Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-09-04
THE LONG PACK.

u g u
81 JAMES HOGG THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD.
In the year 1923 Colonel Riddig re-
turned from India with what was con-
sidered in shose days an immense for
tune, and retired to a county seat on
the banks of the North r ne in North
cumberland. The house was furnished
with every thing elegant and costly,
samong other things a service of plate
supposed to be worth fl,OOO. He
went to London annually, with his
family during the winter months, ard
at these times, there were but few left
ut his country house. At the time we
treat Of there were only three domes-
tics remaining there; q maid-servant,
whose name was Alice, kept the house,
and there We're, besides, an old man
and a boy, and two ploughman who
lived in houses OF their own. ~
One afternoon, as Alice was spin
ming some yarn fora pair Of stockings,
a pedler entered the hall with COM
ical pack on his back. Alice had seen
as long pack and as broad a pack;
but q pack equally long, thick and
broad she declared she had never seen.
It was in the middle of winter. when
the nights We're long, cold and weari-
some. The pedler was g. handsome,
well dressed man, yet Alice declared
that from the first she did not like him
greatly, and though he introduced him
self with a great deal Of hattery, yet
when he came to ask for a nights
lodging, he met with peremptory re-
fusal '"@''
Hejested on the subject, saying he be-
lieved she was in the right, forit would
scarcely be safe to trust him under the
same roof with such sweet and beauti-
fulcreature. Alice was an old maid and
anything but beautiful, but it would
not do, consent she would not to his
staying there.
"But, are you really going to turn
me away tonight"
eyes"
"Indeed, my dear girl, you are un-
reasonable; am come straight from
New Castle, where / have been pur
chasing fresh stock OF goods, which
are so heavy that / cannot travel far
with them, and as the people around
here are of the poorer class. will
rather make you q present OF the finest
shawl in the pack than 60 further"
At the mention of the shawl deliber-
alton was portrayed in lively colors
ON Alice's face, but prudence overcame.
"No, she was but a servant, and had
orders to .harbor no person about the
house, but such as came on business,
nor these either unless she was well &C
quainted wfh them"
"What the worse can you or your
master be of suffering me to tarry a1n-
til the morning." urged the peddler. =
The conversation went on thus, Alice
proving oDdurate, and at length the
peddler agreed to go elsewhere and seek
tor lodgings, if she would let him leave
thespack where it was for the night,
since, fatigued as he was, he could not
possibly carry it away, TO this Alice
consented, although with much re-
tuctance, as she wanted nothing to do
with his goods. "The pack will be
better, out of your way said he, land
saferif you will be so kind as to lock
it by in some, room or, closet" She
then led him into q low parlor, where
me placed it carefully on two chairs,
and went away wishing Alice a good
night.
left in the large house by themselves,
\ she felt a kind of indefinite terror come
over her mind about it. what
/, pall, be in it that makes it so heavy?
Surely where the man carries it so far
he might have carried it farther. It's
. confoundedly queer pack. I'll go
look at it once again. Suppose IshOuld
handleit all around? may thenhav
good guess what is in it.. ~ -.
Alice went cautiously and fearfully
into the parlor, and opened a wall
press. She wanted nothing in the
press, indeed she never looked into it,
Tor her eyes We're fixed on the pack,
and the longer she looked at it the
worse she liked it, as to handling it,
she would never have touched it for
all it contained. She came again into
The Kitchen and reasoned with herself.
She thought Of the mans earnestness
TO ieaye --of its monstrous Shape,
and every circumstance connected
with it: they were all mysterious, and
! she was convinced that there was
something uncanny, if not unearthly,
in the pack. She lifted a moulded
candle and went again into the par
Tor, closed the windo w-shutters and
barred them; but before she came
out she set herself upright, held in her
breath, and. took another steady and
scrutinizing look at the pack. God Of
rnercY She saw it moving, as visibly
as she ever saw anything IN her life.
Every hair on her head stood straight;
every inch OF flesh on her body crept.
She hasted into the kitchen as fast as
she could, but her knees bent under
the terror that overwhe lmed her heart.
She blew out the candle, lighted it
again, and not being able to find q
l...