St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-07-15


"Give my love to auntie, and tell her
1 will ride over to spend the day with
her soon. Are you quite ready, mann
maj"
"Yes, my love, when l put on my
hat. Jim has gone to get the horse
and buggy"
''I saw him go. Let me tie your
bonnet strings. There" tying them
deity, "now l am sure j hear wheels.
will see you off. Don't remain out
after dark, dear"
Her mother laughed as they went
together out to where Mr.. Lee was al
ready waiting for his wife at the door,
and the farm servant Jim was leading
around the staid chestnut horse, har-
messed to a light buggy. Matte kiss
ed her mother, then her father, and
watched them drive off. Somehow she
felt strangely lonely and depressed.
She did not notice the farm hand until
he spoke to her.
"You look as if all wasn't right,
Miss Matte. Is there anything l can
do for you before l go back to the
field 7"
ly shrank from him.
ing is wrong, but l am little lonely"
Then she went in, and the blue,
long dashed eyes of the man followed
her until she had disappeared then he
dropped his head and went, in his
usual shuffiing way, on to the field,
and Matte saw no more of him until
he came in at 6 o'clock hurrying to es-
cape the sudden wild storm which had
Oatharod an6 hnrSf in hOur Mat
tie stood at the kitchen window, look
ing out at the heavy drops, listening
to the sharp peals of thunder, frequent
ly shrOuded in the lurid flashes that
lighted the darkening world, briefly
and blindingly the stolid "help" was
preparing supper, but glancing Occa-
siOnally toward the window at which
Matte stood.
"They'll not come home tonight"
she said at length "nObOdy would let
them come out in such a storm as this,
Miss Matte"
"They must have started before it
broke" Matte answered, shrinking
vaguely from the thought of being
alone in that great house on stormy
night, with these two; then a sharp,
fierce peal of thunder crashed from the
sky above, so sudden as to make her
give cry of startled terror, and, as
the lightning followed it, bright, blind
ing, fantastical, she found a strong
hard on her arm, drawing her back
from the window.
"You are in danger there" The
voice was strange to her, rich, clear,
commanding, and with a ring of edu-
cation in it. She looked up suddenly,
and met those blue, peculiar eyes, her
own dilating as she did SO, for in them
she read sOmething-something strange
and pitiful, and weird, it seemed to her.
A moment later he had turned away,
the figure that had been straight as a
sapling dropped once more, the hand
that had lain sternly on her arm now
falling listlessly at the side of jim, the
farm hand but Mattie's heart was
throbbing wildly, fearfully, as might
the heart of newly-caoed linnet.
The storm continued, fierce as one
of those that sweep the southern flow
ers, but not so brief, for when Matte
went with the "help" to bar the doors
and fasten the windows securely it was
raging, and they knew that Mr.. Lee
and his wife would remain with the
latter's sister for the night.
eff ye're afraid, Miss Matte, I'll sit
up with yOu," the servant said, when
bed time had come, but she said it with
a yawn, and Matte thanked her and
declined.
''I am not afraid" she said, and then
again meeting those strange blue eyes,
which fell as she met them, tremOr
went over her. Was it of fearP
She went to her room and tried to
read, but the thunder, the binding
glares of light, the wild rush of the
winds, drew her thoughts constantly
from her book. At last, feeling lonely
and depressed, and uDaccountably
alarmed, she left her seat and began
walking up and down the room, sob
bling like the petted child she was. 1t
was ii when she at length prepared
for bed, extinguished the light, and
after brief prayer, in which she COM
mended her spirit and all she loved to
Gods care, she lay down, and while
the thunder rumbled off in the dis
lance, and the wind lost it's fierce, hun
CRY howl, she went off to sleep.
Her dreams were not pleasant, and
from one she started up, cold and
and listened for sound.
Was all a dream Hank A light foot
fall under her window, a stealthy
tread unwilling to be heard All at
once strong and fearless, although
growing very pale, she noiselessly left
her couch, and, going to the window,
opened it without sound. The storm
had cleared away, the night was calm
and starlit, now, a faint wind just STIR
red the wet leaves of the maple tree
without, and she saw, or fancied she
saw, two stealthily moving figures try
ing to open the door moment and a
muttered blasphemy reached her, then
she drew her head in, and stood with
beating, bounding heart in her room.
What would or should she do q? Jim.
She flung on loose wrapper over her
night-dress and fairly flew up to the
little attic chamber occupied by the
farm hand. With trembling fingers
she raped on the door. No answer,
no sound from within.
'Jim !" she called, softly. No reply.
She raped again. Still silence. Then
a sudden fear smOte her, and she turn
ed faint under it. Was Jim there, or
was he below making it easy for the |