San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-22

OF intense vG&..~.on p,ISSse1 ortr his features,
and this in turn yielded to a smile at his own
expense. "WhewI This comes of not being
sufficiently precise in investigation; a lesson
| hardly ought to need to learn, after all
these years" he grimly soliloquized. Then
he bowed deprecatingly to us, and proceeded:
THE storm was raging so fiercely that was
content in the station yard with little delay
and few words. | asked the coachman who
was handieSt if he could drive me to Capt
Escott's, Walnsey, and he said Yes sup
pose he did not catch more than the surname;
and was ignorant that Walnsey and VAIN
sey Cross are not identical places"
They are three miles apart" said Val
81 was uncertain of my train, or Capt
Escott would have been sent to meet me. |
begged him not to do that The question
now is how to get away, for the driver-he
was none too sober-is gone, and my luggage
is in your hall 1t is most unfortunate and
absurd, and wholly my fault, for remem-
Der remarking that the fellow called your
home the manor'-which was not familiar
name for it-both at Daleford station and
here on arrival tender thousand apollo
gies"
Forthwith our group of four resolved itself
into committee for dealing with this singu-
lar emergency. Our debate had but lame
issue. II papa had been here and had be-
come convinced of the bona fides of his unin-
vited guest, he would have sent Spence with
MIR. Lidlaw to Capt. Escott's. But both papa
and the men were absent. Josephs was old
and often ailing; hesitated to suggest any
scheme that should involve his going out into
the tempest And certainly Val must not
venture any such exposure
Mr.. Lidlaw carefully inquired his way, and
announced that he should walk. He asked,
too-very oddly, as l thought, with new
twinkle of doubt-the nearest route back to
Daleford village. Vals directions were clear
and full, and If the stranger obeyed them he
could not possibly go astray in either direc-
ton. 1t seemed inhospitable to permit him
to turn out unattended into the night; but l
could perceive no alternative, and l have
reason to think that he would have overruled
any and every objection.
Mrs. Climber had not appeared. This
struck us afterward as strange. However
busy she might be with her correspondence,
it was curious that she should have heard
nothing of the arrival, or that, hearing, she
should have kept away. Some twenty min
utes after Mr.. Lidlaw had left she entered
the drawing room and listened to our joint
narrative Of what had happened l fancied
that she was preoccupied, until Alice casually
referred 10 the visitors inspection of her
handwriting, and that then her manner
changed, and she listened with more interest
even anxiety-than she cared for US 10 OBJ
serve. From this fact-if such it were-I
was, however, at a loss TO draw any particu-
lar deduction
pass over the hours that elapsed between
this episode and midnight We had retired
early, and the house o0ght to have been as
dark and still as II uninhabited. Older
friends tell me that 1t is the privilege of
healthy girlhood to sleep soundly and with
ease do not doubt that they are right; but
on this occasion continued oostinately
awake.
Suddenly, chill shot through my veins;
sat up among the pillows, rigid, and, doubt
not, blanched almost to their own whiteness
| listened in a very agony Of attention. From
the depths below there had echoed distinctly
upward-or my faculties were playing me
false-the sound of slllen yielding of a
bolt My apartment was Immediately over
the plate closet, and ad jacent to the partition
which closed in the second flight of stairs.
This accounted for the transmission of the
closure. In the dead of night, it was surely
illegitimate and spoke of crime.
pressed my throbbing temples hard
against the wainscot, and found that the
wood was a faithful conductor of sound A
rumbling and grating that could have no
honest and satisfactory cause, Jared upon
my highly strung nerves. was not the vic
tim Of deluson Assured Of this began to
dress, with quaking, fumbling fingers and in
the dark. Plan | had none as yet, and my
actuating purpose was merely to reach and
alarm the rest of the household. 1t was just
blind instinct, for | did not pause to ask
what effectual resistance to a gang of rob
bers could be offered by a pack of scared
women, an invalid boy and one tottering old
man.
| thought first of Miss Turpin, our govern
ess, and Mrs. Climber, and in this order.
They both occupied rooms on the same floor
as myself but far in the rear of the building.
1t was an ugly venture to get to them. AS
was debating, | remembered my mothers
jewels. These were deposited in a dressing
case locked into a wardrobe strong box in
papa's room. Had they escaped the thieves?
Would they escape1 By almost a mechanical
impulse unfastened and opened my door,
and stepped lightly the five or six PAGES to
that of the vast cavern like chamber in
which, the fable goes, a queen once slept.
There was light within, other than that of
the wan young moon, which glimmered feebly
through lOzenEe shaped panes in a window
high over my head. | sucked in my breath
with well nigh audible gasp and shivered;
but it was as though a subtle fascination
drew me nearer in spite of the peril | crept
| -. III l.. Il. Il