The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-12-21
ute, and the wonder is that l didn't
net nm at once At first I thnnnht

get up at once. AT nrst thought
/ would, and then Thought per-
haps it would he better to keep still
and see what was going to happen.
Getting up and rushing out into the
other room wouldn't help matters
any, and it might make them good
deal worse.
The steps came to the kitchen
door and then paused. Then / heard
the door opened softly and some one
came into the kitchen. The door
between the kitchen and bedroom
was open trihe, and as / looked
out saw q man with a lantern in
his hand; he stood there listening.
You can well believe l was fright
cned. didn't dare to stir or scream.
1 just lay still and looked out of the
least little bit of a crack in my eye
lids. l knew the man as soon as ]
got look at his face. He was q
great. burly fellow, who had been-a
hand in the factory some time back.
/ had heard John say that he had
been discharged because the propri
etors thought he stole.
He stood there less than minute,
l suppose, but it seemed to me that
it was more than an hour. Then he
came toward the bedroom. He
pushed the door open softly and
looked in, holding up his lantern
that he might see through the open
ing. / shut nay eyes tight then. He
stood there and watched me for
time, with the light shining full in
nv face. 1t was terrible, terrible.
didn't dare move a muscle. / was
in agony for fear the baby would
wake up. i felt sure then, and do
now, that he would have killed me
if he had thought l was awake.
You can't have any idea of what l
suffered as / lay there. 1t seemed
to me that my life just depended on
keeping still, and to keep still under
such circumstances was pretty
hard thing to do. / don't pretend
to say that I'm more courageous
than lots of other women. but / don't
believe you can find many who would
brave it out in that kind of danger
better than i did.
BY and by he seemed satisfied that
/ was asleep and turned away from
the bedroom door, leaving it wide
open. / saw him go over to the old
blue chest,and l knew then what he
was after.
/ hreathed easier when his back
was turned. J didn't dare to stir.
though, but just lay there with my
eyes omen and watched him. Il saw
him take big bunch of keys out
of his pocket and try several before
he found one that fitted the lock of
the chest. Pretty soon he found one
that would open it. He turned the
cover back against the wall and went
to rumaging about in the till for the
money that was covered up. with
some old cloth and papers. 1t wasn't
long before he found it, and after
making sure it was what he was af-
ter, he put in his pocket and shut
up the chest.
You can't imagine how I felt when
knew that poor Ben Green was likely
to lose his money. He had worked
so hard for it,and depended SO much
on it to help him get a home, that
losing it would be death to hin. l
wouldn't have felt SO bad if it had
been our own, I'm sure.
When he had closed the chest he
took up his lantern and came back
to the bedroom door and looked at
me again to make sure, suppose,
that l was asleep. l shut my eyes
again and deceived him as / had be-
fore. Then he went into the hall,
but instead of going toward the
front door he went the other way,
and / heard him open the door into
the cellar,way. Like a fash it came
to me that / could trap him if ] was
quick enough. / never stopped to
think about what might happen
all / thought about was saving poor
Ben's money. / got out Of bed, slip
ped into the hall, and was close be-
hind him as he stood looking down
into the darkness. In less time than
1t takes to tell it, / sprang against
him with every bit of the strength
there was in me, and he went tum-
bling headlong down the stairs
Then swung the door shut, slipped
the bolt into its place, and he was
my prisoner. ] knew he couldn't gel
out of the cellar unless he came
through the door, for it was walled
up with stone, and / felt pretty sure
Of that door, for if you'll look at it
you'll see that it's thick and heavy
Dear me! How the man did rave
and swear. 1t made my blood rur
cold to hear him. But ] didn't stoI
long to listen. / slipped onmy dress
took the baby and wrapped her up il
a shawl, and started to the nearest
neighbours for help. l got boy tt
go TO the factory for John, and thu
neighbor and / went back to th'
house. The man was trying to bea
| the door down with something h
had found in the cellar, when we go
there. The neighbor had pistol
and he was all reaoy to fire at tn,
man the minute he made .hol
through the door. But before h
succeeded in doing that John came
| with two or three others, and the,
} captured him without much trouble
for they told him they'd shoot hin
like a dog if he didn't give up peace
ably, and they would have done II
! and he knew it.
So, you see, l saved Ben's none
after all, and the first thing ,Iohl
did next morning was to take it t
the bank-wouldn't have kept it i
} the house for anything. And tina
: very day John gave up his nigh
job. and haven't been alone q nigh
7 since.
/ didn't know how frightened / rt
} ally was until it was all over. Blu