Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-09-03


that il the worst had come it was all over
now, and could do nothing, i retreated,
Quietly. deliberately reclimbed the fence,
and at last regsined my bed. l was misera-
bic, chilled to the marrow, and 50 nervous
and excited that never went TO sleep any
more during the whole Of that wretched
night.
Next morning, having recovered some-
what from the effects of that night OF ter
ror, awaited with much anxiety the APP
pearance of the old lady at her door, for
She always took in the milk herself. Should
she not respond to the milkmsn's call the
mystery would be solved. But she did
turn up. I at once went to the door, and
expected that she would have q story OF
some dreadful character to impart to me,
and WAS ready to tell her how had saved
her and her granddaughter from death,
when, much to my disgust, after having
exchanged an ordinary good morning wltn
me, she was about re-entering with her
milk. "You had most narrow escape isst
night" / said.
"Oh. YES" she replied smilingly; tits
half water, and mighty blue and thin"
Evidently she referred to tke milk.
'.If il had not been for me, | said, You
would all have been murdered in your
beds. was up and out In three seconds
after the first stroke of the hammer was
in your garden. l hope your charming
granddaughter has suffered no incon-
Senience. am quite positive that they
the robbers-were around last night and
my timely presence scattered them"
God bless my soul" said the old lady
as she dropped the milk, ''and did not
know il.
but you hammered away like first
class blacksmith"
Indeed, did not said she; and my
milk, that's all gone. l slept uncommon
well; better than usual. l always sleep
sOundly when it rains"
Would it be believed that that old woman
denied the hammer incident in toto? Had
been dreaming? Was it force of imagina-
ton, the teaming Of delirious brain? A
shocking bad cold in my head assured me
that il had been a reality.
was quite out Of heart all that next
day, and went to bed at night in most
unhappy state of mind. Was my rest to
be broken in upon again? | had hardly
fallen off into feverish slumber when l
heard the accursed BANNER again. / COW
cred my head with the bed clothes. Rat
tat tat IL went. 1t could not be hammer
ing Of my imagination, for put my ear to
| the wall and felt the vibrations through the
| fiimsy partition. Oh, the unutterabie sell
| fShness of that old woman. And what If
| she were robbed of a silver teapot or so or
| a dozen teaspoons! l was desperate now.
| / rushed down stairs. Fortunately it was
not raining. found my barrel at once,
| and that was reassuring. | eEcOriated my
| self again. scaled the wall and landed
| with a crash on the other side on pile OF
| flower. pots some one had carelessly placed
! there. ! waited moment for the noise TO
| subside. / knew that If any robbers were
| there the row had made must startle them.
| | rubbed very badly skinned ankle and
waited and nothing came.
| Night after night went on that accurSed
| hammering. Was to be doomed to the
| terrible task of discovering thieves in that
| old ladys garden; and, what was worse, my
! chiyalrous conduct, my dsllying with death,
receive no recognition? l was the victim
whose sad end was being plotted.
! never went to sleep after that without
| stufting cotton in my ears, and always in a
most wretched frame OF mind. i was q
martyr of my disinterestedness. was be-
| ing robbed of my sweet sleep. Life became
| burden to me. The old lady was either
| labOring under some hallucinatiOn, or
| was crazy. There WAS only one thing which
made me suffer all these torments, and that
was the belief that was hero in the eyes
of the granddaughter. | cannot say that
she ever directly expressed herself in that
way, but when looking at her at times
when l met her in the street, as l addressed
a few words to her, thought I recognized
and expression on her face which told me
Of her sympathy.
These nocturnal visits at least preyed on
my spirits. l went to bed now with my
clothes on. | had bought secondhand
revolver. | had become reckless. am
quite sure that had met a small boy of
about the size OF Oliver Twist at night in
the old lady 5 garden should have shot at
him.
The rapping would cease for night or
two, and then commence again. felt that
this business must come to stop. My
employers, leading grocerS, had noticed my
sleepiness during business hours, and had
complained about il.
One night this spring YEARLY | climbed
the garden fence pistol in hand-for it had
become a mechanical process now-aud
dropped into q waSh-tub of water, placed
with devilish ingenuity on three-legged
stool. As | fell over my pistol went OF.
The neighbOrhood was aroused at last, but
distinctly heard in the bathroom, that over
looked the old lady's garden, pea!s of
laughter, and young woman appeared at
the window who was apparently enjoying
the scene.
If this brutal conduct on the part of that
girl were not sufficient, think of the inn
pertinence of young man who called next
day on me at our place of business. As |
have said, | am a clerk in the wholesale
grocery line, and druggists clerks are al
ways stuCk-up creatures, That young sprig
twirled stick in one hand and in the other
be had q card. am TO suppose his name
was written on it. "See here" said he,
making his stick whiz through the air
within few inches of my nose. "See here,
oleomargarine, Goldfish, prunes, pickles ind
glucose, you have been fooling around
grandmother's long enough, and you are
! precious ass, and Mary Jane-that's my
/ cousin, lady am going to
marry-has had quite enough of your
nonSence. What prime proprietary idiot,
/ with revenue stamp on it, you must
| be not to know that the old lady has got
/ robber on the brain bad when she's awake,
/ but when she's asleep OF nights, bless her,
! she snores away like a humming top. A
Chinee cracker under her ear wouldn't as
4 much as faze her. Now, the old woman
/ never had any use for your hammer, but |
/ guess from what Mary Jane has told me she
} has been sounding around with it quite
! promiScuously. Now see here, here is your
hammer, and do you take it before | make
YOU swallow it, handle, claw, and all, just
as il il were 8 glass of cream soda, and the
very next time hear you have yentured to
/ cross that fence, or to put that big foot OF
/ yours in my grandmother's house, l will
/ lust thrash you dizzy, and listen to some
! good adyice-chauge your boarding house,
figs, even if you have to go back on your
| landlady."