The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-21

for his mean, saving spirit that. kept us
all half clothed and half-starvcd, when l
knew he was rich man. hated him
for denying me every childish pleasure,
and trying to make my mother bring me
up by his own iron rules. And with this
hatred was the knowledge that when he
died would have all hismoney. Hehad
superstitious horror of making his will,
believing that it would be followed by his
death, and I was his only heir-at-law.
He made no secret of this himself, but
delighted to taunt me with his robust
health and my sickly weakness, and tell
me would never live to spend his money,
much as I might desire it.
He had been particularly savage on that
point one Friday evening in December,
when he had returned from Stockton to
find me lying on a sofa with nervous
headache. He shook the tin box in
which he had his money in my face,
and told me that I would never spend
it, as his life was worth ten of mine.
"Lying there with your pasty, white
face" he growled, "and eyes like goose
berries. A nice substitute you are for
my son! You are not worth your funeral
expenses"
Something had made him more ILL
tempered than usual even, and he kept
up running fire all the evening of try
ing speeches, scolding my mother for
waste and extravaganza, threatening to
cut down the meagre housekeeping al
lowance still lower; swearing at me for a
wretched, sickly mite, not worth my salt.
It was a miserable three hours, and at
ten o'clock, when he went to bed,
mother and I cuddled into each others
arms and had good cry.
It was bitter cold night, and I was
curled up in a nest of shawls in warm
room, and gave little shudder at the
prospect of the icy-cold chamber and
Sheets above us. Mother noticed it.
"Suppose you stay here," she said.
ssI will come down in the morning be-
fore your grandfather is awake and call
you; and you are so comfortable you
will soon fall asleep"
Stay there! Stay alone, with that hor-
rible clock in the room, all night! I,
who had never slept alone in all my life!
And yet, it was so cold up stairs, and my
nest so deliciously comfortable. The
physical sense conquered, and I saw my
mother depart with the candle, for we
dared not have light left burning. I
tried to sleep in vain. The clock ticked
as if every stroke was made with ham
mer on my brain; the darkness was in
tense, and suddenly I heard stealthy steps
in the hall. The climax was too much
for my strained nerves, and I sprang to
the door of the dining room, forgetting
that it was always locked at night, and
the key in my grandfathers room. No
chance of stolen crust in that house.
A hand on the hail door drove me
nearly frantic, and with the instinct of
concealment only, I opened the clock case
and curled down the door, holding the
pendulum fast in my shaking hands. The
door opened, and the steps came into the
room. Darkness all around us, and my
terror of burglars almost an insanity, my
situation may be ina ned.
"He's not asleep yet, va voice said, and
I knew the speaker was our man-servant,
Robert. He always sits up O. Friday
night to count the money and sort it
out"
"sure he's got it2" said a strange
voice.
"Sure2 Of course I'm sure. Don't
I drive him over every Friday of his
blessed life to draw it out O. bank9"
"We can get now, then. If we knock
him on the head, there's only lot O.
women in the house."
"No," said Robert. ssWell get the
money, but I'm not hankerin' for rope
round my throat yet. Well wait awhile. I"
"Let's 60 outside and see if the light
is burning in his room yet"
Creeping softly, slowly they crossed the
hall to the kitchen, and l lay almost un-
conscious, too much terrified to move. 1t
was some minutes later when light
came across the room, striking the glass
of the clockface, and I heard my grand
father say:
"H'm! was mistaken! I thought
only one of 'em went to bed. That brat
is cOddled to death! Sleeping down
here next!"
he poked about aShAe, stirred up the
shawls on the sofa and went off, having
passed the entire time in muttering abuse
of my mother and myself.
"Let them steal his money!" thought,
in guilty delight. "Let them knock
him on the head. Serves him right!"
Then in the darkness seemed to see
him with o great gaping wound in his
gray hair, and the blood streaming down
his face. Would I be hung, too, if the
men killed hime I would have all his
money!
It was terrible-was it not2-for
child to hesitate, but did; and when I
crept out of the clock-case and went
softly up the stairs, fingered, half re-
solved to 60 to my mother and let the
robbers do their worst.
MY timid knock was answered by
snarling permission to enter. Before the
torrent of abuse I saw preparing was
uttered, said:
ssGrandfather, Robert and another
man are down stairs, waiting for you to
60 to sleep to steal your money and kill
you!"
A grim look came into his face.
ssThat's a nice lie!" he said.
StJt "a fr,,et Thev rane into the sit-