The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-02-27

frightened, Mrs. Lester rose up with a de-
Sparing vail.
'Sd.cen, Salcen = She stood shaking and
crying out my name.
Dear Mrs. Lester, | SAID, taking the poor
wOman's cold hands, come ard sit down,
aud tell me what has happened-Kater = /
called TO the girl on the floor, come and
give me that cushion She came mechani.
cally, and helped her mother 20 the arm
chair. Now, tell me. If you can'-but Mrs.
LesieT's head had fallen back upon the
cushion, and she had tainted. The girl
aroused herself.
No wonder she said she had eaten
bothing all day and then all this. It's too
awful, Sale Il. 1 shall go mad il think +;
aud papa has never come back
Where is your father?'
i don't know. We sent down to the club
aud to the house they can't find him. And
we've searched his room, and it's not there.
It's nowhere. And Jack is nearly wild ;
and we daren't break it OPEN
1t! What. child Can't you saw what
you are talking about? l shall GO mad
next. What can't you find? And what
ails you ali?
'Saleen, it's Mary. Mary is In there, and
the key Is gone, and papa is away and
she's dS ing gthere-suffoeatiug:' = and the girl
fiHDg herself on the floor with wild sObs and
tears. Mrs. Lester lay forgotten in her
swOon Kate rolled in unavailing misery
on the carpet. l fled down stairs. The
servants weIe as busy "a ever. 1 knew It
all now.
Good Goi = said to the butler, who was
faar -funrr 90 .-H-
with all this useless folly, and that girl dy.
ing in the next room? ? Is DO one going to
try TO save her p
Davis stood still and looked at me pity
ingy he shook his head sadly and went on
L rushed into the street policeman was
standing near the carts. Come here 1
said. 'fOu'-tO another maD-'go and get a
blacksmith Run for youI life Tell them
TO Oring tools 20 open locks aud unscrew ev-
erything. Run And yOu get a hatchet !;
get anything come and break open the
great cabinet 1 gasped to the servants,
who came out to see what it all meant /;
Don't lose moment Great heavens the
time that has been lost already They
Obeyed me, dispensing hither and thither.-
1t seemed hours before the men came back
with tools. Try the hinges first. Are
there screws p There was that chance, and
they worked at them, removing several
heavy curious nails and screws. but seeming
no nearer the object the door was fast and
firm. o, break it down . L screamed at
last; break it with the Ratchet What
does anything matter, but her life--her
life p
Her life,' said some strange voice close to
me, and there stood Jack March swaying
like drunken man, with scared eyes and
wild hair. Was his reason gone or going?
'Don'tP he shouted to a workman who
was lifting the hatchet to break in the door.
Not up there. Her head And then he
stopped his ear to the keyhole, listened in
teEtlY a minute. raised his hand as il to de-
mand silence, and, the intelligence fading
out of his face, he rose with a discordant
laugh and walked away. Bah 2 he said !;
her life against Lester's cabinet-her life
against a key We did not even look
round to see where he went stumbling
through the hall, where ne fell in a At upon
the floor.
Fearing to iujure that imprisoned figure
living or dead, who could tell-we left the
door and proceeded to break into the mid
die compartment from the wings. The
grand old workmanship resisted there
seemed no weak point, no crevice, no posi-
biity of breaking into the huge thing with
out fear of BARN to that which 1t held locked
and fast, within a few inches of our light
and air and living life, done 20 death by a
bit of clever machinery, the work OF dead
hand. l would not think OF beautiful Mary
Lester as she might be, must be, if another
hosr went by. All this time no questions
were asked. / never knew until afteTward
how it had all happened-how her father,
OILY an hour or so earlier, exhibiting his
wonderful cabinet to a connOisseuU In such
matters, had gone up stairs with his friend
to show the key he priced so much, leaving
the cabinet door open, intending to return
how Mary and the children, a younger
brother and sister, had come in-and how
the unusual sight of the open door had at.
tracted them-how she looked in and told
the little ones she had not stood inside so
since she was as little as they were; and
laughing, tried to stand in tue old place. .
am not too big even now, am . she said
and the children ran to see, and pushing
the doors against her the spring caught, and
shut her in with death and suffOcation
while they went shouting to the others tha
sister Mary was Sin there shut up and 'they
couldn't let her out
No, they could not let her out. Mr.. Les
ter and his friend had gone of with the kel
! TO show it to some one who had doubted il
| date-so it appeared from one OF the boy
who now came in f; he heard them talkin
on the stairs as they went out.
! He said Jarvis knows nothing about II
| he has never seen it, said the boy, sobbing
L heard him. 1 know he said jarvis
That will be Colonel Jarvis in Charlie
street, ma'am,' said Davis. Maybe if "
sent there
There were voices outside, and Barke
looked in with a white face OF horror.
It's master coming she said, IN a sort {
whisper.
We all stood back. Who was to tell him
Who was to say your girl is behind that in
movable door?
But the boy, frightened enough at his 4
ther at other times, went up to him, tryir
to speak quietly: The key, sir. Quick, Il
Gods sake =
Key What-what's all this? God 81
-seizing a servant by the collar and fiingiI
him to Cne side like a eat-'dO you kno
what you're doing meddling with that cat
net? Why, it's worth thousands God bic
me, what does all this mean2 He was pu
pie with anger. Don't stand staring-Sa
Heriot, he thundered, you are not foo