The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-05-12
Love UlfalllDg.
BY JENNIE PORTER ARNOLD.

In the early twilight of day in September Mrs. Barton was stepping briskly to and fro preparing supper in great haste, for thoughtless caller h3d delayed her work beyond the uAual hour Her two boys, Ralph and Edwin, lads of the respective ages of thirteen and eleven years, with all the masculine impatience of hunger, were adding to her nervous irritability by their fretful complaining.
 "Here, Mary" she said, hurriedly, to her little twelve year. old hand maiden: run down cellar, quick, and get the butter. No, don't stop for a ight," as the girl started for lamp i; Pm in too much of hurry to wait
 that. You know just where it is, nd can find it in the dark"
 Half reluctantly, Mary started to bey. She dared urge no remon- strance against Mrs. Barton's con- mands, although there was only one thing in the world she dreaded so much as going into the cellar in this way she had horror of entering the place after nightfall even with lamp, and, in the dark, it was something ter rible to her. Years before, thought less companions had frightened her by telling all sorts of stories of ghosts and wild animals secreted in such places; and ever since then, reason with her who might, she could never enter cellar after dusk without peo- bling it with all imaginable horrors.
 But what she dreaded quite as much were Mrs. Barton's sharp reprimand and the ridicule of the boys which she knew she would meet if she betrayed her fears; 80 she went resolutely down the stairs, stepping softly, her eyes glancing in every direction, and her ears strained to catch the first sound of the dreadful creatures which might be lurking there. She reached the butter, and was stepping to lift the pan which covered it on the cellar bottom, when her ears detected 6 slight sound in distant corner. She turned quickly, her heart beating fast with terror, and saw two fiery eye balls glaring at her, not dozen feet distant. Her flesh seemed to creep, and her heart to stand suddenly still. There was a slight rustling move- ment, and the eyes-which in the darkness, looked like balls of fire-ad- vanced slowly toward her. With a wild shriek, she dropped the pan and rushed upstairs, falling half fainting, on the kitchen floor.
 "Why, what on earth is the mat ter?" Mrs. Barton exclaimed, in as- tonishment, while the two boys rushed up with eager curiosity as heir mother raised Mary to sitting position.
 The girls face was blanched to a deathly whiteness and her eyes di- lated with terror.
 "I don't know" she gasped, shud- dering, as she glanced at the open eel lar-door; "there was some dreadful creature there, with eyes of fire"
 "Nonsense How can you be such simpleton?" Mrs. Barton impa- tiently gave her a rough jerk to her feet, while Ralph laughed derisively
 At that moment huge black cat came up the stairs, and, entering the kitchen, came over to Mary and rubbed against her feet.
 "Oh, hol hop laughed Ralph "here's Mary's hobgoblinl Poor old Tom! Oh, what girl-soared tc death by 8 tom-catw
 The blood rushed back into Msry't face making ears and cheeks tinglt with shame. To be frightened like that by poor innocent Toml Il was sufficiently humiliatiDg without Ralph's ridicule.
 "Oh, do hush your noise," hi mother said impatiently, "and let hel alone; we shan't have any sup. per tonight. Now, the cat is uI here, Mary, go down and see if you can get that butter without losing your wits again."
 Though still trembling, Mary started to obey, shrinking even mor' than before from the trying ordeal As she stepped on the first stair Ralph leaned down and gave . loui cat-call in her ear: "Me-owi me owl" then called tauntingly: "Yor ittle cowardl Oh, you little cow Ardln
 The word stcoward" nerved her a nothing else could have done; aftel that she would have gone undinch ingly, even if all the horrors sh' dreaded stood in the way.
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