Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-10-12

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told them, IL had seen them.n
Alice went home trembling; and, as
she never kept anything to herself, took
the occasion at once to make herself
trcmble again with indignation at her
mothers scorn of burglars SO stupid as to
try and rob Eugene Descamps, and at
her sisters satirical amusement. Per.
haps she trembled still more when, three
or four days afterward-during whose
space she had not seen Eugene-the
door-bell rang, and that young gentle.
man was shown into the Magilvray par
lor.
"Mrs. Magilvry," said Eugene, stand
ing hat in hand before the Roman wom-
an, ga week ago | should have dared
ask you for the hand of your daughter
Alice" Mrs Magilvray was slowly
drawing herself up to one of those awful
heights. But" continued Eugene,
thanks to a Heaven directed burglar,
who found, some nights ago, in secret
apartment of my uncle's old desk, his
latest will which, being Of no use TO
him, he politely returned to mel am
now to be put into possession of my un-
cle's estate"
ooh, the blessed burglarsr cried
Alice, with clasped Enthusiastically
turned upon by her mother.
OF my uncle's estate" continued
Eugene, (which the Institution for the
Blind Feejeeans has relinquished into
my hands without Il contest. Under such
circumstances, said he, with sedate
elegance of manner that only sclf-reproach
could have translated into sarcasm, "I
feel that il is not impossible you may find
in me the qualities you desire in a SON
in law"
"I am confident, Mr.. Descamps," said
Mrs. Magilvray, " that you canntt hold
me blameworthy if, with Alice's beauty
and sweet temper and accomplishments
! and attractive"
OH ma, ma, you needn't cry up your
wares in this wayp cried Alice, with a
burning face "Tell him he's welcome to
take such a baggage"
And the sooner the better" cried Eu |
gene catching the redeemed little maid in |
his clasp and holding her fast. 81 should |
be the last person to blame you Mrs
Magilvray, for setting high value on
what find to be beyond price"
And there the Roman melted, and Mrs. |
Magilvray tried to lift her eyes benedic.
tiOnwise, and stammer out something |
about blessing little children, and only |
succeeded in tumbling over into hys-
teric.
1t was some weeks later that Alice |
came into the parlor with little long, |
flat tin box in her hand. It's Eugene's |
bonds" said she. 4" He's just left them
at the door for me to take care of. He |
only negotiated them yesterday, and
got home too late to deposit them in the |
bank. didn't want to keep them for
hint frightens me to death; but he's
been telegraphed for, and has no time to
go to the bank this morning either, and
so he leaves them here on his way to the
station. l sha'n't sleep wink What
would you dowith them, ma? Just think!
Bonds in our bousep
i should sit up all night and watch
them," said Maria.
Put them between the mattresses"
said Mrs. Magilvray, with the air of hav-
ing solved every problem, and of having
been used to the presence of a hundred
thousand dollars worth of bonds in the
house as mere pin-money. And between
the mattresses Alice put the box, having
first taken the precaution to tie one end
other end about her wrist.
1t was little after midnight that Alice
woke wide.awake with one of those starts
in which you are sensible of an unseen
persons neighborhood. She sat straight
up in bed and put out her hands; one of
them fell on lump of ice. 1t was Ma
ria's face stone-cold with terror. She, too,
was awake. ooh, Alioo," Ohio oontrivod
to whisper in a CHASTITY whistle, "there's
man in the roomW At the same moment
Alice felt sharp tug at the string round
her right wrist. There was man in the
room. He had been searching the house
over for that box having never lost sight
of Eugene from the day of the willis prov
ing; he had come at last to the room of
the sleeping girls, and had turned his
bulps-eye upon them one instant-iust
long enough to detect the string round
Alices uptossed arm. His sharp wits
taught him the truth; he had taken hold
of the string, and was gently following
il up to the box, when he tugged in the
wrong direction, and in breath Alice's
shrieks had filled the house, and she had
sprung out of bed and was pursuing him,
as full of valor as tigress defending
her young. The burglar had the box,
but she had the string-a stout whip.
cord. She wound it round and round
her wrist as she ran, and in another mo-
ment she had doubled on him, and had
both her little hands upon the box; and
if he wanted to carry it off, it could only
be by carrying her, for she clung like
hmpet. There was no shrieking then; it
was struggle in dead silence-Alce too
intent, the thief too cautious. "Come
now, little one, he said, hoarsely, at last,
"no more of this. It's no use. Twas
mine before twas yours. You'd never
have had any of it if hadn't sent him
back the will-fair divisionp A blow of
his fist on her temple or from the butt of
his pistol would have finished her and let
him free; but somehow he had hesitated
in giving it, thinking to shake her off,
and at the moment of his last hoarsely-
whispered word Mrs. Magilvray-an aw-
full sheeted vision, in night-cap that
would have terrified ghOst-issued from
her room, holding aloft kerosene lamp,
and the three boys burst upon the scene
with orange-wood sticks and the old
Queen'sarm, and there was nothing for
the uninvited guest to do but to make
congo, which he did at once, and Alice
was picked up in dead faint, but still
clasping the box.
Eugene came back that night, and he {
was speechless and cold with horror
when he found to what he had exposed {
his darling. And Alice was ill in bed
with raging fever, and with that house /
breakers face sealed upon the space he.
fore her eyes-a dark and pallid face {
strangely evil, and strangely beautiful,
with the straight lines of its features and /
the brilliant blaze of its eyes, but with
great scar running like cash along the
cheek. She did not even know she saw {
it at the time, but now it seemed to hang
before her like mask, just as when the {
light of her mothers lamp first fell on it;
and turn which way she would she could |
not escape its evil glance, its dark and
beautiful fascination. "Oh, it is Satan's
own" she would cry. "Luclfer looked I
just sol Am l always going to see it?" ]