The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-13
except for the noise or the raging storm,

except for the noise OF the RAGING sfo715o,
without.
Twas frightened up there, all alone, in
that strange place.
The candle hickered and made ugly
shadows on the wall, and, obi I wished
that the girl would come I'M stairs
thought of papa and Maria, and lonred
for the day to come that they might
know was safe and sound.
And presently knew nothing. for
lew moments, it seemed to me.
Bang! bang! went the shutters again.
sat up, wide awake, with a dreadful
terror In my heart.
In the moment that had slept had
dreamed Of the old woman in the blanket.
was not cold now; I seemed to be
burning up, and tried to call out. l
wanted some one to come to me; was
so afraid, what with the storm and my
dream and tho strange, lonely place.
My voice seemed very faint and weak,
so crawled from the bed, and it was
hard to move. The candle was still
Pickering on the table, and cast bat a
dim light into the little passageway..
Preached the stairs, but all seemed ST.
lent below. Nothing was to be heard
but the rumbling Of the thunder and
nothing was to be seen, but-what was
that?
There, there in the corner
Something white, bent over, and, yes,
a blanket, q great yellow blanket, cover
ing it up!
I had left the door ajar and faint
ray from the candlelight rested upon
the old woman! The old woman in the
blanket! l only remember screaming
out loud, as Robbie screamed little
while ago.
One bright morning opened my eyes,
and was surprised to find myself in my
own bed, and in my own pretty room at
home.
felt too tired to speak, and just
closed my eyes and tried to remember
what had happened.
Presently heard voices
'Poor little dearl" Maria was saving
I'm so glad the feve9 has gone. Master
has been SO worried. This morning he
went to the village for the first time
since Miss Jane was brought home with
the fever"
"Oh, yes" replied another voice,
voice I had heard in my dream, and in
deed it was the voice of the hunters
daughter. ''She's all right now, ]
reckon"
"Ten me-" said Maria. "Tell me
again, just how it came on"
"Wen, you see," answered the girl, 81
had put her in bed safely, and then I
went down and got pops tea. 1t was
stornin' dreadful After o while I
fetched out the pillows and blanket that
was agoin' to make my bed of on the
floor, and took 'em up stairs, and stood
them in the passageway, and then
went down again to finish bit of mend
ing, while pop read the paper. All on
sudden we heard dreadful scream, and
when we ran up the stairs we found the
poor little gal laying in the passageway
moanin' and tearin' in the fever. Then,
next morning. DOB came over and told
you, and the little thing was fetched
home"
"And very good and kind you have
been, my dear, and we are very CRATE
full" said Maria.
Then it all came back to me, my
dream, my waking and stealing out to
the head of the stairway, and my vision
of the terrible old woman in the blanket
standing in the corner.
/ astonished them and frightened them
both very much by suddenly sitting bolt
upright in bed.
"What did you say?' eagerly asked
the girl. "What did you say about put
ting the bedclothes up in the passage
wayr'
"Bless the child!" cried Maria. ''She's
in the fever yet, and doesn't know what
she's attacking about"
eyes, do" I declared. 81 saw some
thing in the corner, something white,
with a blanket over it, and-and I
thought it was the old woman"
Then the girl told me how she had
put white case on the bolster she had
got out for her bed, and how she had
taken a couple of blankets and come up
stairs with them. But seeing that had
fallen into light sleep and hearing me
moan, she had been afraid of waking
me then, and SO had placed the things in
the corner, intending to come up by
and by.
After while, when the girl had gone,
l called:
s'Maria!"
eyes, my deary," she answered, com
ing quickly to my side
"Maria," 1 asked, solemnly, sis there
any old woman in blanket"
''No, no, my deary," cried Maria, very
sorry for her thoughtlessness. 81 only
said it to make you mind, and it was
very wicked Of me-"
Robbie had fallen asleep, but the rest
of us were listening eagerly tn Aunt
Jane.