Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-07-07
ssMv old man and me, we amt SC

OOtS VIII 6cIl you 81. Anu 10 nav
the sheriff man walk into our house
without so much as by yer leave,
; and go poking into my chists and
7 cupboards and carpet-rags, and all,
| saying as | took what didn't belong
to me! O, | never did have my feel
: ms so crippled i
; If the old woman was PLAYING a
a part, she played it to perfection.
Yet if she was not the guilty party,
then who was? Who but she knew of
the banknote? And what burglar
could have broken in that night with
out leaving tracks on the newlv-fall-
en- snow?
Mrs. Niddlins had been gone but
a few moments when Ben arrived. so
worn by his hurried journey that l
concluded to reserve my forlorn little
tale for the next morning. Long af-
ter he slept, [ lay with eyes wide
open trying to solve the mystery. 1t
was bright moonlight, still as death.
Not the faintest zephyr shook the
easement; and yet as the hours wore
on, became conscious of low, mys-
terious sounds that seemed to pro-
coed from the sitting-room below.
Were they spirit-rappings? Was this
| hnuco ba,1nfoI2 n If Pom 1ronlI on1u
wake At last, resolved to conquer
my nervousness, l set about repeat
ing the multiplication table backward,
and strangling the conviction that |
now heard the rafting of paper, and
that somebody was rifiing the secre-
tary, struggled down to the sevens,
when sharp. musical note smote my
ear,-the note of upper C, struck
clumsily upon the piano! My heart
almost ceased to beat. / clutched
poor Ben with an iron grip, whisper
ing flercely, "Wake up!. O, do
wake up! and don't dare tell me it's
imagination, for | heard him brush
against the keyboard. There's bur.
glar in the sitting-room There, he's
hit the piano again Didn't you hear
him? O,for PHYS sake, do wake upl'
"Who? How? What?" gasped
Ben, half choked by my fingers at
his throat.
'sHush, Ben. Don't stir. He's
been at your desk, and now he's at
the end of the cupboard. O, don't
move, he'll kill your
But repeated warnings from me
against imaginary assassins, had
made my husband skeptical about
burglars, and on the present occasion
he vaulted down the staircase without
tremor. l heard brisk opening
and closing of doors, and presently
his returning footsteps.
cit is just as 1 supposed, Mabel"
he said, in a suffering tone. "Every-
thing is quiet. You must have been !
dreaming"
Dreaming, when my flesh was cry
ing out for want of sleepl knew
better, and in my evaporation l
could almost have welcomed house
breaker. But succeeding this cpl
sode came q peaceful stiffness that |
soothed me to rest. | must have |
slept some time, when Ben reused |
me by springing up with the ejacula-
ton, 'EHang it, that piano is twang-
ing like a jewsharp. l believe the
witches are in it ~
Afraid to go, and afraid to be left
behind, l followed Ben down to the
sitting-room, marking with awe the
cessation of noises as we advanced.
Ben, Ben, it's spirits !" whisper
ed | tragically. "Oh, to think this
should have come upon US %
eff it's spirits they'd better stop
this nonsense" said Ben irreverent-
ly. "Light all the burners, please, l
want to overhaul the piano
In another moment he had lifted
out the keyboard, and in another l
was shrieking on the top of the table,
while he dashed hither and yon in
mad pursuit of two scampering mice.
He was not long in despatching them
with the hearth broom, and then he
took me down to show me how they
had gnawed the leather washers from
the hammers of the piano.
''No wonder they made the strings
vibrate, the little midnight maraud-
ers, y said he. 'sAnd look here in
the corner! Upon my word, they
have built themselves a nest ''
They had indeed-a nest compos-
ed chiefly of greenish paper. l ca
gerly fitted together the shreds, and
10 had before me my missing birth
day gift.
Early the next day Ben drove with
me to the little market-woman's cot
tage.
"We've found it; the mice ate it !''
was my absurd greeting as Mrs. Md
dlins opened the door. sWe've
found the money. Oh, can you for
give me for thinking you took it?'
For moment she stood dazed,
then she darted back into the kitchen,
soothing, "It's found, Abram, do you
hear? The note is found We're like
ly folks again I'll praise the Lord
while he lets me draw my BREATH"
The rest is soon told. Ben sent
the mutilated banknote to the treas
ury department at Washington, and
in due time received in exchange a
check for its full value With part