Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-05-21

er in question now; the town WAS full of
contrabands that had come in to work
on the improvements, and failing to
find work were starving; and images Of
some stalwart, brutal black wretch rose
before me every time put my fingers
on my eyes. In the day, the cOlored
people had no stancher friend than |,
but somehow they always figured in my
Nightmares.
1t WAS not very inviting prospect,
this of sitting up all night, already tired
out as I was. Still, | had novel, |
could read away part Of the time, and
as soon as the servants began to stir at
five o'clock in the morning, could go
to bed and get three or four hours sleep
anyway. It was idle; after | had made
myself comfortable, and opened
my book. the words ran togeth-
er, and it was impossible to at
tach any sense to them, and what
the book was all about [ haven't the
least idea. There was will, and love
affair, and murder, and q changing
| of children in the cradle, but | couldn't
imagine how people could write and
expect one to be interested in these
| trihing things when such trouble as
mine was in the world. [ heard the
clock. strike the slow quarters, and then
strike twelve. | put the book away,
and got my sewing. But that was no
| better. for after few stitches it oc-
CURED to me that my light, streaming
through the open folding-doors and QUO
of those shutterless back windows with
only the lace curtains for screen, was
direct invitation TO those strolling beg
CARS of the back alley, and / tossed
down my work, and turned down the
gas, and thought l would go and sit by
the glimmer of the Latrobe IN the back
room. How still the night was! | lis
tened, and listened, and listened, till
my ears were strained. Now and then
some street singers wandering along
their way. far off, and seemed to be the
only people in the universe; now and
then the slow and heavy foot of a pc
| liceman sounded lin some square. L
thought; now and then some straggler
hurried home with ringing steps; but
all that was comfort, and not at all sus-
picious. At last, however, [ heard it
what 1 had been listening for, of
course; a humping and humping to
which my heart beat an echo; and then
a hurrying and scurrying and scratch
ing that told me the rats were stealing
| the patatoes in the cellar. | breathed
more freely; it was actually something
agreeable to feel even the rats alive IN
the neighborhood, as long as they did
not forsake the cellar for any other
place. Cats then; the rattle of window
sashes; SCOT falling down the chimney
the starting Of some timber Oh some
spike-all the noises without source
that one hears at night, as If they were
part of the stirring Of the springs in the
earth, came along after that IN slow
succession, and the clock struck one.
I was wretchedly sleepy now. Even
sitting bolt-upright in my chair and
FACILITATING with fear, it was all [ could
do to keep awake, when suddenly |
started as if there had never been such
thing as sleep in the world. There it
was-a stealthy, muffied movement at
the cellar grating at the front of the
old house, a lifting of the iron, rafting
of the glass, leap, a fall, smothered
curse-there was somebody in the Gel
lar. My heart stood STILL my voice
was utterly gone; if my life had de-
pended on it, could not have spoken.
Death and destruction in the shape of
that burglar, were stealing nearer every
minute. [ was sure that there was an
accompGce In the house, in my room.
I expected he would presently pounce
on me and pinion me. [ half rose to es-
cape through one of the front windows,
but remembered that had nailed them
doWn-and that if it were not so, [
could not have left the chair into which
[ fell back. 1t seemed to me | heard
the low regular breathing of the &C
compice; and then, all at once, l was
sure [ heard something very different,
something that set the blood bubbling
in my veins as music never did before
the subdued whistling of familiar
strain beneath my feet, and recognized
that it was Tom, the scullion, who had
been belated, and was now keeping his
courage alive. But before [ could
speak to Tom he had crept up the
stairs and was beyond my reach; and [
was too proud, after ali, to seek any
one in the house and let the torture [
was suffering be known.
All was still again. The distant clock
| STRUCK TWO. out IN tne silence 1tSelI IL
seemed to me [ heard that breath go
on, as one hears sound in the hollow
of ones hand. [ was absolutely sure
of it. [ had that vague sense of the
presence of somebody in the room
which everybody has known. [ re-
mem5ered story I had once read Of a
person waking to find a mailman in the
room, and hearing his fingers feel along
the wall paper, the sound drawing near
er. 1t grew SO real to me, as [ dwelt
on it with this sense that troubled me,
that felt must scream or die, and [
couldn't have screamed if had died.
l suppose that I must have fallen
asleep in my chair in spite of myself
then; I hardly could have tainted, 1
think, for when l awoke with a start it
was striking three; and the gas, al
though had turned it down, was burn
ing more brightly, perhaps because
turned off nearly every where else in
town. Involuntrily turned my head,
and there at one of the long back win
j IL H.