The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-12-23

last tones had died away did she turn and
60 into the house. It was not long before
the sun rose clear and bright, and soon In.
hands dispelled all lingering
senre Of loneliness.
The usual household duties over, she pro-
ceeded to prepare a pleasant surprise for
her dear ones. Ere nightfall, from the
rude ceiling overhead depended graceful
Of evergreen; the silvery frost
work of the windows had a worthy emer-
aid setting, and the spacious fireplace
filled with golden light and warmth was
surrounded by a rich mass of green; in
short, the humble little dwelling had been
completely transformed by the magic
hands of love, and this same touch had fair
ly TRANSPORTED the face and form Of the
occupant until she appeared every inch the
queen of this fragrant. summer bower.
At last there was nothing more to be
done. Each stocting-Willie's, Henry's,
yes, Johns, and her own as well-aQ hung
around the chimney, which was surely am
pie enough to admit the burly form Of Kris
Kringle himself, if he still kept up his old
custom. And now it was time to prepare
for the night. AS she drew the plain white
curtains together she found, to her surprise,
that each window was nailed fast, and she
knew that this was the work Of dear,
thodSht4oA oohh hS "SaO away
Why had he been so worried about her, she
wondered. There was nothing to fear, she
tried to reassure herself, as she went to the
outside doors and drew the bolts; neverthe-
less, with candle il hand she searched
thoroughly each room, not neglectinQ to
lift the bed-valance, nj investigate the
proverbial hiding place Of thieves and vii
laips. Then she put the candle out and
crept softly into bed. Many times she had
stayed alone thus without a shadow Of fear
why should she care nowl b asked
herself again and again, and trying to be-
reve that she was only nervous from
fatigue she at last dropped into a slumber.
How long had she slept She could not
tell, but she had awakened with a start,
and was sitting up in bed in a half con-
scious state. She could not tell what had
II Used her, but she thought 1t must have
been the striking Of the clock, for 1t was
Just telling the hour OF twelve with start
ling distinctness; yet there she sat mo-
tionless long after the last stroke had died
away in the oppressive stiffness. The
moonlight was shining through the cur
tains, casting an uncertain light over each
object in the room. 1t seemed as If some
mysterious presence had startled her. She
listened with painful interest, her gaze
fixed on the window opposite, and, as she
looked, the lark outline of the easement
seemed to move upward. No, it coulJ not
be. 1t must have been caused by the
strong wind that was blowing; yet, surely
the wind could not move it in that direc-
ton.
She thought of the Indians that Hiram
had seen that day; she thought Of thu
money concealed under the foot Of the bed,
and then Johns charge to her regarding
the danger-signal flashed through her mind.
She sprang out of bed in ar instant, but the
next moment, to her dismay, b remenl-
bered that she had neglected TO bring the
dinner-horn into the house, and that it was
then lying in its accustomed place in the
woodshed. She would not venture out there
for q kingdom. All her courage seemed to
leave her. Noiselessly she went to tho
window to ascertain to q GER
tainty that it was secure, and as she exam
ined each one in turn, she could distinctly
hear footsteps o. the cracking snow, fol-
lowing her, and trying each window as she
approached it. Then the steps seemed to
retreat, and a few moments later she heard
the door-latch softly lifted, but she knew
she had nothing to fear from that direction,
and taking advantage of the momen sho
timidly raised q corner Of the curtain and
looked out. Her fears were all too plainly
verified, for there in the bright moonlight
was the unmistakable figure of n great
prawny Indian. She could clearly distin-
guish his swarthy features, and, as his
blanket swayed to and fro in the wind she
thought she detected a cleaning knife in
his belt.
She hastily dropped the curtain and once
more listened with breathless anxiety.
For a time all was still; then a strange,
rustling sound was heard, and the next
thing she realized was that a heavy body
was creeping along the roof. Great
h%eavensI what was the creature going to
dol A noise near the chimney seemed to
be her answer. Already he was comi4g
down there, and, taking in the situation at
a glance, the courage and strength of des-
peration came to her. To rush into the
room, drag out the straw bed and fling il
on the dying embers was the work. OF
scarcely an instant. Then involuntarily her
eyes-followed the upward direction of the
blaze. There, through the thick smoke, she
could plainly see hanging in h chimney q
dark form, which appeared to be strug-
Cling, as if trying to extricate itself.
Wild with terror, and guided now only
by impulse, she flew out of the house
reached the wood shed, and grasping the
horn she blew such loud, n tic notes Chat
they must have been heard for miles in
the still, clear air. Then she started to
down the road, but every thing swan be-
fore her, her knees n under her, andthe
next moment she knew no more.
'Never mind; don't talk just now," John
was saying to her when she came to her.
self. "T1l tell you all about it if yon'u
promise to lie quite still n not ask any