The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-09-17
THE LONG PACK.

BY JANE HOGG THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD.
In the year 1923 Colonel Riddig re-
turned from India with what vas con
sidered in those days an immense for
tune, and retired to a county seat on
the banks of the North Tynein North
cumberland. The house was furnished
with every thing elegant and costly,
among other things a service of plate
supposed to be worth f1,00O. He
went to London annually, with his
family during the winter months, and
at these times, there were but few left
at his country house. At the time we
treat of there were only three domes-
tics remaining there; a maid-servant,
whose name was Alice, kept thehouse,
and there were, besides, an old man
and a boy, and two ploughman who
ived in houses of their own.
One afternoon, as Alice was spin
ming some yarn fora pair of stockings,
a pedler entered the hall with a COM
ical pack on his back. Alice had seen
as long a pack and as broad a pack;
but a pack equally long, thick and
broad shedeclared she had never seen.
1t was in the middle of winter, when
the nights were long, cold and weari-
some. The pedler was a handsome,
well dressed man, yet Alice declared
that from the first she did otlike him
greatly, and though heintroduced him
self with q great deal of f1attery, yet
when he came to ask for a nights
lodging, he met with a peremptory re-
fusal.
Hejested onthe subject, sayingh he be-
leved she "a in the right, FORT would
scarcely be safe to trust him under the
sameroofwithsu such sweet and beauti-
fulcreature. Alice was an oldmaid, and
anything but beautiful, but it would
not do, consent she would not to his
staying there.
"But, T you really going to turn
me away tonight"
eyes"
"Indeed, my dear girl, you are I'M
reasonable; l am come straight from
New Castle, where I have been pur-
chasing a fresh stock of goods, which
are so heavy that I cannot travel far
with them, and as the people around
here are of the poorer class. l will
rather make you a present ofthe finest
shawl in the packthang go 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 with them"
"What the wors a you OF your
master be of suffering me to tarry un-
til the morning?" urged the peddler.
The conversation went on thus, Alice
proving opdurate, and at length the
peddler agreed tie go elsewhere and seek
for lodgings, if she would let him leave
the pack 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-
luctance, as she wanted nothing to do
with his goods. 'The pack will be
better out of your way" said he, "and
safer if you will be SO kind as to lock
it by in some room or closet" She
then led him into a low parlor, where
he placed it carefully on two chairs,
and went away wishing Alice a good
night.
When old Alice and the pack were
left in the large house by themselves,
she felt a kind of indefinite terrorcome
over her mind about it. "What
can be in it that makes it so heavy?
Surely where the man carries it SO far
he might have carried it farther. It's
a confoundedly queer pack. I'll go
look at it once again. Suppose Ishould
handle it all around? may then have
a good guess what is init"
Alice went cautiously and fearfully
into the parlor, and opened a wall
press. She wanted nothing IN the
press, indeed she never looked into 1T,
for her eyes were 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 leave it-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
lor, closed the window-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
mercyl 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 or her body crept.
She hasted into the kitchen as fast as
she could, but her knees bent under
the terror that overwhelmed her heart.
She blew out the candle, lighted it
again, and not being able to find a
candlestick, though a dozen stood on
the shelf, she set it in a water jug, and
ran to the barn for old Richard.
When she had told her story, ending
with the informationthat the pack was
"a living pack, Richard dropped his
aaiI unon the floor and stared at Alice