Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-06-14
LOCKED IN.

locking the school room door, when,
under the shade of the trees outside,
she saw man stand watching her.
She turned pale, but showed no
other sign of emotion. Without turn
ing to look again at this man, she
drew her shawl about her, turned,
came down the steps and walked
homeward
Her home was but a temporary
one. Lucy Hutton had come from a
little farm in the country to take
charge of a parish free school. She
was staying at a boarding house
where nearly all were strangers.
She was very pretty, with long
golden hair, which she wore free up
on her shoulders. Few persons had
ever seen more beautiful hair.
Lucy turned pale because she had
learned to be afraid of this person
who was watching her. She knew
his appearance we'll. For a time he
had sat opposite to her at the table,
al emaciated, paIlid, carefully dressed
man, with long black hair, parted in
the middle of high, narrow FORE
head, and falling long upon his coat
collar. Her first uneasiness was
caused by observing that he constant
ly watched her out of pair of small
black eyes. His observation was so
close as to be annoying She had at
length avoided it by changing her
seat at the table.
He never spoke to her. She did
not know his name and none of the
few persons she knew were acquainted
with him. Having placed herself be-
yond his notice at the table, she con-
graduated herself on having escaped
him, when, to her CONSERVATION aud
serious uneasiness, she discovered that
he followed her to and from. the
school.
She choose to ignore this She
did not even speak of it to any one.
Though a slight, golden haired girl,
Lucy Hutton was courageous, and
natural delicacy prevented her from
making fuss about the matter. But
at last she began to be annoyed by
notes, expressing this mans infatua-
tion. He desired to make her ac-
quaintance-to marry her.
Lucy's immediate impulse was to
send his first note to her lover, Hen
ry Grayson, and ask his assistance -
Then she resisted what seemed a
weakness.
Il shall avoid this strange lover of
mine; he cannot do me any harn.,"
she thought. aa
But she could not forget him. His
eyes, his gait, the cut of his garments,
became horribly familiar to her. She
felt that she was constantly under his
surveillance If she walked alone, he
boldly followed her at distance. If
she entered crowd, she found him
at her elbow. Once as she stood at
shop window looking at some lace, he
hissed in her ear: Il love you,' and
slipped instantly out of sight in the
evening darkness. After this she
never allowed herself to be abroad
after the evenings early dusk AT
the mans approach she had felt him
SO physically powerful as to fill her
with terror.
The day previous to the evening of
which l write had brought a new in
cldent. A note had been left at the
school room addressed to her which
read as follows:
BEAUTIFUL LucY-I must speak to you; you
must hear me. Meet me tonight at the lower end
of Redmons bridge; remember, you must come.
There was no signature, but there
could be no doubt from whence 1t
came. Lucy's cheek flushed with in.
dlgnation; but thrill of fear went
through her heart. Her pursuer's au-
daclty seemed to have approached a
crisis. .....
She crushed the note in her hand,
for the observant eyes of her little
pupils were upon her and she forced
herself to go on with their lessons;
but her cheek burned redly-- her
mind wandered in spite of herself.
Of course she did not mean to meet
this man; and what would be the con-
sequences if she did not? She began
to feel desperately tire need of aid in
this strange matter She wished that
Henry Grayson was there; she wished |
most of all that sbe were at home.
When she locked the school room |
door that night she saw, as I have
said, this gaunt, black haired man |
watching her under the trees With |
a quick, firm step she walked down
the street. At least he should not see
that she was afraid of him. But she
heard step behind her; it was his.
He came to her side; his detestable
voice said over her shoulder: To-
night at 8 o'clock. l forgot to tell
you the time.
She never turned her head or made
the slightest response, as If she had
heard him. He made an effort to
look into her eyes--then fell back and
disappeared.
Lucy reached her room, locked the
door and sat down, trembling and
crying. This last encounter had been
too much for her nerves She was