St. Landry democrat., 1884-03-01

4
door and entered. Tidy fastened to
prepare supper, while Fanny slowed
the boys in their cribs. Then the two
women sat on the piazza, talking as
women will as long as they dared.
When no excuse could serve to keep
Miss Jones up longer my wife rueful-
ly lighted her to our pretty guest
chamber, dreading beyond expression.
no doubt, the return to her own quar-
ters.
Il hope you don't feel lonely, dear.
away up here?" she said at last, taking
up her candle.
!" Nm 70, not lonely exactly re-
turned the girl; ''a little afraid, per-
haps.n
s.Afraid?" cried Fanny, and the cold
chills crept along her spine.
Eyes, little, because you were all
away SO long and the house was left
alone. only thought some tramp
- Fanny interrupted her, saying,
as calmly as she could:
''Then come down and stay with me.
| shall be glad of your company"
How good my wife was / am afraid
Miss Jones guessed by her eager in
vitation. She told me that if Miss Jones
had finished the sentence about the
tramp she should have tainted.
So the two descended to my wife's
room, which was in the 'sL'' and
opened into the nursery, as well as up
on the piazza. suppose they had I'M
consciously frightened each other, for
they carefully inspected all the fasten-
11c which FTT1dp no 4 c,,o,,,,,J l. 800 :,
fore, and began to prepare for bed.
They talked till they were tired, then
each tried to make the other believe she
was asleep, lying with wide-open eyes
and ears strained to catch the hum of
an insects wing. What a comfort it
would have been if the call of some
watching sentry could have assured
them hour by hour that all was we'll!
At last sleep fell upon them, but how
long they slept they could never tell.
Fanny was Wakened by a faint sound,
as of some one trying the outside door.
A lamp had been left burning in such a
position that the door could be distinct
ly seen. As she listned, it slowly
opened.
''Shut that door'' she cried, with
the voice of a clarion. Itslowly closed.
Up sprang Miss Jones in mortal fear,
her face as white as her pillows. The
poor things looked &C each other in 81
lence. Again the door began to open,
and once more Fanny commanded it to
shut. The order was obeyed; but suit
ing the action to the lurking falter in
my wife's voice, no doubt, the move
n1ent was less prompt than before.
With one bound Fanny sprang to it and
turned the key, which was still inside.
Then the women held long and anx-
lous consultation, neither trying this
time to conceal her fears. There was
no use in waking Tidy, who would only
add to the panic by rousing the sleep
ing children. Dreadful as it seemed
the only alternative was to call for help.
So they crept upstairs, and. thrusting
their heads out of the windows, they
both yelled like Indians: q Murder!''
/" Fire!' e'Thieves!" Help!'' Alas,
their only neighbor was mile off, and
deaf at that, and echo only answered
They descended and waited. Not only
did the noise continue. but they dis
tfnctly saw the knob turn They had |
begun to barricade the door, when Til
dy appeared. Miss Jones afterwards
told me that Tildy's black eyes cleaned |
out of her white face, like the eyes of
the Brothers of the Misericordia, y
from behind their masks
Just then the baby lifted ND his voice.
My wife hurried to the nursery, and /
had only succeeded in reducing his
shrieks to a simple whine, when Tidy
q bloodeurdling cry:
Teddy is gone"
Satisfied that it was too true, Fanny
took up the alarm with variations: ssMy I
BOY is gone! They have stolen my I
Teddy!" AS near as have been able
to get at the facts, the uproar inside had
risen to its height, when muffied
pounding took the place of the tinker
ng sound which had so long been
Kept up.
The loss of her child now seemed to
'ouse my wife to heroism. She be-
thought herself of my pistols. which she
could never before be persuaded to han
lie. Calling loudly: Il warn whoever
8 tampering with that door that / am
soing to shoot" she pulled the trigger,
md almost dropped the weapon at the
eport. Tidy says that she and Miss
Zones put their fingers in their ears;
nut poor Fan hadn't the chance.
Another shot, and another, until the six
barrels were emptied; then all was still.
Hank, Tidy! What was that?n
Fanny, clutching the woman
or support.
Somebody was coming. Was it
riend or foef They listened. Straight
p the walk, up the steps, along the
azza the footsteps came. and stopped
t the very door which had been so