Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-09

But she proceeded, nevertheless, 10 put
on a wrappe and let down her beautiful
hair preparatory to brushing it out and
putting up for the night. 1t was long and
thick and curly, of a warm r~ed-brown, and
it hung about her like a veil softening her
harsh features until she said to herself in a
whisper of p~ardonable pride, Il am almost
pretty with my hair down! How | wish
~ She never finished the sentence. 1t
died away in a smile which fingered about
her lips as she wound the plentiful waves
and ripples into acareless knot at the top
of her head, and sat down ON the edge of
the bed, lost In meditation as pleasant as
it was profound.
At last she looked up.
Sally was sleeping the sleep of the just,
with one dimpled hand under her cheek,
the other lying idly on the eoverlet. The
old Dutch clock on the landing of the stair
below chined out a m~elodious midnight,
and Madge began to think seriously of
bed.
As she glanced up, however, her eyes be-
held a sight which caused every drop of
blood to stand still in her veins.
In the mirror opposite she saw the door
of closet on the other side of thereon open
slowly, and the face of a man pop slyly out
"a bad, brutal, scar scanned face, with
bloodshot eyes that.scanned the scene with
evil accuracy. They saw the slumbering
and unconscious Sally, the motionless fig
ure of Madge, evidently about to follow
her friends example and retire for the
highland the little heap of rings, and
pins that glittered on the tiny table near
by! With a grin of hideous satisfaction
the face was noiselessly withdrawn, and
the door shut softly again, while poor
Madge laid a hand upon her heart and
tried tostil its wild beating.
What should she do? Wake Sally, who
would be certain to cry out in a frenzy of
fright, and give the wretch a chance to an
initiate them before they could escape? Fly
down stairs to the smoking room, where
she could hear some of the men still talk
ing over their cigars, and abandon Sally
to her fate? She raised her head once
more In despair, when, 10! a. idea!
Lightly, trembling, she rose to her feet.
lightly crossed the room, and suddenly,
heavens! how the door cracked; suddenly
she turned the key in the lock, and had her
prisoner safe.
How he swore and Stormed and beat
against the door, while Sally woke scream
ing, and the household In a state of dire
alarm, appeared upon the scene. The men
rushed up from the smoking room and pro-
ceeded to extract the offender from his I'M
promptu dungeon, and to deliver him over
to the officers of the peace, who were sum
moned by a watchman's rattle, welded
vigorously out of the window by Mrs. Van
COOver In a paroXlsm of fear.
There was an lmmenSe amount OF CAB
bic and explanation going N, unstinted
praise of Madge's courage and presence
of mind, and then a general rendezvous
in the hall sbelow, for sleep was feltto be
impossible after whathad ccIrred. But on
the way down stairs, on the dusKy land
ing. where the old Dutch clock had stood
for years and told no tales, Mr.. Tom Fot-
teral and Miss Madge Palliser were de-
tanned a moment or two behind the rest,
quite by chance, of course, and unnOt1ced
by any. The red-brown locks were In a
sad state of tumble, but the pretty pink
wrapper was very becoming nevertheless,
and for once in her lfeits wearer was love-
ly, with happy tears in her eyes and the
dearest blush in the world mantling her
cheek, as somebody's tender arms went
about her neck and somebody said softly
"At Trinity the last of May
And that was all. A very brief mo-
ment of bliss, but next Sunday a para.
graph appeared In several gossipy jour
nails, which electrified society at large.
1t said:
1.-The engagement is announced of Mr..
Thomas Urquhart Fotterall, who is the
only scion of the oldest and most aristo-
cratic family in Virginia, and Miss Mar
garet Euphrosyne Palliser, the reigning
belle of the season"
As for the burglar, he was sentenced to
a fine long term in jail, and Miss Madge
Palliser might have realized a handsome
fortune had she accepted the offers of the
various dime museums that longed to