The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-02

might. My last dirty every evening was
TO 90 the round of the house and satisfy
myself that all lights were ont, that the
fires were safe, and that all the door.
and windows were properly secured.
When this duty had been duly accom-.
plished tonight, the drawing-roora
lamp was extinguished, and then Bessie
and | took our bed candles and marched
up stairs, leaving darkness and solitude
behind us. Mary Gibbs and Kitty haG
retired long ago.
My sisters room and mine adioined
each other, with a door OF communica-
tion between, which generally stood
partly open at night for the sake Of
companionship. The windows of both
rooms looked into the garden, which
ran in wide strip along that side ol
the house, and was shut in by wall
some seven or eight feet high, beyend
which there were three or four mead
ows, and then the boundary wall OF
Dorrington Park.
1t was close on one -o,clock-ss I
found out afterward-when / awoke
suddenly from a sound sleep. The in
slant opened my eyes the room was
illumined by vivid flash of lightning,
and it was in ali probability'a peal OF
thunder that had broken my slumbers.
Another fash followed after brief in
terval, succeeded again by the deafen-
ing accompaniment My sleep was
efectually broken. 1 arose, flung .
shawl over my shoulders, and crossing
TO the window, drew lack the blind and
peered out. As long ago as can re-
I member, lightning has ALWAYS had a
singular fascination for me. As 4 child
l loved to gaze upon its vivid splendors,
and in this respect at least years have
left me unchanged. A board creaked
as | crossed the floor.
sis that you, Barbarag'' asked my
sister from the other room.
'Yes, dear. | am going to look ont
for few minutes. Is not the lightning
beautiful"
Very beautiful; only I wish it were
anywhere rather than here" answered
Bessie. who at such times was Just as
nervous rs | was the reverse.
The flashes followed each other at in
tervals OF about minute. l had wit
messed three or four when suddenly |
gave a start. and an exclamation broke
inyOluntarily from my lips. The last
fash had revealed to me the figures of
two men in the act of climbing 0verthe
garden wall. One Of the men was q
stranger to me; but in the other, instan-
taneOuS aswas tie revelation. ] recor-
niZed the somewhat peculiar face and
Of Il
my brother had employed temporarily
during the last week or two in the gar
den, our regular man. being laid mp at
the time with rheumatism. There was
something in the looks of the man in
question which had set me against him
from the first; but if we were al tc be
Judged by our looks alone. what would
become of US? For aught | knew TO
the contrary Dethel might be an honest.
hard-wOrking fellow, with wife and
children dependent on him; but for all
that, on the days he was working for
us l carefully refrained from going into
the garden.
And now. here was this man, and an
other with him, eflectin@ suIreptitio1s
entry OF the premises at one o'clock in
the morning! Sach a proceeding could
have but one end in view. Two cues
tons at once put themselves to me.
Firstly, were these men Sware that my
brother was from home for the night. |
and thas only three helpless women and |
n girl were left 10 the house? Secondly, |
had they by some means become cOgni- |
zant of the fact that a few hours preSi- |
ously Mr.. Shillito had psid my brother
q considerable sum of money, which |
must necessarily still be somewhere on
the premises? In my mind there was
little doubt that both these facts were |
fully known to the men. My brothers |
were as open rs the day, |
and Dethel had doubtless ascertaiHed !
from Reuben the groom that his master !
would be from nome on this particular |
night; while as for Mr. Shillito, every |
body knew how be talked in his loud |
voiced way about his most private af-
fairs when he had taken more to drink
than was good for him. At the bar OF |
more than one tavern that evening, |
every one who might chance to be with |
in hearing would not fail to be informed |
that Mr.. Shil!;to had Just paid John |
Waldron his half years rent.
These thoughts flashed through NY
mind almost as quickly as that flash
which revealed so much. Breathlessly
l waited for the next fash. It came,
the darkness for an instant, I
and then it, too, was swallowed up.
The men were no longer visible. Be
tween the two flashes they had had time
to drop on the inner side of the wall,
wh"re the thick clumps of eyergreens
which clothed that part of the grounds
would effectually screen them from
view. At that very moment they were
dou-iless making their way stealthily
toward the house. What was to be /
done? Never had | realized so fully as
at that moment how helpless creature
4 woman is. Drawing my shawl more
closely around me and putting on q
pair of list slippers-whiclI / wore about
the house in cold weather, crept noise
lessly out of the room. At the top of
the stairs halted and listened; but ali
was silence the most profound. The
corridor out of which the bedroom
opened was lighted at the opposite end
by n high narrow window which looked
into the garden. To this window | now
made my way, and there. with one ear
pressed to the cold glass, stood and
listened. Presently [ heard the faint
sound of footsteps, and then the sub
dued voices of two people talking to
each other. Directly under the place
where l was standing was the back
drawing which opened on the
garden by means of French window;
aud although this window was secured
at night by shutters, l had an idea that
the security in question was more
fancied than real, and was of 8 kind