The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-02-26
corpse-and alone in the house with

The men had left i. in the hall,
placed 50 that could not close the door
opening into the sitting room. There
was no fireAin the kitchen, and the chill
OF the late autumn evening rendered
cne necessary; 50 that | found myself
cut on from retrest thither. and !
could not reach the stairway that led
to my own chamber without stepping
directly over the grisly package.
With a shudder, l sat down before
the blaze, staring into the hot Goals.
and trying TO divert my thoughts from
the mysterious box. But all that /
| could dowould not Danish the conscious
ness that | was not alone. Ipictursd TO
myself again and again. In . growing
agony OF terror. the cadsverous face be-
meath the strip of pine cover-the rigid
limbs, the awful glare Of the CLASSY
eyesi And
At that instant, I chsnced TO glance
up in the direction Of an oval mirror
that hung directly over the mantle. and
a. true rs live saw the box-lid soft
ly lifted the mere fraction OF an inch,
An electric thrill ran through me.
grew hot and cold in single second,
as the whole truth burst on my mind.
There was no dead corpse in that box.
but a living snemv. Gretchen's depart
ure, my husbands summons, the silver
tea service-all blended themselves to-
gsther in my mind, and. for an instant.
felt myself at the mercy Of the ruffian
who lay yonder, stealthily biding his
time.
For moment l sat quite still. Then
rose quietly up, and without any ves-
tige of unseemly hurry. moved leisure.
ly across the room to cupboard. where
lay hammer and . box OF heavy nails,
with which Ferdinand had been mend
ing shelf that very afternoon; and re-
turning with that same slow movement.
suddenly bent above the mysterious
box, and fastened: the insuficisntly %.
cured lid down with nail A. two or
three quick. nervous blows.
Nail after nail drove resolutely in,
taking care to keep my line of wrought
iron pickets close enough to the edge
to bnry themselves in tho side board
and do no harm to any glass. china. or
other article which might bs packed
within.
At first there was sound like muf-
fled exclamation from within, and then
all was silence.
If have hurt him, said to myself,
it serves him right. Ifhe suffooates to
death, the loss to the community will
| be small
Ilocked and bolted the doors with
redoubled care. I dressed up an um.
brella in Ferdinand's Sunday hat and
coat. and set it where its blurred reaec.
tion should cast shadow, not unlike
that Of man, on the white window
blind And then stirred the fire and
trimmed the lamp. and sat there keep
ing horrible vigil, until Ferdinand
should return.
He came at last. nigh upon eleven
o'clock, tired and disgusted.
There had been no accident at the
saw mill, he said, as he unbuttoned his
coat. after leading Major around to the
stable.
Il know it, said /.
What do you mean, Fanny said he,
looking quickly at me.
And then / told him ALL
1t proved afterwsrd to be very
neatly planned Job
The gentleman in the pine box. one
Pierce Stsndley by name. . we'll known
border rough. was to have possessed
himself of my silver after WAS snug
asleep, while his hopeful companions
C racked the next house, where a few
Government bonds were suspected to
have been concealed by an old man.
He was not hurt. bat only thorough
ly frightened, by my determined opera
t:ons; as for stifling him. l need not
have been afraid of that.
Ample ventilation had been secured.
by gimblet- holes bored in the side OF
the bsx. while the lii had originally
been SO lightly fastened down that
very slight effort Of strength on the
part of it's occupant could have pried
it up. until my hammer and nails set
tied the business effeetually.
Mr. Standley was lodged in the town
iail, whence, being recognized as the
hero of several notorious burglaries. be
Was speedily promoted to States Prison
for term oftweDty years.
II is needless to add that poor
Gretchen came back the next daylight.
tired, footsore and bitterly disappoint-
ed.
Max Dennerliep was still in Bavaria,
and likely TO remain there, for any
thing Gretchen knew.
Fanny said Ferdinand. lookisg I'D
miripgly ct me. you have proved your.
self heroine. Were you not frighten-
ed little oue.'
Not half as much as IL . rat bad
jumped 1T me- said I, smiling.
Ard don't really think that / Was.
But Ferdinand never alluded any mere
to my lacking the reserve forcs neces-
sary to meet any special emergency"
Don't try to do too much. A Main
Street man undertook to make his wife
learn to eat with her fork, the other