Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-06-17
BOOK FIVE.
LADY BEAUTY'S SORROW
CHAPTER I.
SOPHIA IN A NEW CHARACTER.

Three weary hours dragged by that night
before tired Sophia feel asleep, and sleep had
no sooner closed her eyelids than she was
reused. A low intense whisper, which even
in the moment Of Weakening she felt to be
charged with terror, broke her short slumber.
Sophia! Sophial" she heard her mother
uttering in her ear.
Wide awake in an instant, and alarmed by
the way in which her mother spoke, she sat
up in bed. Mrs. Temple was standing beside
her in her night dress, and, by the dim light
OF the lamp which burned in her room, she
saw that the old womans face was almost
ifeless from its expression of intense alarm
"Mammal mammal" she cried out. "What
Is the matterln ".., ST.
"Hushl hush!" the mother answered, mo
tioning her not to speak SO loud. "If we are
heard we shall be killed"
"What is the matterg" Sophia asked again,
now almost as terrified as her mother.
"There are robbers in the house," Mrs
Temple answered, gasping for utterance
"Come here-softly."
She motioned Sophia to the door, and, step
ping out on the landing, bid her listen. All
was dark and still, and for moment Sophia
either heard or thought she heard her
mothers heart humping against her side
But the house was perfectly silent
ITS nothing, mamma" Sophia said at
last, beginning to speak in her natural voice
''You made mistake" -
"Hushr the mother cried, in the same ter
rif1ed wisper as before. 'I heard them in
the house tried to ring the bell in my
room and I find it won't work. It was quite
right yesterday. This is planned robbery
The servants are in it; we shall be killed,
Sophia, murdered O, what shall DOR
And now, indeed, Sophia. straining her
ears to listen. did hear strange sound below
stairs, and, bending over the balustrade, she
plainly saw one CLEAN Of Light hastily vanish
ing, as IL lantern had for an instant been
turned in the wrong direction Nearly dead
with fear she listened again, and soon after
sounds in the entrance hall, as II heavy box
were being cautiously moved, convinced her
that her mother was not wrong. She took
the old woman's shaking hand and led her
back to her own room.
1--WE must try my bell, mamma; We must
ring that. The noise will frighten them"
"Try it, try itw the mother answered. She
could hardly articulate, and the words came
from between her motionless lips as if she had
not uttered them.
But when Sophia tried her own bell the re-
suit was simply that the wires pulled lightly
and no sound was made These, too, had
been put out Of order.
II knew it'll" the old woman gasped. @The
servants are in it, We shall both be muir
dered here, in this room" a..
And in truth the position was frightful
enough Their windows overlooked the
gAsden, and to open these and cry for help
would have been not only vain, but would
nave added danger to danger Mrs Temple
had sunk upon the bed, and in the paralysis
OF terror seemed to be losing consciousness:
and Sophia, although she tried to keep her
senses, felt as IL she herself would swoon
away. ,.t
"There is nothing to be DONE" the old
woman said. aWe must wait till they come
and kill US 0, Sophia, Sophial can't you
do anything to save mer
Il was surprising to see how utterly pros
.rated with fear the active energetic woman
had become in a few moments And Sophia,
the quiet and delicate girl, was even now
growing more collected She remembered
that the former owner Of the house had
erected in one wing a kind of belfry, with a
bell Of sonorous tongue hanging in Il; for he
was nervous householder, dwelling in fear
Of thieves The girls knew this belfry--so
they called it-well, and had more than once
rung the bell in the daytime In sport: and
now Sophia thought that II she were only
there, she might easily raise such an alarm
as would effectually frighten away the rob
bers. But how to reach the belfryi The only
way was across the very hall where the rob