ers. It seemed to mo dangerc
- g riak In our thinly peopled househo
W 10 admit two strangers at that time
ia the evening. had noticed, too, Il
ar they glanced around the hall in 81
70 reptitlons manner, and especially
the dog, which stood with us in
" hall, and had It first begun to ba
ne but had been quickly silenced b,
en- low command from Mildred. Ia
that tho msid.servant, who still stc
by, sharcd my uncomfortable fcelin
and she assisted very readily after
X departure OF the men In barring
nd door and seeing to the safcty of
or window fAstcnlRgs.
r. Later in the evening, | met her
: the stairs, and she stopped me.
~ :. n don't like the look of that hun
is rs at all, miss,' sho aAid "it looks to
ny alive, and twicc ! have fAncied 9
cd Il move -once when laying on the
N. floor, and again now, for ! have b
in to look At IT,
s-s,.A - A.Yls.~r. II. -~g~k 10, =,