The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-09-23

terSu QOWn tne IrOnC Walk anu aLHuScu
myself by indulging in a forbidden pleas
ure-swinging on the gate. Looking
down the road, l spied a man coming
along. l few to the house and, salts
fled hat he was coming in, ran to Sarah
and Selling her dress with both hands,
exclaimed
"Oh, Sarah there is a dreadful look
ing man coming into the house."
Sarah picked up the poker and walked
to the door, while |, initiating her ex-
ample, snatched a stick of wood. Sud
denly Sarah cried
"You little goose It is Bill Nc
Carly"
Sure enough, it was Sarah's beau.
Her mother was very sick, and NcCarty
was sent to bring Sarah home immedi-
ately.
Here was a dilemma. Sarah didn't
want to leave me, and unless she started
home then she might not see her mother
alive. 1t was nearly time for the rest
of the folks to come home, and l man
aged to muster up courage enough to say
1 was willing to remain alone.
In q few minutes Sarah was off, and |
was left in possession of our great house,
which never seemed so large to me be-
fore.
/ tried to read, but it was impossible;
all the murder stories | had eyer heard
came to my mind. | remembered that
none of our doors could be locked. Papa
had a few strange ideas, and declared
that locks were a nuisance. l felt that
| was doomed.
l went out to the yard, and, to my
dismay, discovered that the sky was
overcast, and a storm near at hand. l
could see the rain coming. Faster and
faster it came; it was soon at the house.
Oh, how it did rain
On each side of our yard was a brook,
pretty and peaceable in pleasant wealth
er, but a very little rain transformed
them into raging torrents. AS l stood
| at the window, l saw first one bridge
and then the other swept off. | knew
now that | must stay alone all night it
would be impossible for my brothers and
sisters to get home.
Travellers, or as Sarah called them,
"tramps," often stopped at our house
over night, as there was no public house
near. To my horror | saw one OF them
coming across the field. Should | hidel
No, that was not to be thought of. With
out stopping to knock, the great, rough
man walked in.
"Can l stay here all night
dared not refuse him, so as firmly
as | could, answered.
eyes"
He seemed surprised at seeing no one
but myself, and questioned me much. |
told him by brother was up stairs writ
ing that we two were alone. This was
the first thing that entered my head to
| tell him. Such a villianous c~euntenance
as that man had
His hair was cut close to his head,
leaving his huge ears in bold relief.
| Wicked-looking eyes and a brutal mouth,
completed his general expression Of fer
ocity.
Bedtime INT and l directed the
man to "A roors upstairs in the servants
| department not the upstairs where
| had said my brother was. Now that
there was real danger, | was calm and
| reasonable. | fastened the door that
led upstairs with my embroidery scis-
sors, which happened to be in my peck
ct, so as to guard against surprise, and
hurriedly collecting u silverware, car
ried it to mammals room and hid it in
the led. No one would have supposed
the bed haa heen disturbed. | was
elated at my ingenuity.
| then hunted up what few jewels the
girls possessed, and placing them, with
what money l could find, in a box, tied
them in my pocket. After doing this, |
stole down stairs, and removed my scis-
sors from the door. They were counted
amonc my most valuable treasures. l
had had them for many years and vas
not disposed to lose them now.
l expected the man would only wait
till he thought | and my fictitious broth
er were asleep, and would then search
the house for valuables, and finish by
killing me. Only one plan OF escape
| that | originated seemed feasible. l de-
termined to wait till | heard my ledger
in the room below, and then wrap my
self in papa's shawl, and then jump out
of the window. 1 was not kept in sus-
pense long the peculiar squeak OF the
SITTING room door alarmed me that it