The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-10-02

In the Golfers of the Bank of England,
while yet it could hardly have been
placed more conveniently ready to the
hands of the thieves. To them the
strong mahogany desk would seem
. trihing obstacle indeed.
All this time, metaphorically speak
ing, / was wIinging my hands, know
ing full well how precious were the fast
feeting moments, but only feeling my
helplessness the more strove to dis
cern some loophole of escape. o, the
wretchedness of such q feeling! /
hope never to experience it again in
the same degree as I experienced it
that night.
The lightning, if not quite so vivid
as it had been q little while previously,
still came in as frequent flashes, and
by its light my sister and 1 made a
hurried toilet. Our house stood a little
way back from the high road, from
which it was divided by a tiny lawn
and q low screen Of evergreens. Once
or twice in the course of the night one
of the mounted constabulary would
ride slowly past as he went his rounds;
but I was without any knowledge as to
the particular time when he might be
expected, or whether, in fact, the time
at which he might be looked for at any
specified point did not vary from night
to night. Still, there wa just a posi-
bility that he might put in an appear
ance at any moment, SO / stationed
Bessie at the window to keep a lookout
for him, and be in readiness to raise an
alarm the moment she heard the tramp
of his horses hoofs. For once in a
way the lightning was something to be
thanked for; each flash lighted up the
high read for q considerable distance
on both sides of the house.
When this was done, it seemed as if
everything possible had been done; and
yet it was next to nothing. With both
hands pressed to my eyes, stood think
ing as I seemed never to have thought
before. Then it was that-as sudden,
swift and startling as one of those
flashes which were momently iilumin-
ing the outer world-an idea shot
through my brain which for an instant
or two seemed to cause my heart to
stand still. And yet at the first blush
it was an idea that had about it some
thing so preposterous, so ludicrous,
even, that had the need been at all less
imminent, I should have discarded it at
once as little better than the inspira-
ton of a mad woman. But, preposter-
ous as the idea might seem, for the life
of me- I could think of no other, and
There was no time for hesitation. ]
must discard ii or adopt it. and that
without a moments delay. 81 will try
s.-. - I-A fs --.zc
with an inward groan.
On the toilet-table was a jar of white
tooth-powder, which had been replen-
ished the previous day. I shook out q
quantity of this powder, shut my eyes,
and proceeded to rub it thickly over
my face, arms, and hands. That done,
I drew the white coverlet off the bed,
and draped myself with it loosely from
head to foot; then I unbound my hair.
which in those days was ebon black
and reached below my waist, and shook
it round my face and over my shoulders
in ''most admired disorder" 1 was
now ready for the role I had made up
my mind to enact.
Bessie has told me since that she
thought I had taken leave of my senses.
just at the moment my toilet was com.
pleted, and as I turned and advanced
toward her, another long, ~quivering
flash lighted up the room. A low shrek
burst involuntarily from my sisters
lips, and she shrank away from me as
though I was something altogether un.
canny.
so Barbara, dear, what is the mat
ter9" she cried. "Why do you brighten
me sop
SIT is not you I want to brighten, but
the men down stairs" I replied. Then,
in q few hurried words, I told her my
plan.
She would have tried to dissuade me
but there was no time to listen. Leav
ing her there watching by the window
ready to raise an alarm in case the
mounted constable should pass on hi.
round, l stole swiftly and ~noiselessly
down the carpeted staircase, and only
paused when 1 reached the corridor
below. I could hear a subdued muir
muir of voices, and a moment later
was startled by a noise of falling glass
The burglars had succeeded in effect
ing an entrance. They and Iwert
separated only by the drawing room
aOols "hIOhs oibIOuSh lOChCos was dL
obstacle that very few minutes would
suffice to overcome. With ar indraw
ing of my breath 1 sped quickly pas
the door along the length of the cor
ridor until l. reached the opposite
end, where there were two NOR
doors, one of them being that O.
my brothers office, which also was
locked, and from the lock of which
now withdrew the key. 1 have omitted
to state that the window of Johns
Office was secured by two stout bars
which was probably one reason why
the thieves had chosen to effect al
entrance at a point more readily
adapted for their purpose. The secon(
door at the end of the corridor shut of
a short passage leading to the kitchen
This door I succeeded in opening with
out noise. I had decided to take my
stand a little way OF the inner side o
it and there await. the course of events
By this time the men were busily q
work forcing the lock of the drawing
room door. A thin thread of ligh
which shone from under showed tina
although the lightning was still as IRE
quent as before, they did not find
sufficient for their purpose.
Scarcely breathing, 1 waited. 1 wa
too excited, too wrought up, the tension
| of my nerves was too extreme to allow
of any personal fear. 1t was all ter
ribly real, yet with a strange, vague
sense of unreality underlying it. l fel
as if l should not have been surprised
had 1 woke up and found the Who'll,
affair resolve itself into a dream, while
yet fully assured in my mind that i
was nothing of the kind. Suddenly tn
noise at the door ceased; the lock hat
been forced. The thread of light dis
appeared for a few moments, all wa
silence the most profound. Then
fain. creaking, which at any other tim
would have been inaudible, told M
that the drawing-room door was being
opered and that the crucial momen
had come. 1 pressed one hand owe
my Eeart, and for a few brief second
In almOst overpowering- desire seize
me To get back TO nv room at any COS