The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-30

~ 80
Pussic. her heal agatns, her snni
knee. her SKYE la her arn.-s ptctnr'
Of content After assiehco ot Al lsssitws
minutes she drew = long errath s.
long tia, Auat hitty laughed. ans
asked her what the matter ~as
With a good deal of hesitation ths
little giri answered. In = very sac voice,
because Il Is almos, time a. 20 Ia bed
"PuSsic. WHY don't YOU like TO - "a
bed''
BECAUSE because doa't ~an'
To- saw
"rhen I will tell Yea Why. shall l.
dear'"
"Oh. aun,ic. YOU don't know. Voc
can not even guess why
Aunt KITTY stopped over and shis'
pcrcd something. which hal the effect
OF bringing Pu,si- on her feet. rs she
exclaimed. why how did you know =
II onc, wassit,i~ girl IN ,sslf. dear"
"oh YES. ! know, but then YOU never
felt rs | feel about the dark
Don't be too suro Of ANYTHING. little
one. What should YOU say IL l old you
that | found Out yodr fear 81 the DARK
lhAA bttah,t y urti tp itfA n fVH AFtt
nowP"
Still incrcdulous. Passie shook her
head. saving. But when did IL "a
away? You are not AFRAID of ans thing
now
Come here. and | will tell you."
and taking the child on her knee Aunt
Katherine told her this little story of
her own life.
~ hen I was a child I Vas a. timid
as n hare. was very shy; ] did not
like strangers. and ! did not care for
perfectly happy with my mother and
father and my beloved dolls. Now YOU
see you nave the advantage al me. Cor
YOU are u, shy. you are fond of little
girls and boys. aud then. too. YOU have
\ our dogs and your pony. Now was
so afraid of n dog that the sight II Que.
n far of rs | could see him. filled mc
with snch terror that ! instinc,ively
drew up my small legs. and then took
To my heels. vas 81 afraid 81 n worm
that ] have gone n whole block ont II
the way To avoid passing IA I ain
afraid. Pussie. that | was y born cow
ard. but nothing was sd absolutely awful
to me as the dark. a familiar room
was bad enough when uniightei. but
one that was ~unoccupied was Ia me the
most truly horrible place that could
be conceived Of The windows. with
their distinctly defined sashes. were one
of the most frightful features for me.
and | remember lying awake nj night
and seeing the four or eight white
squares in the darkness. and trembling
And Miss Katherine heard y little muir.
muir.
"Oh. auntie. il always frightens me
so, am glad il frightened you. too"
And with n closer cuddle she said.
PLEASE 20 on"
"Once NV father spoke to me about
IL, reasoning with me most lovingly and
tendcrly, never utiering one word Of
ridicule or Of reproach. telling me that
no one else could help me IN
ing the dread of darkness. but that I
might conquer 1t myself. I used 10
wonder il | should ever feel a. he did
about il, and bc as brave n be was In
every way.
"Somc little time passed away. and
when ! was about seven on eight years
old an idea flashed through ms brain,
and | will tell YOU what ! did.
LIT was inst about this hour. between
six and seven O'Clock. aud at this sea
son Of the year. when I made up my
mind 10 explore the whole house in the
dark. Sir John Franklin and Dr. Kane
(you remember | was telling ou about
them only last nighi') could N have
had a firTner conviction Of the dangers
they were Drawing than had at that
moment. 1.-The Dark was quite IA I'M
known n region to me as the north pole
to them. and set thick with terrible
risks and perils; but having made up
nv mind to do IL, the possibility of re-
treat did not ecu To me. for ! rcmem-
Der ! fel: - II IL were o sort Of duty. \
promise 10 my father; 20 walked out
Of the room where all the family were
sitting by the f~re-hgh;, and began to
90 up the fret fight OF stairs IN the
back part OF the house -unlighted save
by a grouod-giass window, through
which the hall lamp threw a dim light
I had made up my mind to begin with
the worst. and went steadily up. one.
two. three. four fights OF stairs; the las;
led 10 the attic. divided into tso
the outer one finished bu; never occu-
pied; the inner one unfinished. and each
lighted by a window in the rvof. ard
communicating BY q little door. so low
that. small Is / was, I could DO, stand
upright in passing through In utter
darkness l climbed the steep stairs.
closing the door at the foot. and af lat
found myself cropping my way into the
inner attic through the door ] hare jus;
described. Then on nay hands and
knees I craxied under the caves.
brcathless and trembling; I left no
corner UNEMPLOYED I remember going
back more than once. 60 be sure THAI
had not shirked-' In this vay I vent
into every room. crawling under eyery
bed, which vas al especial horror 20
me; / don't known WHY'D you.
Pussie9"
.Oh. auniie. il Is dreadful under the
beds
But wha; is !; you are afraid Of,
Are you sfraid thzf some one i. con-
cealed there who viii hurt youy
mo. indeed; I don't know raaR IL i.
but ! always fee; that sozssthisg is hid
den there. understanding AWFUL"
well. Pussie, 80 did I. .nd as I
cravled out from each bed I felt that I
had had q narroS escape. expecting the
next would reveal the dreadful thing.
And all this time the windows seemed
20 grin NJ me: but I thought of my
father. and Of his telling me ths; I could
'cosquer II 4 fried.' and I went ou.
closing the door Of every room - I went
in gong faithfully into every eioset.
and feelisg with my hands under every
piece OF furniture which was not set
close 20 the 6oor. IL Was such . long
time TO me. felt ~ IL l bad NOT zee
my father and mother for hours; but n
last l began 10 feel that I was near the
end. and ! recall going back and ex-
plorngfor the Second time the unknown
region under the last bed. because I felt
In my heart that 1 had not been honest
about It. WA conscious that the left
corner nearest the window hal nor
been really Investigated At last i va