Connecticut western news., 1879-05-14

body has known. I remembered story I had once read of a person waking to find madman in the room, and hearing his fingers feel along the wallpaper, the sound drawing nearer. It grew so real to me, as I dwelt on it with this sense that troubled me, that I felt I must scream or die, and couldn't have screamed if had died.
 suppose that I must have fallen asleep Tn my chair in spite of myself then; hardly could have tainted, I think, for when I awoke with start it was striking three; and the gas, although I had turned it down, was burning more brightly, perhaps because turned off nearly every where else in town. Involuntarily turned my head, and there at one of the long back windows stood great shadow, the thing that had awakened me, 8 great black outline, huge man, a negro, looking in on me. Whether it WAS house. breaker who, seeing me, decided that I was sitting up for my husband, and he would be too soon interrupted to make his venture, or whether it was one of the colored policemen who had come to warn us that the alley door, with all it's cracks, was fastened only by chip, I never knew for, this time. I tainted in reality, and the whole world slipped away from me into dead blackness.
 When I came to myself, as the saying is, I was lying back among the cushions of the armchair, and as my eyes opened on that dreadful window saw that it was vacant, and nothing had been dis turbed. sat up for a moment feeling deathly sick. It was of no use to strug- gle, I saw; let the worst happen, I must so to bed. I 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 in too great hurry himself to go to the bank and deposit it. That money made one of the justifcations I gave myself in excusing my fears the fact of my holding so many hundred dollars in my possession might be known to others-very likely was.
 Being thus made ready, I sought the newspaper pile, and took out the Iri- bata1es and Suns, on account of their greater cracking powers, feeling for them rather than seeing them in the dimness. Then carpeted the floor of the back room in every direction with the outspread sheets, so that no step could be made without awaking me if I fell asleep, which now it was very certain I should do. That done, l unlocked my trunk, and taking out all my jewelry and ornaments, I spread them on the tables as if just used in some extraordinary toilet, my watch and chain, my string of pearls and diamond solitaires, necklace of pink topaz and brilliants, and in fact all had in the world, with my shawl and my one lace hounce, spread them out in full sight, that thief, seeing them, might snatch and run, and leave me alone and safe with Reuben's morey; my jewelry wal all my own before married him. Then tiptoeing over the cracking newspapers I got hold of the fire poker, the scissors the sharp steel eraser, and the open pen knife, and slipping the poker under th' edge of the bedside, where I could reach it for defence at any moment, anG the scissors under the pillow, and witt the keen steel things in either hand, drew aside the curtains altogether iron the alcove, and putting in my hand t.
 pull off the skirts and things I had &
 carelessly tossed there in my haste,
 touched with my own, which was stone
 cold, large warm hand. "Ah, grea
 heavens great heavens !" I shrieked a
 the top of my lungs, without staying t,
 think whether I could scream or not
 "There's man in the bed P
 "Good gracious, Sally, what's tn
 matter? Do you mean to bring dow the house 2" camea sleepy voice. "Jus got homea Whats heclock !? Heigho My train broke down and we had t ) come back. What-what in deuce doe this mean? What are those knives i
 you hands for? Do you mean to mu1 der me? Have you lost your wits And shaking off spray of skirts an things that he had never noticed ther when he retired, Reuben sat up an
 stared at me. And he declares that m ore than once in the gray dawn, hal woke and cried out sobbingly, althoug l in his protecting arms, "Oh, Reuben : : Reuben ! there's man in the bed ]"