Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-07-02

NoiOhOls Ndut III Shippers.
let me get them" she said eagerly. |
"Sit down."
mo, I'll get them myself, They are
in the closet, I know. Is it locked? No,
l see that it is not; the key is in the
door,
He laid his hand upon the door handle
of my place of confinement. For half
moment he hesitated to turn it. l heard
Fanny sob. l think she caught him by
the arm.
Let me go, Fanny" he said impa-
tiently. 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
went in after him. Nothing met their
eyes but the dresses, the shelves, the
trunks, the linen in lavender. But stand
ing opposite the door, with its hinges
toward them, they may have seen large
Saratoga trunk, marked on the side, in
big white letters, 'Miss Fanny Lewis"
The colonel drew back. Poor Fanny
perhaps fancied 1 had mysteriously dis
appeared. They took the slippers from
the floor and went into the sitting-room.
There l 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, ''if you insist on
sitting up with me, get me some paper
and an inkstand from your chamber"
The moment she was gone, l heard him
rattle the keys. He put one or more of
them into his pocket. | heard, too, a
click, as if he were engaged in cooking
a revolver. Then he remarked, aloud:
"The store-room has no window. |
have him safe. He must stay there until
morning. Only a coward would take
advantage of her." He pulled out his
watch. 'Half-past twelve O'clock" 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; l 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 l was, and that in good
time he would dispose of me. A solemn
silence seemed to settle on the neighbor-
hood. My nerves had become so excited
that | could with difficulty keep from
uttering involuntary cries. Hour after
hour | heard the deep cathedral bell.
Sometimes, as all around me seemed
so still, [ fancied that the married pair
had quilted the sitting room. But 1 felt
that if | tried to leave the house, watch
ed as | knew it to be, my capture on her
doorstep would compromise her loyalty.
Time moved like eternity. At last the
morning market wagons began moving
the dawn came peeping into my retreat
There was another violent pull at the
street door bell. / heard the colonel
rouse himself to answer it. A coarse
voice called out loudly in the passage,
"What! up by peep of day, colonelP"
"Yes; l had report to write up
Claypole has left everything in disorder >
Il thought I'd let you know, colonel
that that spy we were talking of last
night is in the hands of the marshal
The police got on the track of him last
evening, and took him at that nest O.
secession, Mrs. Charles Garey's."
As the street door closed upon this
visitor, heard Fanny give suppressed
sob.
"Then it was not himpn said her hus
band, careless of grammar at that su
preme moment of reconciliation.
mo, no." she cried. "He said he wa!
poor prisoner who had jumped off tn,
train"
"Poor little Fannyp brave little FAM
said her husband; and guessed, though
/ could not see, how he was comfortin!
her. 'Let this be lesson to you not tt
play with treason. Henceforth leave i
alone severely. Now go and call Bridget
and tell her to get breakfast. must ge
to the office early. And, Fanny" h
added, ''tell her to slip down the ale
the first thing and tell Williams, VIII
owns the dray, wish him to back up t
our side door. I'll send Fanny's trun,
away. I'll clear the house of treason an
secession"
In half an hour Bridget announced th
dray.
"Send in my orderly" +" said the colone
, "and see if you can see anything, aroun
g the corner, of the policeman"
&. As Bridget was executing this ordel
the colonel entered the store-room, an
closed the spring-lock Of the trunk lid.
. "Have you the key of Fanny's trunl
t my loveP"
: 81 don't know"
: Give it to me-" he said decidedl
"Since your man is not the spy, shal
n your treason for this once, that henc
forth you may always side with m
b, Ha! policeman" he added, as he thre
IT open the outer door of the store-roor
o which opened on the alley, will yC
help the drayman and my orderly to g
s. this trunk of my sisters on tie dra!
IF Yes, | suspect it may weigh over tv
+. hundred pounds. 1t is powerful heav.
p as you say. But that is the way alwa