Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-01

up n a
rough bed.
Sharp pains were shooting through her
head and an intolerable thirst consumed
her.
water" she murmured.
"She's coming to-" said voice, SEEM
ingly from a great distance, which new
ertheless fell upon her ear with a
strangely familiar sound.
A cup was pressed to her lips, and she
drank eagerly.
She'll do now, and I'll co." said the
same voice. A moment later she heard
few steps, and door open and close.
/ She opened her eyes. A man of rough
exterior stood over her. She closed
them again in fright, and nearly
swooned.
When next she opened them she was
alone.
Unable to collect her thoughts, she
lay still few moments. BY and by the
experiences of the morning rushed over
her.
'For heavens sake, where am Il" she
cried. Then she sprang from her couch,
forgetful of her sufferings.
! She was dazed. The room she found
herself in was evidently an attic room.
The roof sloped down low and close to
the floor on one side. There was neither
ceiling nor walls: the rafters and stud
ding were bare of plaster. The floor
was uncarpeted. A dormer window
broke through the roof and gave light
to the room. She flew to it, but could
not reach it; strong iron grating set in
the timbers and floor barred her way.
She shook it in the desperation of de-
spair. AS well might she have tried to
move one of the Brooklyn bridge towers.
She few 70 the door at the foot of the
bed; it was locked and bolted from the
outside.
There was a strong board partition
running up to the roof, and in it was
door; she flew to that. 1t opened, and
she entered similar room. Another
dormer window, and another iron graf
ing, and another door leading to the
stairs; that also was locked and bolted
on the outside.
She was like frightened bird, with
throbbing breast, beating the bars of a
cage.
Then for the first time she realized
that her dress appeared strange.
She examined it. 1t was coarse cal
leo garment of vulgar figure.
She was bewildered. Then she found
it had been slipped over the other DRESS
How? She could not comprehend.
Her head began to whirl, and before
she could reach the other room darkness
overcame her.
When she awoke to consciousness
again she was lying upon the floor. She
staggered to her feet.
How long she had lain there she could
not tell 1t was still bright day. but
whether 1t had been i've minutes or five
hours, she was unable to determine.
Her eyes fell again upon the calico dress
whick covered her. She stripped it off
with hurried action
She stood a moment, her senses numbed
utterly confused.
By and by the events of the day began
to pass before her wildly. She traced
them one by one, to the final scene in the
coach.
1T was chloroform," she said aloud.
Then she thought of her mother, of her
alarm because Annie had not returned,
and of the mothers distress over the new
calamity, falling SO closely on the MUIR
der of her brother.
This thought touched tender chord,
and she wept violently.
The storm of tears acted like a storm
on a sultry day; it cleared the atmos-
phere.
When she recovered herself she began
to think.
She made a close examination of the
room; 1t was similar in size and appear
ance to the one she had first found her
self in.
\ mattress lay in the corner with
pillow and a horse blanket tumbled on
it, as if some one had slept there. Two
chairs stood near the dormer window
On one was a newspaper. She picked it
up. 1t was of the date of the 14th of
September. That was the day she was
last at home. 1t must still be that day.
The newspaper was new and fresh; it
had not been opened.
a small, round table stood in the CEN
ter of the room, a plain, wooden top
table, not particularly clean. A plate,
cup, both dirty, and some crumbs,
showed that not long before some one
had eaten there.
A stump of lead pencil lay on the
table.
She went into the other room.
1t was bare of everything save chair
and the bed on which she had lain.
Apparently there was no hope of es-
cape. She listened. She could hear no
sounds in the house. Only the noises
from the street.-the cries of hawkers.
the shouts of children at play. the roll of
vehicles-all these came TO her deadened
by the distance.
What was the meaning of her seizure
and confinement. she asked herself.
Who was the enemy of her family who
first killed her brother and then abducted
her? Why were these calamities so sud
denly precipitated upon them. who had
always lived such quiet and uneventful
lives?
1t was a problem too deep for her to
solve; she was not even aware of an
enemy.
Her thoughts instinctively turned to
Holbrook. He would assist her if he
knew of her distress. and he would know
because of her failure 10 meet him as re-