The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-10-04

the men down stairs, l." | replied. Then,
in few hurried words, l told her my
plan.
She would have tried to dissuade me;
but there was no time to listen. Leav-
Ting her there watching by the window,
| ready to raise an alarm in case the
mounted constable should pass on his
l round, | stole swiftly and noiselessly
down the carpeted staircase, and only
u paused when | reached the corridor
Ybelow. | could hear q subdued MUIR
emur of voices, and moment later
twas startled by noise of falling glass.
sThe burglars had succeeded in effect
Wing an entrance. They and l were
jseparated only by the drawing-room
oobstacle that very few minutes would
'esuffice to overcome. With ar indraw-
ling of my breath | sped quickly past
\ the door along the length of the cor
i ridor until l reached the opposite
siend, where there were two more
} doors, one of them being that of
i my brothers Office, which also was
u locked. and from the lock of which
Anow withdrew the key. | have omitted
tito state that the window of Johns
loifice was secured by two stout bars,
(Which was probably one reason why
athe thieves had chosen to effect an
K entrance at a point more readily
lAadapted for their purpose. The second
jdoor at the end of the corridor shut Oft
ia short passage leading to the kitchen,
ahis door | succeeded in opening with
out n9ise. 1 had decided to take NV
1 stanu IitUIe way on the inner side OF
E it and there await the course of events.
BY this time the men were busily at
4 work forcing the lock of the drawing
!. room door. A thin thread of light
: which shone from under showed that
although the lightning was still as fire.
4 quent as before, they did not find it
f sufficient for their purpose.
t ScarcelJ breathing, l waited. [ was
= too excited, too wrought up, the tension
0 of my nerves was too extreme to allow
n of any personal fear, 1t was all ter
a ribly real, yet with a strange, vague
| sense of umeality underlying it. | felt
Y as if | should not have been surprised
e had | WOKE up and found the whole
K affair resolve itself into a dream, while
/ yet fully assured in my mind that it
r was nothing of the kind. Suddenly the
Y noise at the door ceased; the lock had
q been forced The thread of light dis
Y appeared for few moments, all was
: silence the most profound. Then a
/. faint creaking, which at any other time
= would have been inaudible, told me
| that the draWing-room door was being
/ opened and that the crucial moment
s had come. l pressed one hand over
= ! hnort md fOp n fau hrnf Snonndg
:. an almost overpowering desire seized
$ me to get back to my room at any cost
= and lock myself within. But it was too
n late by this time the men were in the
|, corridor. l knew it, although [ could
n not see them.
e "Where's the door we want?"
G heard one whisper to the other.
4 "On the right-the first door we come
to-"
As they advanced step, 1 did the
- same.
It "What noise was that?" asked one OF
Y them quickly.
| Don't be a fool. There was nc
d noise"
Al II tell you there was. Where's the
J, glim?"
t But the lightning was quicker than
the ull's-eye 1t came, shifting the
d darkness and flooding the corridor
=, with the binding intensity of its glare
| Then saw the men, and the men saw
q me, but darkness had hidden us from
e each other again before they had time
n to make sure that their eyes had not de
n ceived them.
e One of them gave gasp and wills
1NaraA fn hgS CIV hot th q
d tall white thing at the end of the pass
!; age? Seemed to me like ghost
o "Ghost be dashed! There amt ne
e such things. Here's the glim. Wei
e soon see what it is" AS he spoke the
Y light of his bull's-eye lantern wa
it turned full upon me.
i / advanced couple of PAGES, anC
: the men fell back in speechless surprise
d and terror. have often tried since t.
1t picture to myself the appearance
N must have presented when seen at sucl
p moment and by that uncertain light
a with my ghastly, death-like face, m,
,e dilated eyes, my black, snake-likt
e locks, my tall figure all in white, anC
,e with one extended arm and tingel
pointed direct at the men. l can no
if wonder at their fright.
ID At this juncture came another flash
h and terrible peal Of thunder startled
< the air and shook the house. AT tn
bt very instant, impelled thereto by some
n. thing within that 1 was powerless t.
se control, burst into wild peal o
n maniacal, blood-curdling laughter. On
OF step nearer | advanced; but that wa
Mt enough. With loud yell. of terro
TO the men turned and fled by the wa
sb they had come. / heard a crash c
e. shattered glass; and after that l re
=. member nothing more till 1 came t
80 my senses, to find Bessie snpportin
at my head on her lap and pressing he
a. smelling to my nose.
John's ninety pounds were saved
fe and it is hardly necessary to add this
I'd Dethel, the ex-gardener, was neve
Ia seen in those parts again Chamber
T Journal.
at Weaving Rabbits Wool.
~ Vo,+orJarT droyyo 70 c. Tnoooopt