Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-07
house, and she felt her heart sink within

q Va
one came; SO she piled the fraement Of
the table upon the chest of drawers
iolerably satisfied in this direction. she
proceeded to examine the windows. They
were all we'll protected with iron bars.
Inc walls were papered, and, after care
iol examination, seemed to contain NO
signs of secret door.
Mrs. Martin now sank down into .
CHAIR to reflect en- her position. AS was
natural, after having taken all these IRE
. "a the idea suggested itself that
Trey might be superfluous, and she smiled
at the thought of what her friends would
say when she related to them the terrors
u the night. Her child was sleeping
!! tranquility, Its rosy checks half buried in
tne pillow. The fire had blazed up into
bright flame, whilst the unsnuffed can
ole burned dimly. The room was fnll of
pale trembling shadows, but she had no
superstltious fears. Something positive
could alone raise her alarm. She listen
ca attentively, but could hear nothino
Out the howilng of the wind over the
root, and the psttering of the rain against
the Wlndow-panes. AS her excitement
diminished, the fatigue which had been
tcorgotten-began again to make itself
ielt, and she resolved to undress and 90
to bed.
Her heart leaped into her throat. For
moment she seemed perfectly paralyzed.
She had undressed and put out the can
ole, when she accidently dropped her
watch. STOPPING to pick it up, her eyes
lnvoluntarilyy glanced towards the bed.
A great mass of red hair, a hand. and
cleaning knife, were revealed by the
light of the fire. After the first moment
OF terrible alarm, her pesence of mind re-
turned. She felt that she had herself cut
OH all means OF escape by the door, and
was lett entirely to her own resources.
Without uttering cry, but trembling in
every limb, the poor woman got into bed
by the side of her child. An idea-a
plan-had suggested itself. It had flash
ed through her brain like lightning. It
was the only chance left.
Her bed was disposed that the robber
could only get out from beneath it by
narrow aperture at the head without
making u noise; and it was probable
that he would choose, from prudence, this
means OF exit. There were no curtains
in the way, so Mrs. Martain, with terrible
decision aud noiseless energy. made a
running knot in her silk scarf, and held
it poised over the aperture by which her
enemy was to make his appearance. She
had resolved to strangle HIM in defence
OF her own life and that of her child.
The position was an awful one; and
probably, had she been able to direct her
attention to the surrounding circum-
stances, she might have given way to her
fears, and endeavored to raise the house
by screams. The fire on the hearth-un-
attended to..had fallen abroad, and now
gave only dull, sullen light, with an
occasional bright CLEAN. Every object
IN the vast apartment showed dimly and
uncertainty, and seemed endowed with
restless motion. Now and then a
mouse advanced stealthily along the floor,
but, startled by some movement under
the bed, went securing back into its hole.
The child breathed steadily in its uncon-
scious repose; the mother endeav-
ored also to intimate slumber, but the
man underline bed, uneasy in his posi-
ton, could not avoid occasionally max
ing slight noise.
Mrs. Martin was occupied only with
two ideas. First, she reflected on the ex-
traordinary delusion by which she had
been led to see enemies in the people of
the house and friend in this red-haired
man; and, secondly, it struck her that as
he could fear no resistance from a woman
he might push aside the chairs that were
IN the way, regardless of the noise, and
thus avoid the snare that was laid for
him. Once even she thought, while her
attention was strongly directed to one
spot, he had made his exit, and was lean
ing over her; but she was deceived by a
tlickering shadow on the opposite wall.
In reality there was no danger that he
would compromise the success of his
sanguinary enterprise; the shrieks Of a
victim put on his guard. might alarm
the house.
Have you ever stood, hour after hour.
with your fishing rod in hand, waiting
with the ferocious patience of an angler
for nibble2 If you have, you have
some faint idea of the state of mind in
which Mrs. Martin-with far other inter
ests at stake-passed the time, until an
OLD clock on the chimney piece told one
hour after midnight. Another source of
anxiety presented itself-the ire had
nearly burnt out. Her dizzy eyes could
scarcely see the floor, as she bent with
fearful attention over the head of the bed
the terrible moose hanging, like the
sword of Damocles, above the gloomy
aperture, "What," she thought, "if he
delays his appearance until the night has
completely died away? Will it not then
be impossible for me to adjust the scarf
Ito do the deed-to kill this assassin
to save myself and my child9 o, God ]!
deliver him into my hands"
A cautious movement below-the drag
ging OF hands and knees along the floor
heavy suppressed breathing-announced
that the supreme moment was near at
hand. Her white arms were barred to the
shoulder; her hair fell wildly around her
face, like the name of ioness about to
leap upon its prey; the distended orbits
OF her eyes glared down upon the spot
where the question of life or death was TO
be soon decided. Time seemed immcas-
urably heightened out-every second
assumed the proportions of an hour. But
at last, just as all lines and forms began
to float bgfore her sight through an 1ndis-