Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-11-25

| lu6 VI Ill0 ClOCl
reached them where they sat, and Kit,
started.
"Ten o'clock! l must go, Walter.
am afraid father will be angry if he knew
of my being out so late"
As she passed around in the angle o
the wall toward the back entry she wa
surprised to see something dark lyin,
before her at her feet, close to the wall
1t might be Oscar, the house dog, and
pausing, she stopped to pat him; but thu
touch revealed that the object was somt
sort of garment, which had doubles:
been accidentally left out of doors.
She picked it up, and had moved away
a few steps, when slight sound caused
her to return. 1t was very dark juSt
here, in the shadow of the thick elm that
shaded the side of the house. yet Kitty
could distinguish another dark object lei
down slowly and cautiously from the
window above-the window Of the best
room.
A vague alarm seized her; yet in the
midst of it she felt brave and self-pOS.
sessed. If he were leaving the house in
this manner something was wrong, and
her father ought to know of it.
Perhaps-yes! suddenly there flashed
upon her the recollection of the ped.
dler's keen observation of her fathers
movements while he was getting the
money out of the secretary drawer.
The man was robbing her father.
Quick almost as the thought itself
Kitty had sprung to the entry, and
thence to her parents bedroom, which
opened upon it.
At her first touch and words, the
farmer was wide awake, and, snatching
loaded gun which hung above the man.
tel-piece, was in the yard and beneath
the window as quickly as Kitty herself
could have been.
There, indeed, was the peddler, his
pack already on his shoulders, something
cleaning family like tin box in his
hand, while he groped about the ground,
rs in search of some missing article.
With one bound Farmer Lane was
upon him, and for some moments there
was heard only the sound of desperate
struggle, mingled with smOthered Oaths
from the peddler, who at length, on
hearing the rapidly approaching foot
steps and voices of some of the farm
hands, who had been aroused by Kitty's
cries, suddenly wrenched himself from
the grasp of his antagonist, gave him a
stunning blow in the face, and with
long, swift strides made for the nearest
fence, and was out of sight before the
men could reach the spot.
Farmer Lane was bruised and stun
ned; yet for this he was, on coming to
consciousness, consolved by the sight of
his precious tin box, unopened and safe.
The thief had been compelled to drop it
in the struggle, after which to pause
and look for it in the dark would have
occupied too much time and exposed
him to capture.
Six months after the event just rela-
ted Kitty Lane was seated alone by the
bright fire of the farm-kitchen, when
there hobbled in an old woman of the
neighborhoOd, sort of pensioner on the
bounty of the farmers family. She had
come for liniment for her "rheumatics, -
and Kitty, as she gave the viol into her
hand, noticed that she wore but thin
wrapping for such cold weather.
"Stayp' said she, kindly; "and while
you drink cup of tea l will search in
the attic for something thicker than this
old shawl to keep you warm"
The attic was the depository Of broken
or superannuated furniture and old
clothes and blankets. and among this
latter store Kitty now proceeded to
search.
As she pulled aside an old coat of her
fathers, suddenly her eye fell upon a
large cloth cape, very much worn and
faded, which hung on a nail beneath it.
Kitty looked at it with sort of loath-
ing. 1t was the garment which she had
picked up on that-tO her-fearfnJ
night of the peddler's attempted robbie
ry.
Unconsciously she had kept it in her
grasp when she ran to give her father
the alarm, and next day Betsy, the
kitchen maid, found it, and Lad slowed
it with the rubbish in the attic. wonder
ing if it would ever be called for. 1t
was this for which the robber had been
anxiously searching when Farmer Lane
seized him. Since then the old cape had
remained, unseen and forgotten, in the
gloomy attic, until now brought again
to light by Kitty's search.
at looks shabby enough outside"
thought Kitty, as she stood gazing at it.
But the green flannel lining is new and
thick. 1t will make comfortable wrap
ping for old Mrs. HOlmes-lf she will
wear it." Reluctantly she grasped it and
attempted to reach it down from its
place. But it had hung so long that the
nail had penetrated through the flannel
lining, a slip of which was torn off by
the jerk she gave it.
at can be mended," thought Kitty; II
will ask Betsy to do it."
She stopped short and her eyes grew
wider. What was that protruding just
beyend the torn edge of green flannel?
Something green alsO-a piece of sOiled
paper it at first seemed. She looked
closer. 1t was bank note.
Kitty took from her pocket tiny
pearl-handled pocket-knife,a and carefully
cutting away some stitches, produced a
bank note-a $50 bank bill.
She could scarcely believe her eyes;
but on further stripping away the cloths
she discovered another, and then anoth-
er, all carefully stitched against the thin
oiled silk, which formed lining of the
old cloth cape, and protected them from
the wet.
Trembling with excitement and a sort
of horror which yet fascinated her, the
girl sat down at the dusky attic window
and, stripping out the green flannel lin
ing, unstitched note arter nate, until
there lay before her such wealth as she
had never dreamed of-nearly $2.OOOl
Gained honestly it might be, and yet,
perhaps, stolen.