Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-02-06

slumber. AS i folded my paper i
happened to glance toward the couch.
Was it the giesm of a human eye
observing me through the board par
tition or WIS it my own fancy? There
was crack there, but only blank
darkness beyond, yet / could have
sworn that something had sparkled
balefully at me.
took out my watch-it was one
O'Clock. 1t was scarcely worth while
for me TO undress for three hours
sleep. 1 would lie down in my clothes
and snatch what slumber / could. So,
plScing my valise to the head of my
bed, and barricading the lockless door
with two chairs, L extinguished the
light and lay down.
At first l was very wakeful, but
gradually soft drowsiness seemed to
steal over me like misty mantle, un-
til, all OF a sudden, some startling
electric thrill eoursed through my
veins, and sat up, excited and trem-
bling.
A luminous sOftness seemed to glow
through the roOm-no light of the
moon or stars was ever so penetrating
-aDd by the little window saw Alice,
my wife, dressed in floating garments
OF white, with her long, golden hair
knotted back by a blue ribbon. Ap-
parently she was coming to me with
Outstretched hands, and eyes full OF
wild, anxious tenderness.
l sprang to my feet and rushed to.
ward her, but as l reached the win
dow the fair appariti0n seemed to
vanish into the stormy darkness, and
l was left alone. AT the self same in
stant the sharp report of pistol sound
ed could see the jagged streem OF
FIRE above the pillow straight through
the very spot where ten minutes since
my head had lain.
With an instantaneous realization OF
my DANCE l swung myself over the
edge OF the window, jumping some
eight or ten feet into tangled bushes
below, and as crouched there recov
ering my breath heard the tramp oi
footsteps into my room.
Is he dead? cried q voice up the
ladder-the smooth, deceitful voice OF
the woman with the half closed eyes.
OF course he is,' grOwled a voice
back; that charge would have killed
ten men. A light there, quick; and
tell Tom to be ready
A cold ,agonized shudder ran through
me. What a den of midnight murder,
ers had l fallen into! And how fear
fully narrow had been my escape!
With the speed that only mortal
terror and deadly peril can give, ]
rushed through tho woods, now illu.
minated by a faint glimmer of star.
light. 1 know not what impulse gui-
ded my fOotsteps-I never shall know
how mahy times / crossed my OWL
track, or how close / stood to the
brink of the deadly ravine; but mer.
ciful Providence encompassed me with
guiding and protecting care, fol
when the morning dawned, with faint
red bars of orient light against the
stormy eastern sky, l was close to the
rlRht road, some seven miles from r.,
Once at the town, told my story
to the police, and detachment was
sent with me to the spot.
After much searching and many
false alarms, we succeeded in finding
the ruinOus old house; but 1t was emp
ty-our birds had flown; nor did re-
cover my valise, and watch, and chain
which latter had left under my pill
low.
Its Drew's gang,' said the leader oil
the police and they've troubled uc
these two years. don't think though
they'll come back here just at present.
Nor did they.
But the strangest part of my story is
yet to come. Sumo thsee weeks sub
sequently I received letter from my
sister, who was with Alice In her En-
glish home-whose intelligence filled
me with surprise.
i must tell you something very
strange wrote my sister, that hap
pened on the night of the 18th of Oc'
tober. Alice had not been well fol
some time; In fact, she had been con-
confined to her bed for nearly week,
and | was sitting beside her reading.
1t was late-the clock had just struck
One-when all at once she seemed to
faint away, growing white and rigid
as corpse. l fastened to call as5is'
tance; but all our efforts to restore an
imation were in vain; / was just about
sending for the doctor, when her senses
returned as suddenly as they had left
her, and she sat up in 6ed, pushing up
her hair and looking wildly around her
L uOU yO0 AnNC
terrified as all! Are you ill?'
Not ill., she answered, but feel so
strange, Oracle, 1 have been with my
husbandn
And all our reasoning failed to con-
vince her of the impOssibility of her
assertion. She persists to this mo-
ment that she saw you and was with
you on the morning of the 18th Of Oc-
tober. Where and how she cannot
tell, but we think it must have been q
dream. She Is better now, and / wish
you could see how fast she is impro>
ving.'
This is my plain unvarnished tale.
I do not pretend TO explain or account
for its mysteries. / simply relate facts.
Let psychologists unraVel the laby-
rinthicsl skein. l am not superstitious.
neither do 1 believe in ghosts, wraiths
or apparitions; but this thing do
Know-that, although my wife was In
Englsnd in body on the morning OF
the 18th Of October, her spirit surely
stood before me in New York in the
moment OF the deadly peril that mem
aced me. It may be that to the subtle
instinct and strength of awife's holy
love all things are possible, but Alice
surely saved my life.