The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-04-29
Caught by a Girl.

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S all my mothers time and care
had been bestowed upon me, her
only child.
L need hardly say had never
been from home, and had never
contemplated the horrors OF such a
possibility. My dismay. therefore,
may be better imagined than de
scribed, when one morning after
breakfast, just as l was running off
to the poultry yard, my mother
called me back, saying that she and
my father wished to speak to me.
couldn't belp feeling very guilty,
and very conscious or the fact that
"Lalla Rookh" was at that moment
hidden under my mattress. Was it
possible that mamma had seen its
circulating library cover peeping
out2 My heart beat fast. and my
face was very red, while l stood to
hear what she had to say.
"My dear Clara" was twelve
years old and wore curls) "My dear
Clara, your father and 1 have
thought 1t best to accept for you
an invitation to spend a day and
night at your grandfather's, Sir
Thomas Bayne, at Golding park.
How shall you like itT'
1 had much rather they should
have found "Lalla Rookh." 1 had
horror of strange faces, even when
papa and mamma were present. But
the idea of being among strangers
alone, in a very great house, and
for whole day and night, was in
supportable. l wept and entreated
in terms such as ought to have
melted a heart OF stone. But in
vain. My parents were, for once,
inexorable, and l was to go.
l need not detail all 1 suffered
on my journey, nor during my first
day. With all Lady Bayne's kind
ness, the day dragged wearily on,
but 1 managed to amuse myself
tolerably well till bedtime; when,
after a good night, went up to my
room, and found, to my horror, that
the lady's maid was waiting there
to undress me.
Gam l never to be let aloner"
thought.
But had to submit to her fin
gers and her tongue, which latter
never stopped, to make up for the
silence of mine, suppose. Among
other things she particularly eau
toned me not to mistake a rope,
that hung by a closet door, for a
bell-pull. 1 inquired why?
"Why, miss, the people that lived
here before had a raving mad old
uncle with a great deal of money,
and this was his room where he
lived with his keeper. That closet,
miss, is shower bath, with a great
big cistern over it, big enough to
drown you and me; and when he
was more than common fractions,
his keeper used to lock him in there
(you see the key is on the outside)
and pull that rope, which let all the
water down upon his poor old head
till he was half dead. One day,
when they went to take him out, he
was quite dead, and his family got
all the money; but it didn't do
them much good, seeing they havn't
a penny now, were obliged to let
this house to Sir Thomas, and hide
their heads in foreign parts. They
do say, miss, that the poor old gen
tleman may often be seen at night
in his shower bath, beweeping and
bewailing the cruelty of those who
killed him. Goodnight, miss, and
1 hope you may sleep comfortable"
She had certainly not taken the
best means to secure that happy re-
suit; but though l was so shy, l
was not in the least nervous about
those sort of things, and conse-
quently did not trouble myself
much about her words. l lay for
some time watching the Pickering
of the fire on the ceiling, thinking
of home.
The house had become quiet;
every one must have been in bed,
when all at once an odd fancy seized
me to look into the shower bath
and see what sort of place it was.
l fought against the idea for some
time, but finding it kept me awake,
l thought it best to indulge it, and
after much hesitation L descended
carefully from the bed, and adj
vanced on tiptoe toward the mystic
rious door.
l had my hand on the handle,
when L suddenly heard a noise
within. My heart stood still. l
thought for a moment. What if it
should be the old madman's ghost?
But as quickly dismissing so alb
surd an idea, remained perfectly
still, holding my breath to listen.
There! / heard it again, low, rust
ting noise, such as would be caused
by a person breathing heavily in
rather stiff clothes. had no longer
any doubt that some one was hid
den there with an evil design. AS
quickly as possible turned the
KEY so as to lock the door, and
seizing the rope which hung close
beside, 1 pulled it violently, at the
same time screaming for help. A
gasping, strangled shout came from
within the closet, and then no
sound was to he heard but my own
screams and the steady down pour
of the water from the cistern. Soon
footsteps came rushing from all di
rections; my door was opened, and
a confused troop of servants, with
Sir Thomas at their head, rushed
in. But / still clung to the rope as
if for my life, screaming.
"Don't let him out! Don't let
HIM out! He'll kill your
Sir Thomas, In the whitest of
nightshirts, and the most wonder
full night-cap, with a tassel at the
top, stood motionless with aston
ishment, grasping in one hand a
pair of trousers, and in the other an
old scabbard without sword. The
servants. overcome with terror, did
not stir beyond the door; and had
not the water in the cistern failed
at last, l know not how long we
might have remS cd in our respec
tive positions. u hen nothing came
OF all my tugs at the rope out few
drops, 1 let go my hold, and gasped
out to Sir Thomas: q