Evening journal., 1891-11-12

ana stay with me tlll Peter gets Dacki
Jean is away, you know, and"--
''Yes, my dear. I'll do that, assented the
woman, evidently relieved to be let off SO
eesily on the score OF the letter. "And it
won't be long first. It's only short half
mile TO Romney's, If the wind didn't blow
SO like all possessed"
With a good humored nod she disap-
peared into the rain and darkness, and l
ran back to pile fresh logs on the waning
fire. Bank burglars, extradited wander
ers a lunatie at large-with all these pos
sibilities whirling in my brain it is not
strange that | lighted a second lamp in or
der eifectually to Danish all lurking shad-
ows from the angles of the room, and
started nervously when sudden blast of
wind shook the window shutters as if with
some imperious hand.
"I'll go up to the garret and bring down
some butternuts,n Thought ], "and then
I'll get some cider from the cellar. 1t will
be fun to crack the butternuts and watch
the shells blaze in the fire, and Mrs. Gludge
will like drink Of cider when she comes
back all wet and chill.n
Cheered by this happy thought, Icaught
up a lamp and flew to the garret of the
roomy old house where my father had
bestowed all the nutty treasures Of the
autumn woods. Somehow, Priscilla, the
cat, had got locked into the garret, and l
had to release her from durance vile, and
replace box or two which she had knock
ed of from the window sill, before | came
down, driving her catship before me, with
the lamp in one hand and an apronful of
butternuts in the other. Through the
open keeping room door streamed a ray OF
ruddy light into the Cimmeran darkness
of the hall stopped abruptly. Surely
had closed that door when x came out, re-
membering a-certain trick II had Of slam
ming to and fro in windy weather like
this And at the same time a curious con
seriousness of some human presence near by
crept over me like an unseen magnetic cur
rent.
Nor was it false premonition. As
stretched my neck to peep cautiously into
the room, / saw seated before the fire q
gentleman-a youngish gentleman, pale.
black haired, and, as / thought, rather un-
settled Of aspect. And a decidedly wet
and mud bespattered gentleman, whose
raiment steamed in the glorious blaze and
crackle of the pine logs, as he sat there
holding out his hands to the genial
warmth
How had he gained an entranceY Had
earelessly neglected to bolt the big door
after Mrs. Gludge's departure? Yes,
must have done SO, and that was proof OF
how utterly unfit | was to be left by my
self For second / stood there quailinp
and quakng my heart humping like d
triphammer, cold sweat breaking out
upon my forehead before ! decided what
to do.
| had never seen a bank burglar, to be
sure, but / was pretty certain this white
handed gentleman could not belong to that
race. And did not think he acted like
any other scoundrel who was fleeing from
the rigors of the law. He must be the
English gentleman, gone wrong in his
head, who had escaped" from Stephen
sons.
/ was alone in the house with maniac
and at the idea my heart beat more vic
lently than ever and the cold drops grew
colder on my brow.
With a sudden instinct / decided that
there was nothing for it but flight. The
worst feature of the case was that | could
not get out Of the house (be it remembered
that Peter had taken away the key Of the
back kitchen door in his pocket) without
passing directly through the room wher,
LBt ENEADtu iuiidhiI HAu bftHhlAiE btlbAt hAli
fire. This, however, must be faced; ther,
was no remedy for it, and with one blint
rush | precipitated myself through the
room, tumbling over the cat and scattering
shower of butternuts as | went, aEC
darted headlong through the door, with al
involuntary Shrek that might have rem
the ceiling, If ever ceilings were rent il
that way except in the pages of romance.
inf I,a of arlr ftaN
brother Jack, who was coming in from tn
van with a light valise in one hand and
dripping carriage robe in the other.
"Halloor bawled Jack, staggering unde
/ the blow Of my very unexpected appear
ance. "Why-what the-I declare il
isn't Ruthyw
"Oh jack oh. Jackr' l screamed, clutct
| Ing at him like the drowning man at til
/ proverbial straw.
"Where are all the folks? What has b.
come OF the stable keysY What have 70
done with Carletongn he demanded. Bt
| paid no heed to his interrogatories.
"Come, Jacbw | cried; "come quickl.
The escaped lunaticl He's right there
the keeping room Oh, Jack, | do hoI
| you've got your revolverw
WHAT" roared Jack "An escape
| lunatic2 Where the deuce has he con
from? Has he hurt CarletonW
He made spring toward the keepir
room, in whose door stood the tall, pa
man, straining his eyes out into the nigh
"Where is he?n shouted Jack.
"Where's whogn said the escaped lun
tic in a pleasant, slightly drawing voic
ut wasn't he It was a shell And 81
cleared the floor in a single bound, and
Oh, Tn sure | beg thousand pardonsv'
as he caught sight Of me. But, pleas
what is the matter?"
In a second my mental vision became
clear as crystal. ! saw it all, and envi'
Priscilla, the cat, because | could not va
ish under the china cupboard as she di
and be gonel | could only blush and han
my head, and stammer out incohere
apologies amid the laughter Of Jack al
the polite apologies Of the friend whom
had unexpectedly brought from Montre
with him, and whose coming had been 2
Z nounced, as it seemed, by the very lett
Mrs Gludge had lost.
That's all. There is no sequel TO !
story In real life have found that q
ries seldom do have sequels. l had hae
| dreadful fright, and they all laughed
Z me at first and made excuses for me a
petted me afterward and said Poor lit
Ruthn Father declared that he wou
= never risk such thing again, and q
charged Peter on the spot-but Peter ca
back to his work the next day just
+ usual, and he is here still. Mr.. Carlt
Z was very nice and apologetic for comi
= In without knocking to dry himself wh
Jack was leading the horse to the ba
! but he has not yet fallen in love with
9 as an orthodox hero ought TO do.
{ genuine escaped lunatic was captured n
= 1 Stenhensonfg and taken to Montreal,