Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-26

were three OF them lei1ing to the fellow
rooms, and the building was three stories high
II took me i've minutes and upward to aseer
tain that there was nobody thera ASH "a
cenoed the last flight distinctly saw. py tn.
ara or the moonlight, fig Ire pass across on.
OF the mlddle-court windows-a landing win
o0W, as knew-whlch loOked out this way
ana resumed the chase forthwith. But m
successfully. Long before | reached the Ian |!
lbg, the person was In quest or hal disap
peaTed again; must try the other suarc sea
And In this court there were eight OF them
While was occupied with one, ne might b.
mounting one OF those which | had ex oIOre1
arc so on al inHRftu7n!
However It was clearly my duty to per,eyare
FIRST. took the remaining seven statrcases ia
numerical order. Then tried the alternate
numbers. Then l started With the corners op-
poslte TO each other, and worked out a geomet-
rlcal figure OF some fntricacy. But all with the
same results; make what speed would, no
stairs or down stairs, cutting Off corners and
ava,nng myself OF byWays and short cuts, the
mysterious visitor still eluded me. Often
caught sight OF him, or fancied did 80; but
long before l could ascertain the fact. he h al
again vanished. Baffiad and GREATNESS aU last,
exhaustion.
had hardly done so before recouected that,
all this time, the college gate was standing
wlde open. returned and closed 1t. drawing
ooth bolts as before, and then, as / could thinS
OF nOthlDg better to do, dectd I'd on returning TO
my own room. AS passed through the centre
court again fanced that heard a low chuckle
was visible, however, AMI as was too faJyuad
for any more hlde-and seek work left the en-
emy In possession, and slowly rem ounted my
own staircase
AS reached the landing below my room.
was surprised by seeing broad stream otlght
Issuing from the latter. On quitting IL, 1ai
closed the inner door, leaving the oak" or
outer door, open; now, the inner door was open
also. Was the nocturnal intruder there after
all? and. Ii So what was his motive? HeI,okad
respectable In the monentary glance had o.
tanned; something OF military air about him
noticed. but he might be a burglar for ali
that-probaoly was, and, as likely as not, with
a brace Of revolvers In his posse ssion!
am not specially wanting in courage, and,
at all events, determined to face the az sres-
sor; but, as 1 climbed the remaining stairs
had sensation very much like an ice-caJaract
down my back. / do not know that 1t abated.
at least. not In the immediate moment, when,
In lieu OF the marauder l had expected to en-
counter, saw standing by my fireplace an ex-
qujsitely fair girl, very young but with fea-
lures which, although now flushed and agi.
tated. embodisd, to my conceraco, all that
was most lovely and pure In n ltuEs the most
absolute innocence, the most delicatriy mould
ed lines OF beauty; grace, refinement, tender
ness; and, underlying all, and perceptiba
even through their present trouble, an ire
pressibly m1rtnful play OF eye and lilo. had
no Idea that there were such creatures In the
world,
still more to my surprise, If possible, the
young lady, on seeing me enter ran hurriedly
forward; almost threw herself into my arms,
" on" she exclaimed, ~ am so glad you are
Conner"
Now am not conceited man, and never
was; least Of all should have supposed nv
self to have any special attractiveness for the
lair sex: still, to be thus accosted by a visible
and tangible angel did rather st3rJle me- Not
wholly out or my propriety, fortunately. H
1t been Hopktnson, who was ent1ced out to
nelghbortng market town, and stood there by
the pump for three hours in a drenchtng rain.
on the allegation OF the rector'5 daughter having
VKrff hi L.,
might not have happened. Being myself |
stopped short of utter insanity; and, In the
next moment, the illusion, such as 1t was, was
Il am so glad some one has come" continued
my visitor. MY poor father! oh! do ind him
for me! What shall do?"
led her to the sofa and implored her to
calm herself and tell me how could aIst n her
WAS IL her father whom had seen come into
the college hall an hour barore?"
Yes" she said 81 was too late to prevent
him. It Is such sad story. Our name Is
Pakenham, and my father was Captain in the
Indian service; but few years ago he had
brain fever from sun stroke which obi red
hlm TO give up the army; and now it comes on
again Ii he Is excited"
You think. then" asked. "that he Is not
| mean, that he Is suffering from one OF these
attacks at present."
'Oh, yes" she said; "why should he have
here; my poor father has nothing to
support us (rny mother Is deld) except what he
can make by painting; he is a beautiful artist
and we came here for him 10 take sketches for
been working too hard
Had he seemed uncomfortable before th,s?n
l asked.
Yes; all this morning I fancied there was
something wrong; then at haif-past nine he
suddenly took up his hat and said ne was going
out; he wanted TO get some moonlight effects
ran down stairs after him, but he walked too
fast for me, and, just as | came to the end Of
10 polJa
| followed as quickly as / could but saw moth
Ing OF hiio, and there was NOBODY 10 ask. al.
though heard footsteps upstairs someWnera. !,
"Tney were mine," said; Il was standing nv
the gate when your father entered an followed
him also; did you not see me?"
mo, l Only heard the steps. came on as
Tar as this court, and then l saw the light in
Jhat?" "AN' Al
AS my companion spoke, the chapel bell.
when was an unusually loud and shrill one,
Sunuen J commenced tolliDg. she started from
her seat. zig the bell going for service, or any
thing? she asked.
No" said; "there is no one In the college
but myself" O.
shall easily find him now" she sprang for
ward, and, before was aware of her purpose.
reached the door, which / had closed on en-,
stop, stopr cried; "take care: the handle
Is loose on the other side; it is going to be
mended tomorrow. II 1t comes or"
but was 100 late. The enameled knob came
OH with the hasty wrench she had given If,
nearly throwing her backward, while the soin.
die or pin OF the latch, which was alta ,hed TO
the other handle, fell with 1t on the floor ont.
side. We were fast prisoners
Notwithstanding her trouble, my companion
Durst Into an 1rrepre5sible 1T OF laughter. in
which l Joined with equal heartInesS Bit IE
WaSshort-I lived; the bell continued tolllng, an d
reminded us that something must be done. +
had no doubt that her surnnlse as to her father
was correct; the bell was rung not nom
the chapel itself, but from one Of
the staircases which adjoined 1t, and the un-
happy man, In his access of delirlum, mu st have
amused himself by pulling It,
"Do not De alarmed, said; ''a3 you saw. we
know now where your father Is, and We can
easily calm MIN down and persuade him to
come with u.s. w
But how are we to get at ntm?" said nv
latch. " INV 'iio
AND the question was more easily asked than
answered applied every contrivaace that In
genuity could suggest knife handle, scissors.
tootn. prush, square pieces of stick-nothing
would 90; the latch refused to ACCOMMODATE
Itself TO any mechanism but one. and This law
hopelessly on the floor outside. 1'he only rem.
edy was 10 force the door itself. But how
was pondering the means, when startling
change TOOK place In the character of the bell.
1nteriude. Tired, apparently, of the mea surpd
sounds he had been producing. the cantain
suddenly qulckened his pace, With the result
technically known in college as .ssweartng:''
che, 4. e. the bell. ''arnt begun to swear vet
was the traditional reply Of a bedmaker ia
droWsy undergraduates. Peal after peal now
rang out Ike fire alarm, reverberatiny
through the whole college, and doubtless for
miles round IL. Nor was this all. Stimulated