Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-31

bed. - tho clock was striking nine. the
s2okeswoman turned to me as stood
at the foot. made that motion, of the
nose and lip. and said she would like
to see mo on private business In tho
morning. At the same time, from be-
hind. Sister Emma smiled and bowed,
and then was left standing helpless
in the hall, looking up the stairs along
which the two had disappeared.
Before retiring, Amabel and held q
smothered conversation in the remot-
est corner of the house, the principal
part of this conversation being a dis
cussion as to whether dynamite could
be considered a toilet article. Amabel,
found. had determined in her own
mind that the handbags held dyna-
mite, and that their owners were
female Nihilists.
She said she would prefer that the
house should be full of tin peddlers.
Any thing would be better than two
women, one of whom could not smile,
while the other could do nothing else.
Here she interrupted her remarks to
go and count the spoons and to hide
them in a pile of old newspapers. She
thought that if she walked to find her
self alive in the morning she should
be so thankful that she would not care
to receive the half-dollar promised us.
At first we decided that we would
take turns in sitting up all night, but
in talking thus we both became so
sleepy that we retired directly. OF
course I awoke just as the clock struck
midnight. Equally of course thought
heard a sound downstairs. The set
ter in the yard was barking furiously,
and the terrier in the back porch was
doing the same. With much trembling
and small night lamp crept down
stairs, and found Amabel just coming
up from the cellar. She explained
that she awoke, and suddenly it came
to her that when the explosion oc-
CURED it would be better for the spoons
II they were in the cellar; that they
were there now, and she thought she
should rest easier to be blown up with
nothing on her mind.
Having made this confession, she
glanced furtively at me; then turned a
little aside as she drew from the folds
of the shawl she had about her a
small pistol which had been in the
house as our protection for several
years. It was not one of the kind OF
weapons which will never go off when
you want it to do so. It was of a diff
ferent kind entirely. It was a dread
full little thing, for it would fire itself
any time. or it made one think it
would, which amounted to much the
same thing SO far as nerves are con-
cerned. She saw my look of terror,
and fastened to say that every barrel
was empty, but she somehow had
thought she should feel safer if she
had the pistol with her when she went
down cellar. ,.a
After this we again went to our
rooms, and slept soundly until morn
ing. In my dreams, however, I occa-
sionally wondered concerning that
private interview which was to take
place between me and Sister Emma's
sister. Amabel and I were up very
early. Before six o'clock we had
MIXED the cows, and had our daily
struggle with the hens that wanted to
sit. We leisurely ate our breakfast
and washed the dishes. At eight there
was not sound in the room where re-
posed the mysterious two. The 81
lence had not been broken at nine, and
they had said they would rise at
seven.
We had intended driving to the next
how could we leave until our dodgers
had gomez, harnessed the horse into
the buggy, and ostentatiously brought
him around and hitched him below the
guest-chamber window, talking loudly
to him as I did so. After this, as the
clock was striking ten, we heard a
rustic above. The next moment the
rustic was on the stairs, and then the
speaking one stood in the door of the
sitting-room. She said that Sister
Emma had been quite fatigued, and
could she see me privately? I con-
Quoted her into the west room, and as
1 went Amabel whispered that might
better take the pistol. could appro-
priately have given her the same ad-
vice, for l saw that she was to be left
with Sister Emma e
I do not think I have ever been so
curious in my life as was when this
person drew her chair close to mine.
had a fleeting suspicion that she was
going to mesmerize me, while Sister
Emma in the other room did the same
for AmabeL .s 1sl
That idea vanished when she re-
marked, with entire unexpectedness,
that she had noticed that my COM
plexion was very poor. Yes. I said. !
knew it was She went on to state
that she was sorry to perceive several
ugly moth patches on my face. l &C
knOwlof1ped the truth 8S regards the