Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-05-21

though / had turned it down, was burn
ing more brightly, perhaps because
turned off nearly every where else In
town. In%voluntrily turned my head,
and there at N OF the long back win
dows stood a great shadow, the thing
that had awakened me, a great black
outline, n huge man, a negro, looking in
on me Whether it was a house-breaker
who, seeing me. decided tina. | was sit
ting mp for my husband, and he would
be too soon interrupted to max his
venture, or whether it IVES I of tn c
colorcd policemen, who had come to
ward us that the alley door, with a~ll..its
cracks, was fastened only 10y Il chip, l
never knew; for, this time, | tainted in
reality. and the whole world slipped
away from me into dead blackuess.
When | came to myself, rs the saying
is, | was lying back among the cushions
of the armchair, and rs my eyes open
ed on that dreadful window | saw that
it was vacant, and nothing bad been
disturbed. | sat up for a moment, feel
ing deathly sick. 1t was of no use to
struggle, | saw; let the worst happen, |
must go 10 bed. | turned the gas down
still lower, undressed myself AS best |
could, got my night dress from the
wardrobe where it hung, and pinned
inside it all the money that Reuben had
left me, being i'll to great a hurry him
self to 60 to the bank and deposit it.
That money made one of the idstitica-
tons | gave myself in ~excusing my
fears; the fact of my holding so many
hundred dollars in ny possession might
be known to others-very likely was.
Being thus made ready, | sougnt the
newspaper pile, and took out the Irib-
unes and Sans, on account of their great
cracking powers, feeling for them ra-
Their than seeing them in the dlmness.
Then / carpeted the floor OF the back
room in every direction with the out
spread sheets, so hat no step could be
made on them without awakening me
if | fell asleep, which nov 1t was
very certain | should do. That done,
| un ocked my trunk, and taking ont
all my lewelry and ornaments, | spread
them on the table rs if just used in
some extraordinary toilette, my watch
and chain, my string OF pearls and dla-
mCnd sohtaires, my necklace of pink
topaz and biilliants, and in fact all ! had
in the world, with my shawl and my
one lace ~tiouace, spread them GU IN
plain sight, that n thief, seeing them,
might snatch and run, and leave me
alone and safe with Reuben's money;
my jewelry was all my own before |
married him. Then, tiptoeing over the
cracking Tribunes and Sans, | got hold
Of the fire poker. the scissors, the sharp
steel eraser, and the open pen-knife, and
slipping the poker under the edge Of
the bedside, where | could reach it for
defense atany moment, and the scissors
under the pillow, and with the keen
steel things in either hand, | drew aside
the curtains altogether from the alcove,
and putting in my hand to pull off the
skirts and things | had Sc carelessly
tossed there in my haste, | touched
with my own, which was stone cold, a
large warm hand. "Ah, great heavens!
great Eeavens!' | shrieked at the top OF
my lungs, without staying to think
whether | could scream or not. There
Is a man In the bed!'
Good gracious, Sally, what's the mat
teri Do you mean to bring down the
house," came a sleepy voice. just
got home? What's the clock? Heighol
My train broke down and we had to
come back. What-what the deuce
does this mean? What are those knives
in your hands for? Do you mean to
murder me? Have you lost your wi;s?'
And shaking off a spray of skirts and
things that he had never noticed there
when he retired, Reuben sat up and
stared at me. And he declares that,
more than once in the gray dawn, hall
woke and cried out sobbingly, although
IN his protecting arms, "Oh. Reuben.
Reuben. there's a man in the bed!'-
Harper's Baaar.