Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-07-01

storm was creeping up, covering the
whole west with darkness, and the
thunder was rolling aud reverberating
from hill to hill rs | knocked on the
casing of the open door. The voice of
n woman bade me enter. She was II
person ut least forty years old, large
and muscular, and her countenance
was anything but preposeSsng. 1t
wore II sullen, sulky expression, and the
gray eyes which sized me up had no
gleam of womanly kindness in them. |
explained that | was n traveller who
craved shelter from the storm, anf she
sullenly replied
''You are welcome to SIT down.
Five minutes later the rain was fall
ing in torrents, and it grew so dark
that the woman had to light candle.
The cabin had but one room below. In
this was bed, bureau and other furni-
ture, and the cooking was done in a
fireplace. At one end OF the fireplace
a rough ladder led To the loft abOye.
The interior Of the house was neither
inviting nor repellng, but certainly
did not like the woman. 1t was all of
twenty minutes after sat down before
she spoke another word, and then 1t
was TO ask what my pack contained. !
opened it in explanation, and told her
[ was on my way to Knoxville to re-
plenish my stock from goods ordered
shipped to that point. presented her
with common pair OF shears, and there
was a sudden change in her demeanOr.
She became smiling and talkatiYe, and,
as the storm showed no sign of abating
she began to prepare supper. and OBJ
served that | must not think of con-
tinuing my journey before morning.
Where asked one question she asked
five. She wanted to know where was
from, how much a stock of goods cost,
whom [ knew at Knoxville, and great
many other things. In return she told
me that she was widow, had a son
twenty years old, who had gone to mill,
and that they had hard time to make
a living.
While the change in her demeanor
was agreeable in one sense, could not
get rid of the idea that the change was
forced. While her lips uttered pleas
ant words her eyes gave them the lie.
We had fair supper, during which
she bore the burden OF conversation,
and it was then seen that L must re-
main through the night. While the
thunder had passed away, the rain fell
in a steady pour. and the night was as
black as tar. She said the storm would
delay her son, but that he was certain
to be home before midnight. She clear
ed away the table, sat down with some
sewing, and asked me so many things
abont the outside world that I knew
she had some time lived in better cir
cumstances and had been fairly well ed
ucated. She gradually led the CONVEX
sation back to my vocation, and care
lessly remarked as she bent over her
sewing:
lone in your business should 60
well armed
''Perhaps some OF them do,' 1 re-
piled, though have never seen Occa-
sion for weapons of any Sort
''lf you-you wanted to part with
your revolver perhaps my son would
buy it. lie is very anxious to secure
such weapon
She did not dare to look me in the
face, and her hands shook as she waited
for me to reply.
''My reyolyer-ha ha ! Pm afraid
no one would accept the walking stick
in the corner over there for shooting
lron.'
But you have a knife she persist
ed, making a great effort to raise her
eyes.
''Yes, this L answered, as exhlb-
tied pocket knife.
That ended the conversation in that
direction. From,that moment the wo-
man seemed very busy with her
thoughts, and conversation Jagged.
On two or three occasions when l ad-
dressed her she started up in nervous
way, and asked me To repeat the inter-
rogatlon. At ten O'Clock | signified
my desire to retire for the night. She
took a candle and assembled to the loft,
and l heard her pulling the bedstead "a
bout and tramping around. The floor
was of undressed aud unmatched
boards. and the light Of her candle
could be plainly made out. When she
came down she handed me the candle,
and hoped l would sleep soundly. AS
was my lnvariable custom, took my
pack along with me, and climbed the
ladder to find myself in long, low
room, lighted by Il window at either
end. The bed was at the further end,
and the lower sash of the window was
up it's full height From the window
to the bed was distance of about four
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