Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-12-17

steady voice, ana as sue Called, some
shawl or dress fell on its peg, making a
sound as Of some one moving behind
her. The man made one irresolute
step lackwaads. and the instant Hester
availed of the movement to close her
door again and bolt it. Her trepida-
ton then became SO great she did not
know what TO do next. Hurriedly she
dragged the heavy bureau against tue
door. for the man was using his strength
to force it open. Then next she ran
the bedstead against the bureau, lest
his great brute strength might move
the single piece of furniture. This
done she sat down to think. The
wretch, meanwhile, cursing and swear.
ing, had gone into her fathers chamber;
she could hear him ransacking and
dashing about the desk, the drawers,
the very trunks that were piled in one
corner, containing things that belonged
to her dead mother. She reflected,
her father coming back presently
would enter the house quite unprepsred
for an assailant; and that the first act
of the robber would be to knock him
down. Then she wondered where Jane
was. She had left Jane in the little
dining parlor, going to take her tea aud
then to wash up the things. All was
silence below. Perhaps Jane was lying
stunned in the kitchen-perhaps she
had fled to raise the alarm. They had
no neighbor within quarter of mile
from the house, and 1t would take d
little time for help to come. She
opened her window to listen. No
sound Of footsteps or voices, or sound
even of distant wheels. Nothing but
the rampaging of this awful wretch up
stairs, occasionally flying at her door
with blows and imprecations.
What should she do? What could
she do?
The night was dark and cloudy,
neither moon nor stars to cheer her
terrified soul with thoughts of lofty
spheres, and of Him who governs their
motions, yet condescends to care for
the meanest things. Mean to us, their
fellow creatures, not mean to Him
who created them and pronounced
them all alike Good
As Hester stood trembling at her
open window there was nothing for her
to see but the lights in distant windows
twinklipg cheerfully. Tantalizingly
twinkling, for they who were using
those lights could not understand any
signal she could make with her solitary
lamp. At first the thought arose in
her mind. eff can see those gleam-
ing lights people can see NINE" and
she tried passing her light to and fro,
standing herself between tie light and
the window, but naturally enough her
arm grew weary, and as she feared
some sudden gust of the light wind
might extinguish it altogether. she sat
down desparingly. Her desponden.
eyes rested on little shelf in recess,
on which lay file of illustrated papers
OF the year, then drawing to a close.
An inspiration seized her; in an instant
all her energy returned. She sprang
for chair, she tore down her window
curtain, she enveloped herself carefully
in her waterproof cloak buttoning it
down the front, drawing the hood over
her hair, and putting one hand only
through an arm-hole. Preparing for
all emergencies, she sat beside her
on the floor the ever OF water,
and the basin in which she had
washedher hands. Then closing the
window, she rashly took up the
first of the papers, lighted it, and held
it close to the window panes, till the
flames neared her hand. Then she
dropped it in the basin, and lighted
another. The hot blaze fiared up, and
over the window frame, almost scorch-
ing it, and for the moment of its life
and even by her agitated breathing
drawn in angry licks towards herself.
But impotent of harm, the blackened
fragments Kissed in the basin, till paper
after paper having blazed away, the
ever had to give Of its precious drops,
to quench the heap below her knee.
Imagine the strained nerves of the girl,
terrified by the voice Of the ruffisn at
her door listening for her fathers re-
turning footsteps, or the sound of
wheels if he had found q conveyance.
wondering if the alienation of blaze
and darkness. would fail to catch any
eye. Nothing that she wanted could be
heard, no wheels, no voices, no hurry
ing footsteps, only the wretch going up
and down stairs, as if he had made all
ready to 60, but wanted first to murder
her or her father. She made sure he
had murdered Jane, or help would
have reached her ere this. And now
her pile of paper was nearly exhausted;
she was getting exhausted too; she
must open her window or she would
faint from heat or fatigue. She paused
to do so-and out on the still night air,
came clear and strong the clang. clang,
clang of the bell Of the old meeting
house. The fire belief all sounds in
the world to have evoked. A mortal
terror seized her of what would be done
to her for false alarm. She had never
thought about her bright window
creating the alarm of fire. But fast and
furious rang the bell, in the old fash
Toned way, never stopping to count its
strokes. but tolling steadily on for half
an hour after all the help that could be
sent had gone to seek the disaster. As
she leaned out of the window, she could
now hear sounds enough. Tearing
along the main road came the country
fire brigade. the men drawing their
engine, the lads shouting and cheering,
and all the dogs. far and near Ginning
in the chorus. She heard them halt at