Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-12-24

last tones had died away did snc turn ant
20 into the house. II was not long bcfor
the sun rose clear and bright, and tson In
dustrious hands dispollcd all lingering
sense of loneliness.
The usual household duties over, she pro
cccdcd to prepare pleasant surprise fol
her dear ones. Ere nightfall, from tht
rudo ceiling overhead depended graceful
fcstoons of evergreen; tho silvory frost
work of the windows had n worthy omor
nld setting, and tho spacious fireplace
filed with golden light and warmth was
surrounded by rich mass Of green; In
short, the humble little dwelling had been
completely transformed by tho magic
hands of love, aud this same touch had fair.
ly transfgurcd 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 stocking-Willic's, Henry's,
yes, Johns, and her own MS well-nll hung
around the chimney, which was surely am
pie enough to admit the burly form of Kris
Kringlc himself If ho still kept up his old
custom And now It was timo TO prepare
for the night AS she drew tho plain whito
curtains together she found, TO her surprise,
that each window was nailed fast, and she
knew that this was the work of dear,
lUOuEnllul john DClOft Hp Wcnu uWuy.
| Why had he been so worried about her, she
wondered. There was nothing to fear, she
tried to rcassure herself as she went to the
outside doors and drew the bolts; novcrthc-
| less, with candle in hand shc searched
| thoroughly each room, not nsglocting to
| lift the bCd-valancc, and investigate the
provcrbul hiding.pacc Of thieves and viii
| lains. Then she put tho candle out and
| crcpt softly into bed Many times she had
stayed alone thus without a shadow OF fear
why should she care now! she asked
herself again and again, and trying to be.
| licvo that she was only nervous from
fatigue she at last dropped into slumbcr.
How long had she slept She could not
tell, hut she had awakened with n start,
and was sitting up In bed in half con-
scious state. She could not tell what had
reused hor, but she thought IL must have
been the striking of the clock, for 1t was
just telling the hour of twelve with start
ling distinctnoss; yet there she sat mo-
tionlcss long after the last stroke had died
away in tho oppressive stiffness. The
moonlight was shining through tho cur.
tains, casting an uncertain light over each
object in the room. 1t seemed rs IL some
mysterious presence had startled her, She
listened with painful interest, her gaze
fixed on the window opposite, and, as she
looked, the dark outline of the easement
seemed TO move upward. No, it could not
be. 1t must have been caused by tho
strong wind that was blowing; yet, surely
the wind could not move it in that direc-
tiOn.
She thought of the Indians that Hiram
had seen that day; she thought of tho
money concealed under tho foot of tho bed,
and then Johns charge to her regarding
the dangcr-signal flashed through her mind.
She sprang out of bed in an instant, but tho
next moment, to her dismay, she remcm.
bcrcd that she had neglected to bring tho
dinncr-horn into the house, and that II was
then lying in its accustomed place in tho
woodshcd. She would not venture out there
for kingdom. All her courage seemed 10
leave her. Noselessly she went to tho
window to ascertain to GER
tainty that IL was secure, and as she exam.
ined each one i'll turn, she could distinctly
hear footsteps on the cracking snow, fol
lowing her, and trying each window as shs
approached it. Then the steps seemed to
retreat, and n 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 moment she
timdly raised corner of the curtain and
looked out. Her fears were all too plainly
verified, for there in the bright moonlight
was the unmistaltable figure of great
brawny Indian. She could clearly distin-
guish his swarthy features, ana, as hia
blanket swayed 10 and fro in the wind shd
thought she detected cleaning knife in
his belt
She hastily dropped the curtain and once
more listened with breathless anxiety.
For n time all was still; then n strange,
rustling sound was heard, and the next
thing she realized was that n heavy body
was creeping along the roof. Great
heavensl what was the creature going to
do! A noise near the chimney seemed to
be her answer Already he was coming
a glance the courage and strength of des-
peration came to her. To rush into tho
room, drag out the straw bed and fling il
ON the dying cmbers 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 the chimney a
dark form, which appeared to be strug-
Cling, rs 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, frantic notes that
they must have been heard for miles in
the still, clear air. Then she started TO run
down the road, but every thing swan be-
fore her, her knees sank under her, and the
next moment she knew no more.
"Never mind; don't talk just now," John
was saying to her when she came TO her.
self. "Ill tell you all about it if you'll
promise to lie quite still and not ask any