The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-28
lie DAILY Argus.
A FOOLISH ADVENTURE.

1IOi10 IOad III jill tDSOIt1ttl manner.
| picking late blackberry here, bril-
| liant autumn flower there She was 4
student of Nature, she was wont to say.
But those who were iniinieaily disposed
| to her did not hesitate TO affirm that she
| always studied Nature in front of Young
| DIR. Hilton's house,
But what did the silly little coauettes
OF eighteen and the giggling beauties of
! twenty know of Miss Pytchley's deter
mi led and ardent nature?. What rocked
they OF the trials she had gone through,
1 The notifications she had endured, the
| disappoIntments that had I'm every in
| stance blighted her hopese
For at n;ne-and-thirty Miss Pytchley
was still determined to secure n hus-
| band ana Or. Hilton was the man up
on whom she had settled.
Il always wanted to be a doctor 3
wife, said this young thing to herself,
| for Henrietta Pytchlev knew better than
to select any less judicious confidante
1T gives one such good social posi-
tlon-alId then, in. sickness, it saves one
50 much expense and trouble To be
sure DIR. Hilton is few years Younger
| than l am. The was twenty-six), but
every one knows that doctor ages
rapidly. and no one would dream that
| VIZ Il tttN IHdn Unity!
But DIR. Hilton evidently had no idea
oil being shared by her mature wiles, and
when Miss Vernon, the pale-cheeked
young teacher in the academy, became
patient of his, Miss Pytchley was seri-
ouslv alarmed.
Not that she's anything more than
an insipid wax doll. said Miss Pytch-
ley with toss of her head ..hut she
has way with her which men might
fancy. if they didn't know any better
poor things"
And consequently. when she saw Miss
Vernon going into the doctors Office,
she was naturally little surprised and
perturbed.
DR.. Hilton lived all by himself in the
little stone cottage, taking his meals at
the village hotel some half mile
distant, and Miss Pytchlev felt herself
safe in creeping round tothe back of the
house, where overgrown rose-thickets
and struggling raspberry-vines formed
a sort of natural screen.
eff could only hear what they say, p"
thought Miss Pytchley.
Her first idea had been to conceal
herself under the window, but when sho
saw the cellar door standing wide-open,
II fortunate inspiration flashed across her
brain.
Its right under the Office she
thought. III put my ear against the
chimney, | can hear everything they
say
And like gliding grey shadow she
hurried into the cellar.
A dreary. deserted place. There was
some lumber there, few disused tools,
general smell of green mould, and a
closet in the corner. Miss Pytchley
shivered little ITS she crept close to the
chimney.
They re only talking about some
Dover's powders. after all, " said she
And capcine plaster, and quinine
three times a day. And now he's tell
ing her good-evening. | might have
saved myself the trouble
At that moment, however, sturdy
rootstep was heard coming along-the
sound of a whistle Miss Pytchley
caught sight of John Nolan, the hired
man, who drove DR.. Hilton's carriage,
grooIned his horse, and made himself
generally useful about the place.
''He's coming here to pile up wood,
thought Miss Pytchles, as she saw the
logs or birch and pine heaped upon his
arm. Good gracious! what's to be-
come of me?''
1t was too late to beat a retreat by the
usual entrance-Miss Pytchley darted
into the closet and closed the door.
He cant be long, thought she, ''be-
cause it 5 almost dark now"
Miss Pytchley was right. He was not
long. But when he went out, to her in
finite dismay he shut the cellar-door be-
hind him. and locked and padlocked it.
Now l am in dilamlna, thought
Miss Pytchley, with the cold sweat
breaking out in minute globules over
her brow; perhaps he'll come back
again.
She listened. but no returning foot
step sounded over the gravelled wilder
ness of the overgrown back-garden; she
cept around the darkness of the cellar,
reeling along the walls for some possible
method of exit. but in vain
What am | to do?' broke inyolun-
tarily from her lips; IF | should be kept
imprisoned here all night
And then rushed into her mind all she
had ever heard of the Stone Cottage.
how an old woman was once strangled
there by her undutiful children for the
sake of a little money; how the Widow
Swipes' boys had declared that ghost
used to peep out of the windows, OF
moonlight nights, before DIR. Hilton
rented the place-and Miss Pytchley
WAS uncdSfeE LIdLl GAtk
Here | am in the closet again, she
thought with start, as her hands came
in contact with the moisture that trick
led down the damp walls; ''oh dear, oh,
dear; don't know which way to turn.
I'm all confused Owl owl"
She uttered frantic shrek, for in
the darkness she had stumbled up
against tall oblong box that stood in
one corner; the lid, insufficiently fasten
ed, fell forward against her, andfeeling
wildly for some opening of escape, her
hands touched some fine fibrous pack
ing matter, in which lay something
cold
"A human facet" she screamed. ~
felt the nose and foreheadp And it's
true what people say about DR.. Hilton
bringing dead bodies down from the
city hospitals and cutting them upt'
Shrek upon shrek rent the air as
Miss Pytchley staggered away from the
horrible something, and then suddenly
all was still.
She had run against one of the stone
supports of the house, and striking her
head against it, she fell senseless to the
floor, Just as DIR. Hilton hurried in with
dark lantern, followed closely by
John, the man.
..It's womani" cried DIR. Hilton.
| 'sIt's that Miss Pytehley! Poor creature,
how could she possibly have CONS
| herep"
.sWell. sir, said John a little guiltily,
''aIl the village knows that she's the
uoaf4dIiupest .nrvinpest old gossip the