The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-12-28
then a bough struck the window, and

enS reused.
There is yet another question: u
Annik's heart thrObbed &C painfully
that she could scarcely bear to listen,
aud yet she must hear all-she fear
ed to lose u syllable OF her uncle's an
swer- Suppose Silvestik comes back
safe and sound ?" There was q snser
l in Clerks voice.
I Lao sWore frightful oath, and the
/ girl heard him rise violently from his
] seat and stamp on the clay floor.
"Hs will not be is too great q fool.
| Ursu!e sEore to him that IL the spell
/ failed he had no chance with Annik,
and weak lads such As be Is have no
courage to-persevere. He will never
come back to K-riOl."
do not yoU be too sure OF tlat, Lao
COatfree (; while there is life there is
hope. For an hour or 50 the lad may
give way to despair, but after that
be will say TO himself that he
cannot make matters worse by speak
ing to Annik aud he may make
them better and, TO tell you the
truth, / have faucied the girl liked
him, Yes, yes. II the tide does not
carry him OF, my friend, he will come
back and try his chance"
"Then"-Lao spoke eOolly, but in .
determined voice-''he must not come
back 10 keriOn."
emily Guerik spoke and LzO answer
ed, but in such low voices, that An
mix could not distinguish words. 1t
seemed to her, from the dull cOntin-
usd murmur, that the two men were
carrying on the talk in whispers.
Annik rose up softly from the door.
She felt strangely calm and alert.
One thought ruled her-to leave the
house as quickly and silently as she
could, and to warn Silvestik OF COM
ing danger.
She dared not 90 down stain; she
could not open the heavy house door,
which she bad heard her uncle close,
without risk Of noise 7; sue dare not
even undraw the bolt of her room.
But she saw her only way clearly,
and at once set 10 work to reach it.
Her room W6s but half the size OF
that below, half being boarded of and
used as q receptacle for fodder. There
was q square opening In this bearded
partition, with q bit Of canvass nailed
across to keep OF the draught which
came through q window-opening in
the hay-lOft.
Annik cautiously dressed herself |
and then, with q pair of scissors, she |
cut open the canvas screen that divid.
ed her from the hay-loft. Once more
she listened, but the dull murmur of
voices hsd not ceased.
There was more light from the out
er opening In the loft than had come /
through Annik's window, though Q
chestnut tree stood close to the Louse /
On this side also, Ebut the nearest
branch had been scathed by light
ming, and was now leafiess.
With her shoes in her hand, Anuik
got through the opening from her
-oom into the loft. Slowly and softly,
Itep by step, feeling her way as she
vent on, she CROPPED across the hay
md bean stalks till she reached the
)uter opening.
She leaned forward and stretched
Dut her hand till iT touched the long
Icatbed branch that reached across
the house-it was no new experience
or AnDik to descend by the chestnut
rec. Often when her uncle's rude
words had made her run up stairs in
niger, she had got out of the house by
his means, and now she soon found
Ter way to the branch and from
hence quickly to the soft ground be-
oW, for the rain had made mire OF
be yard behind the house.
She paused and listened, She could
My hear the movements of the cows
within the house ; she slipped on her
hoes and started of in the darkness
oward Tregunc.