Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-05-31

it IN the middle of the table. Pretty soon
the thlng begun to sputter and flicker.
got kind O. scairt, and told Grundell that
lamp had acted obstenite once or twice
before like that. WE'LL he says, L
guess it needs a new top. That's loose.
Don't screw up tight. Wick's too small,
or somethin'. IN have to get it fixed
somehow when l come back from Sim
mertown,' says he. For you see he had
to take the cars right after supper to go
there, 70 be there early in the mornin' TO
meet man goin' through on some other
cars about six O'Clock. So he says good
by-jnst the way speck you say good-by
t0 Susanny; p'raps not so much, though
and went off to the depot"
Weren't you afraid to be left alone ?'
interrupted Jones.
Weren't | afraid to be left alone :?
Not bit. had been left alone before
that, can tell you. l washed up the
dishes and put 'em away; then | set
things to right on the table; and then |
says to myself, 'What'll I read -
looked around the room some, and I
read awhile in that. Then, as the lamp
was sputtering again, thought I'd read
a chapter in the Bible-it was in the Cos
pei of Luke, | recollect-and then I'd
go to bed. l hadn't read far before the
thing began again. Flick flickI fiickl
Puff! puff! puff! puff! First very slow
| didn't mind it much. / only looked up
a mint and then went on reading. 1t
was interestin'-in the twentieth chapter
about certain man who planted a
vineyard, and rented it, and went away
for a long time, and after awhile he sent
his servant to see how the vineyard was
dom and get some of the rent; but they
killed him, and another servant, and then
another; and at last they killed the mans
son; and | wanted to know what the man
would do about it, and had just read to
where it said, He shall come and destroy
these husbandmen-I think that's how it
gOes-and shall give the vineyard to others, ;
when every thing got dark. | jumped
up. neutrality-suspicious.
-puf-very fast, and the chimbly full of
smoke, and the flame down low; and it
looked awful! just gave one great blow
at it, and out it went. Well, l tell you
| was scairt! But, says to myself, says
|, You're more scairt than hurt.
| reckoned [ wouldn't light that
light again, so l left it stand,
in there on the kitchen table.
went round fastenin' up doors in the
dark, and then partly undressed and got
into bed. didn't go upstairs to bed as
usual, but | thought, bein' as | was all
alone, I'd stay downstairs in case any
thing should happen; for [ tell you, Mr..
Jones, that lamp scairt me so I couldn t
get over it noway. l had kind " creep
in feelin' that somethin' awful was
acOmln', so | didn't all undress, but
loosened my clothes and lay down on the
bed IN that little room where YOU see the
door openin' out Of the kitchen. [ shut
the door and turned the button, You see
the door, don't you? You see that big
crack in it? Yes, in the top PANEL did
you call it? Well, nv boy Sam cracked
that with his fist ever so many years ago,
when he and Bill was SEEM which could
hit hardest. There's quite a hole in one
place. Have some more russets, won'tyou
More water? No? Well, I fastened the
door and lay down and pulled some
blankets over me. All kinds of things
went kitin' through my head and then
L must have got to sleep, for [ dreamt
Somethin' that made we wake up lively.
What it was | don't remember. But |
hadn't been walked up more'n mint
When | heerd little noise in the kitchen,
like match strikin': and then some light
come through the crack Sam made.
'Welln | says to myself, this is a pretty
how-to-do.' And wasn't l scairt, though
But dasn't lay there. And so l slipped
down on the floor very soft and crep' up
| to the crack and peeked through And,
Mister Jones, what do you think I see %
"What?'
1.-TWO men! One I knew we'll enough
son of some of the frst-class people,
too, in this very town; and the other I
didn't know. He was short and strong
lookin', and obi terrible mean lookin' ;
sour anough to bit you. O, my! | knew
what they was after well anOug1-them
six thousand dollars! After that didn't
think much about myself; only those
men goin' to steal all that land and them
crops. But | couldn't do nothin' | Jest
stood there like a bedpost. They was
talkin' low, but could hear 'em. They
stood in the mi Idle Of the room together.
The mean lookin' man held the kerrisen
| lamp lighted in one hand-left, ] guess
and made the other go round, and says:
Did the old woman go, too?'
Yes says the other.
Sure? says the man with the lamp.
"'Yes. | went upstairs and there was
no one there. And she told mother and
! you see [ did think somethin' of goin'
with Grundell.
Well, says the man l didn't know,
/ don know bout it. Mebbe she's in
! there. You haint been in that room vet.
And. he waved his hand so, right toward
me, loCkin' through that crack, and nv
| blood run cold
| No! she amt in there says-I was
just goin' to tell you his nameE,says the
young man. Nobody ever sleeps there, )
Well We'll see, anyhow, in mint,
says the short man. Where do you
| 'spose they keep them bon's"
"' Likely in this room. This is where
they stay most of the time. Pm sure
| they're in the house somewhere, for [
know Grundell didn't deposit 'em, and
he Amt been out of town since to put 'em
in any other bank. And he's afraid of
bankers, he-he-he, the foolr'
The man with the lamp looked round
and says: Is all the win iers covered M
all right?' And Arthur-oh, dearl-he
nodded, and the mean man says: Now,
spy round sharpr
q So they pulled out the draws in that
bureau, and the table draw and looked
in the top of the stove, and all round; but
they never thought of the shot-bag. And
then noticed that lamp begun to flick
er, flicker, puff, puff, puff, not very fast;
so did tie short man, for he says: "What
the deuce ails the thing?'
GO Wants oil praps, says the other. So
they didn't think no more about tt. And
they KEEP on lookin'; and | KEEP on lookin'.
but l couldn't do nothin', for was stiff
with fright. The lamp KEEP goin' siz,
flicker, puff; siz, flicker, puff; puff, puff,
puff, fast and hard. At last the short man
got made about the money, and SAYS:
e, 1t amt here; mebbe it's in that
room, pointing again toward me. They
was the other side Of the room, and they