The Portland daily press., 1888-04-28

In the evenings-it was now April-Ethel
and usually sat on the upper veranda, and
there spent the hours. drinking in the SOFT
delicious air, and feastng our eyes, if it was
moonlight, on the lovely landscape, the val
ley clad in the tender green of early spring
The rounded, waving outline Of the Coast
range was lighted up off in the western loot
hills by the twinkling lights of great tur-
reted, pinnacled structure that looked IKE
some beautiful castle, transported from a
foreign land, but was, alas! only an asylum
for the insane.
One night, about ten O'Clock, when the
early moon. had already gone to sleep, and
soft darkness covered valley and hill, we
went reluctantly to our rooms to prepare for
the nights rest. 1t was so pleasant that IL
gave guilty sense Of wasting time to spend
it in sleep.
had just put on my soft flannel dressing
sack, and unpinned my hair-it is my own
hair, too-ready for Ellen, my maid. to
brush it out, when Ethel, with light rap,
opened the door, and stood there for a
moment framed in the dark woodwork,
with the dusky hall for background, look
ing pretty as picture"
She had put on long white cashmere
wrapper, let down her bright auburn hair,
which fell in curling masses to her waist,
and fioated around her head like an aureola.
A wax taper held high up in the air threw
bright light on the blooming face, the
saucy nose, little turned up, and the rosy
mouth; the graceful folds of the cashmere
concealed the fact that she has mo figure to
speak Of" and altogether she looked so cum
ming that my heart warmed toward her, try
ing as are some of her ways.
Come, grandma said she, gaily. 1--WE
haven't looked for the 'man-in-the-moon'
yet"
This is a sportive name she used to denote
her cheerful scepticisms on the subject of my
fears. She isn't afraid of anything. 1t
doesn't look well for girl to be so courag-
eous. In my time, girls were afraid Of
everything, even a mouse; nowaday they
dissect mice.
/ caught up the poker, and Ethel seized a
lawn tennis racquet that had been laid aside
for repairs; Ellen, my maid, brought up the
rear of the column, armed with a large,
ivory-backed hair brush, and altogether we
had quite the air of that amusing painting of
Toby Rosenthal's, "The Seminary Alarmed"
''Pll tell you what shall do, grandma, if
the 'man-in-the-moon' ever does come down."
said Ethel. "Just feel of my triceps" Tor
biceps), and doubling up her arm, she put
my hand on it to feel place as hard as a
door-knob. She got that going to the gym
nasium, climbing upstairs on her hands
instead of her feet, throwing dumb-bells,
just like a boy. / don't approve of such
things. In my day girls danced the minuet.
II should just strike out from the Shout
der, so."
And, suiting the action to the words, she
''struck out" Away went the racquet right
through the mirror, shiyering it into thou
sand fragments. We all stood aghast, but
Ethel recovered herself at once.
81 tell you, grandma, if should do that it
would be the last of him, wouldn'tit? Come
let's go on, and then I'll help Ellen gather
up the fragments"
Here Ethel dropped on her knees, and ex-
plored with the offending racquet every nook
and corner of the dim recess under the bed.
''Mr. Nobody here now" said she, getting
up with flushed face and tumbled hair.
Don't say after this, grandma, that I'm not
attentive"
We then gave the closet thorough inves-
tigation, thumped on the walls with a poker,
shook out the waterproofs, that are certain
to look as if the sleeves were stuffed full of
arms, looked in old shoe-boxes, and finally,
standing up in chair, / rummaged along
shelf running the length of the closet, where
| wasalways afraid that some tramp would
lay himself away through the day.
Satisfied at last. we took up the line Of
march, in and out of the winding halls, up
and down through vacant rooms, shaking
old clothes, humping dead walls. poking in
to broken boxes, and opening invaded
trunks, until we reached the last room, a
little bedroom. with shelving roof, at the
end of which was low door, leading into
small closet half-filled with box of worm
eaten books.
'Thus endeth the farce" said Ethel.
throwing wide the little door, and-and-
There HE was
Low-hrowed, villainous, shock of coarse
black hair bristling ON his head, fierce
black eye, glancing out of his head, a bunch
of false keys in one hand, and pistol in the
other.
Ethel entirely forgot about striking out
from the shoulder"
As for me, the poker fell from my limp
and trembling hand, and said-of all the
absurd things that person could say on
such an occasion-I said, as if he were
long-expected friend, slow, how do you
do?"
AT this strange salutation, grim smile
lurked round the corners of the mans
mouth.
''Rather warm in here, thank you," he re-
piled, with hooking air of polteness.
with your permission, I'll step out"
There was an ominous click of the pistol,
and-the man stepped out.
''The Howly Virgin save us" cried Ellen
she wears French cap. but speaks with a
Dublin accent-and she forthwith fell upon
her knees, and began to tell her beads.
The burglar wiped the drops of sweat
from his ugly brow, and looked greedily at
the diamond scarf-pin which fastened my
lace kerchief.
"Don't be afraid. old lady," said he, ia
miliarly. 81 sha'n't hurt you, but III trouble
you for that PIN"
If it had been to save my life / could not
have moved my trembling hands; but Ethel
stepped forward to unclasp it, and, if you'll
believe me, that child was as cool as De-
cember morning.
First water" said the burglar, grasping
the pin, looking at it and then stuffing it in
to his pocket.
Now, old lady, your watch" That cut
me to the heart. for EthePs grandfather had
given me that watch for wedding present.
1t was set with pearls ali around the face,
and ON the back, enamelled in blue, was
forget-me-not, in small diamonds. l valued
it next to my wedding ring, but mercy! in
twinkling that went, too.
Rather thin," said he, ''but will do to
melt up"
Dear me! would almost as soon have
my withered old heart melted up.
'Now," said he, turning to Ethel, ''we'll
take the bureau-drawers."
Ellen was lying on the floor, where she
had gone from devotion to insensibility, so
Ethel lighted the way back to my room; and
if ever woman suffered l suffered while
this thief's coarse hands tossed about the
Il