The Penn's Grove record., 1883-10-27

they kill me ? Would ! suffer long2 Al
that instant | heard a faint creak Of
the library door ut the far end of tn,
long hall.
"Ose swift, dispairing glance around
me, one wild idea of escape, and / ex
tinquished the light uponthe table, and
crouching in the fireplace, | rested one
foot on the iron, swung out the irOr
crane, stepped the other foot upon the
strong support, and rose up into the aue
Something touched my head. Thank
God it was the rope with which the
dislodged bricks had been hoisted out,
Grasping this carefully with my hands,
/ held myself like a wedge in the open
ing. Before / had envied large, noble.
looking women before, / now had to be
thankful for my diminutive form
and ninety odd pounds of avoirdu'
pois.
III had little time, however, to con-
slider anything excepting the imminent
danger Of dislodging a fragment Of
brick or mortar, and thus disclosing
MI. hiding-place, for the clock began
with sonorous peals to strike II. Under
cover of it's echoes there were swift,
soft steps in the hall, and the bolt OF
tie outer door was withdrawn. The
huge fiue must have acted like a tele-
phone, for / heard every sound with
fearful distinctness. First, there was
a pause by the door of the sitting
room, then breathing in it, then whisper
ing.
81 heard Thomas distinctly when he
said:
Aa'She isn't here ; she's gone to bed
but the money is in the library
"tBe cautious advised a strange
voice, and we may not have to hurt
her,
"They carefully retreated, and my
heart struck off the seconds against
my ribs in a way that IA suffocating,
for l knew that their search would
soon be over, and what then
Yin less than five minutes they
were whispering in the room again.
~ Damn her aspirated Thomas, she
took the money with her,
"'Then Wen have it if
aNtsTha MANGA poaan+ oil tbat words
could convey. The cold sweat was
coming out of every pore of my body.
The dust of the creosote had penetrated
my mouth and nostrils, and l had to
take one hand from the rope in their abb
| sence and a place a finger upon my lips
to prevent sneezing.
r"Come, hurry" was the angry
w~atchword exchanged between them,
and I heard the stairs creakiBg
as they assembled to my chamber.
Thomas was familiar with all the
house.
aWhy did l not drop down now and
escape outside?
"First, then, they had locked the
outer door and withdrawn the key, to
prevent a surprise from without. Sc
ccnd, there might be a third confede-
rate outside. But, the most import
ant eason of all was, it seemed to
me, that / never could get out of
the aperture that had allowed me
| entrance into the chimney. l ran
the risk of discovery and death in any
| case. q
"Oh, why did not my father and his
companion returnp 1t might be hours
yet.
"They had found me absent from my
chamber, and the adjoining rooms.
They no longer used the extreme eau
ton. They hurried from n apartment
to the other. l could feel the jar of
moving furniture, and closet doors
were opened hastily. The upper part
of the house was ransacked, and then
they came down the stairs upon the run,
Time was precious to them now. With
direful oaths they rummaged the lower
floors, and finally returned to the sit
ting-room.
"I saw the light here last" said
Thomas, moving with his lamp across
the room, land here is the lamp on the
table,
"'She must have got out
wNo, 1 watched for her and every
| window is fastened on the inside
Then he continued Course her she's
a witch and, bafiieo, they stood
and poured volu es of oaths after
me.
sgd like to catch and knife her my
self now.' How he ground it out be-
tween his teeth.
"sShall we search more p
sits no use !; we've turned over
everything under which a mouse could
hide.'
"tWhat, thenp Shall we waylay the
old mar and fix him p
"'They haven't the money +; it was
left here
"'The cellar, suggested the voice.
"Once more they dashed out, only to
return in hot haste now, for there as
the trot and rumble of a horse and car
riage on the bridge between us and the
city.
"'Stay, urged the stranger, trump
up some kind of a story, and we may
secure the money yet
"'I would returned Thomas, but
the girls a witch, and l Am just as
sure that she is somewhere near all the
time, and would hand me over to jus.
tice-'
There was a scamper outside and
the sound of feet running towards the