Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-02-17

n
cried, shaking himself like dog who
has scrambled out of a pond. What
have you to give? SDlut messieu
ct mesdames. l am wet to the skin
Hope disturb nobody. Give me a
bottle of wine"
The hostess, in surly, sleepy tone,
told her eldest son to serve the gen
tleman; and then addressing Mrs
Martin, said:
You see your friends will not
come, and you are keeping us up to
no purpose. You had better go to
bed"
II will wait little longer was the
reply; which elected shrug OF con
tempt.
The red-haired man finished his
bottle of wine, and then said:
"Show me room, good woman
shall sleep here to night
Mrs. Martin thought that as he pro
nounced these words he cast pro
tecting glance toward her; and she
felt less repugnance to the idea OF
passing the night in that house.
When, therefore, the red haired man,
after a polite bow, went up stairs, she
said, that, as her friend had not ar
rived, they might as well show her to
her room.
Il thought it would come to that
at last" said the landlady. Here,
Pierre, take the lady's trunk up
stairs"
In few minutes, Mrs. Martin
found herself alone in spacious
room, with a large fire burning on
the hearth. Her first care, after put
ting the child to bed, was to examine
the door. 1t closed only by a latch.
There was no bolt inside. She looked
round for something to barricade it
with, and perceived heavy chest of
drawers. Fear gave her strength.
She half lifted, half pushed it against
the door. Not content with this, she
seized table, to increase the strength
of her defense. The leg was broken,
and when she touched it it fell with
crash to the floor. A long echo
went sounding through the house,
and her heart sank within her. But
the echo died away, and no one came;
so she piled the fragments of the
table upon the chest of drawers.
Satisfied in this direction. she pro.
ceeded to examine the windows.
They were we'll protected with iron
bars. The walls were papered, and
after careful examination, appeared
to contain no sign of secret door.
As her excitement diminished, the
fatigue-w which had been forgotten
began again to make itself felt, and
she resolved to undress and go to
bed
Her heart leaped into her throat.
For a moment she seemed perfectly
paralyzed. She had undressed and
put out the candle, when she acci-
dentally dropped her watch. Stoop-
ing to pick it up, her eyes involun-
tarily glanced toward the bed. A
great mass of red hair, a hand, and
cleaning knife, were revealed by the
fire. After the first moment of ter
rible alarm, her presence of mind re-
turned. She felt that she had her
self cut off all means of escape by
the door, and was lett entirely TO her
own resources. Without uttering a
cry but trembling in every limb, the
poor woman got into bed beside her
child. An idea--a plan--had sug-
gested itself. 1t had flashed through
her brain like lightning. 1t was the
only chance left.
Her bed was so disposed that the
robber could only get from beneath
it by a narrow aperture at the head
without making a noise; and it was
probable that he would choose, from
prudence, this means of exit. There
were no curtains in the way, so Mrs.
Martin, with terrible decision and
noiseless energy, made running
knot in her silk scarf, and held it
poised over the aperture by which her
enemy was to make his appearance.
She had resolved to strangle him in
defense of her own life and that of
her child
The position was an awful one; and
probably, had she been able to direct
her attention to the surrounding cir
cumstances, she might have given
way to her fears, and endeavored to
raise the house by screams. The fire
OF the northumberland to--had
fallen abroad, and now gave only a
dull, sullen light, with an occasional
bright CLEAN. Every object in the
vast apartment showed dimly and
uncertainty, and seemed to be en-
dc wed with a restless motion. Now
and then mouse advanced stealthily
along the floor, but startled by some
movement under the bed, went scour-
ing back in terror to its hole. The
child breathed steadily in it's uncon-
scious repose; the mother also Ell
deavored to initiate sleep, but the man
under the bed, uneasy in his position,
could not avoid occasionally making
slight noise.
Mrs. Martin was occupied with
only two ideas. First, she reflected
on the extraordinary delusion by
which she had been led to see enc
mics in the people of tie house and
a friend in the red haired man; and,
secondly, it struck her that, as he
could fear no resistance from a WON
an, he might push aside the chairs
that were in the way, regardless OF
the noise, and thus avoid the snare
that was laid for him. Once even
she thought that, whilst her atten-
ton was strongly directed to one
epo{ bo had p,ado h;s ox;t and vac