Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-23

husband.
81 know II, know H." she replied.
But / really believe should lose my
reason u had 10 do the same thing over
again"
Fanny he said, stornly, ''you for
got yourself. / must remember my
duty, whatever you do"
After this there was silence between
them. At length the husband said
al have long report TO write 20
night, Fanny, and accounts 30 cast up.
must sit up very late. Ny poor wife,
60 10 bed"
ayes, DEAR" she answered, submis-
sively. l heard keys jingling in her
| basket rs she moved across the floor.
"No, Fanny" SAID her husband,
| stopping her; "I may want something
from the cellaret. Leave me your
keys"
"You will kill yourself with hard
work. Let us both 20, love-"
.No, no." said the Colonel. "Go
yourself; you have headache"
"No, Arthur" she answered. "If
you sit up, will stay too"
" II is Of no use, Fanny"
"Still, I will stay here.9'
"H l am going to sit up" said the
Colonel, 81 want my slippers"
"Let me get them," she cried, eag-
erly. "Sit down"
"No, I'll get them myself. They
are in the closet, know. Is It lockedP
No. / see thrt it is not; the key is in
the door,"
He laid his hand upon the door han
die of my place of confinement. For
half moment he hesitated to turn 1t.
heard Fanny sob. think she caught
him by the arm.
" Let me go, Fanny he said, impa-
| patiently. 81 must. You had better
go away"
He threw the door wide open. The
| gaslight streamed in from the sitting
room. She rallied all her strength, and
came in after him.
Nothing met their eyes but the
dresses, the shelves, the rows of pickles
and preserves, the broken furniture, the
trunks, the linen in lavender. But
standing opposite the door, with its
hinges toward them, they may have
seen a large Saratoga trunk, marked on
the side, in big white letters, "MIss
FANNY LEWIS" Its lid was not quite
closed, the hasp having caught upon the
rim.
The Colonel drew back. Poor Fanny
perhaps fancied had mysteriously dis
appeared.
They took the slippers from the floor,
and went into the sitting-room. There 1
heard her coaxing him to go to bed ;
but there seemed some hardening of her
husbands heart toward her, which
chilled her pretty persuasiOns.
Fanny he said at last, "if you in
sist on sitting up with me, get me some
paper and an inkstand from your cham
| ber."
There was no resisting this request,
which he made like command TO pick
up her key basket, and he must again
have checked her, for she exclaimed,
"Ohl l forgot; / beg your pardon, "
and left the room.
The moment she was gone, 1 heard
him rattle the keys. He put one or more
of them into his pocket. heard, too,
click, as if he were engaged in cock
ing his revolver. Then he remarked,
aloud: "The stOre-room has no win
dow. have him safe. He must stay
there until morning. If brave man,
he will keep quiet. Only a coward
would take advantage of her,"
He pulled out his watch. "Half-past
twelve" he said, as Fanny came back
again. What agony she may have felt
as she left me without protection, and
her husband exposed to my attack if ]
were armed!
"Here is paper and ink" she said.
"Now go to bed, darling"
"No, love; will sit up here," and
she took her place upon the sofa.
Meantime no words can adequately
depict the discomforts of my situation.
l knew perfectly well that the Colonel
knew where 1 was, and that in good
time he was going to dispose of me. ]
quite agreed with him that gratitude To
Mrs. Lewis required me to keep still.
also knew that whatever plan he might
be laying for my capture, was to be
done in such a weg as to spare his wife
as much as possible. / thought that fol
her sake had better let him work it his
own way. only trusted l should be
able to prove to the Provost-Marshal
that 1 was Major Dangerheld, and moi
the secret agent was supposed to be-
Meantime my physical sufferings were
almost unbearable. In the empty Sar.
atoga trunk my position was inexpress-
IDLY cramped and painful. was per-
fectly conscious that the slightest noise
l made would be heard by the husband
and wife in the sitting-room, and wa;
unwilling to disturb any hope the latter
might entertain that 1 was gone. My
plan was to wait till she was out of tht
way, and then place myself at the dis.
posal of her husband.
Meantime a solemn silence seemed tC
settle on the house and all the neighbor
hood. My nerves had become so ex
cited that 1 could with difficulty keeI
myself from uttering involuntary cries
Hour after hour heard the deer
cathedral bell. Had it not been for tn,
hope entertained, in common with thu
Colonel, of saving Fanny's feelings from
shock, and her wifehood from sus
piciOn, l should have come forth at once
and have made an end of my misery
Sometimes, as all around me seemed 81
J still fancied that the married pair haC
quilted the sitting-room. But l felt tina
if tried to leave the house, watched q
, knew it to be, my capture on her door
step would compromise her loyalty.
Time moved like eternity. At last tn
/ morning market wagons began moving
the dawn came peeping into my retreat
[ There was another violent pull at tn
street door bell. heard the Colone
: rouse himself to answer it. I heart
Fanny start up to her feet, while I
coarse voice called out loudly in tn,
passage,
"What! up by peep of day, ColonelP'
"Yes; l had report to write up
Claypole has left every thing in dis