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

VINO was That, Ihemas. 1 inqulI-
ed.
"'Oh, Miss, it was a man from the
mills, saying that my brother has had a
bad fall on the dam, and is believing for
me to come and see him. His legs be
broken entirely
"sWhat will you do p
i told the man l could not come
to see him to-day-but If / went, Miss,
I; ] would be sure to be back by eleven
of the clock, if not earlier
"'You may go, Thomas, if your
brother is hurt SO bad. Papa will not
be away long,
"'But, my young lady
"'Never mind me in such a case as
this. / was always very tender-hearted.
You may go and l will u right back
to the house.
"He talked a few minutes more, was
profuse in his thanks for my kindness,
and then started down for the city. l
took upthe two baskets, and went sing
ing to the house.
81 sat an hour by the open window,
enjoying intensely this being alone and
the quiet beauty Of the cool Autumn
evening.
perhaps you will wonder at this,
and the dimples played about her pretty
mouth, ''but little birds were singing a
new song in my heart, and the quiet let
me hear the sweet echoes.
"But directly l chided myself for
being rather careless, as the road was a
| thoroughfare, and chance stragglers
might surprise me. / arose, closed my
| window. and, obeying some strange, inn
pressive power, l walked through the hall
into the library, took my fathers key
from its accustomed place, unlocked
his desk, found the package Of 5000,
and, placing it in my bosom, re-locked
| the door, ard returned to the sitting
room. ] did not light a lamps; l had no
need of a fire, as that from the kitchen
| stove warmed the sitting o sufficient
ly In this mild weather.
"The house was oId-fashioned, very,
with a fire place in the sitting room
opening up. into a chimney of Ca
pacity sufficient for a foundry stack.
W. had cheerful open fires later on but
the house being an ancestral pile, wa
getting somewhat dilapidated, and the
partition separating the fiues in the
large chimney had fallen in. Men had
been set to clear out the rubbish and
make repairs, but the work, half done,
was suspended on account of the arrival
of Captain Boswell and this important
business affair.
ssI would have enjoyed immensely to
kindle a sparkling fire in the huge, wide
fireplace, but as affairs were l could
not. So l unused in darkness for hours.
I really took no heed of time, until my
quick ears caught the sound Of a foot
fall approaching, close up to the door
step, / could have taken my oath. 1t
was so light an echo that / sprang to
my feet, thinking that my cousin Milly.
absent when my father called, return
ing later, had come down to stay with
me.
81 sprang up with a smile to answer
her knock, albeit 1 was a little bit jeal-
GUS of her pretty face but no knock
came, and the echoes died out, and alto
gether 1 concluded that / had deceived
myself in regard to them. Anyhow, l
would light the lamp. did so and
was startled to find it past 10 O'Clock.
I had gotten sufficiently aroused fcom
my reyerie now to want a book from,the
library shelves. 1 took up my lamp
and went singing into the room.
81 obtained the desired volume
stepped down from the stool, and
s.If v 9 anyone felt themselves dy-
ing, / did at that moment. My song
died on my lips, while a thousand
thoughts seemed to fash into my
mind in one instant. Involuntarily l
pasped, and then, with a strong effort
of the will power for which / am ia
nous, / took up the song again and
sang il to tile close.
"Among other things, l remembered
that the lock was off the library door
for repairs. / remembered the lateness
of the hour, and the probability that all
the people were in bed and asleep. !
remembered the footsteps in the door
yard, and there was a fresh pungent
| smell of tobacco smoke in the room, a
scent of smoke that was not in the room
when / was there and placed the pack
age of money in my bosom.
"Do you wonder that nay brain
reeled, and my heart stopped beating
for an instant Besides, whoever the
robber was, he would soon begin work;
not knowing Row early my father and
| the captain might return. And Ishould
be murdered. Somewhere within a
few feet of me, the robber assassin was
| concealed-either in the recess behind
the cabinet, OF under the long, draped,
paper-strewn table.
"a faint sound outside nearly made
me drop the lamp from my hand; still
l had unconsciously left my first song
and was singing :
For his bride a soldier won her.
And a winning tongue had he.
81 knew that temporary salvation
/ power and liberty to leave the
eyen-depended upon my appearing un-
conscious of the robbers proximity.
81 got out of the library and found
myself in the sitting room. A hasty
glance at the door showed the key alb
sent from the lock.
"Treacheryl