San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-10-10
ghe Daily Eight.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1891.

DtllGNA lLt anu " go itAhtAAiAS5 NAAN
of her characteristic prowls about the
town in the small hours, which had Civ.
en- rise to more than one ghost story
among the uei@hbors children.
Ruby, afraid of startling the old man
from his placid sleep, Crouched down and
watched, III the shadow Of the doorway.
the crazy woman's fantastic motions as
she moved with stealthy tread about the
room. Presently she saw her draw from
under her shawl a tin box, and peera about
with a cunning smile on her face to see
if she was observed. She opened the box
and took out what looked like bundle
of legal papers and turned it over in he1
long, yellow, skinny fingers, while hel
thin lips moved in AWKWARD mutter. end.
ing in low laugh. SudGenlyiCcame oven
Ruby like an electric shock what those
papers must be. and Just at that moment
old Jane had gathered them up in heI
hand and was holding them over the
lamp chimney. Ruby gave stitled cry
and tried to rush forward, but Jane had
heard the sound. a2d examining the pa
pers back in the box she sped out of the
kitchen door with the swiftness of a
swallow, the long tail of her nightgown
making white streak in the misty
dawn, and with Crumpet galloping mad
ly at her heels.
Ruby ran after her, leaving all the
doors open, as fast as her weight and
temperamental slOwneSS would permit
shedding shawlS and worsted fascinators
all the way between Hannah'S house and
her own. She was sadly hampered in
the race by her clumsy wOrsted slippers,
but these she soon lost, and then she ran
painting in her stocking feet. She had
no feeling of the damp ground and could
but dimly make out the forms of things
for the first pale rays of dawn had only
just turned the gibbous moon pallid over
her head. However, she was no match
for the arrOwy Jane, and when she
reached the front door she found it bolt.
ed and all the windows securely locked.
Jane had Slipped in and out of a low
pantry window, but such feats were i'm.
possible to the stout Ruby. She knocked
passionately front and back. but old
Jane had gone into bed with her drag.
gled shawl and crumpled artifcials, and
was chuckling to herself as she pretend
ed to be fast asleep.
RUBY had tho hove l.ar - hor rc~''..ctt
but Jane had pushed the bolt, and she
knew it was useless to try to coax her tc
open the door until the whim came fol
opening. She wandered about the house
bareheaded and in her wet stockings.
half sobbing and wringing her hands al
the thought that Jane might have torn
the precious papers into fragments OF
otherwise have destroyed them. The
poor woman stood there in the chill
morning air utterly desperate and at her
wits end. But something was rubbing
/, up against her double gown, something
warm and comfortable, ard softly pur
ring with sympathy at her distress. She
looked down and saw that the great tor
toise shell cat which Jane in her haste
had shut ont was trying to show his az
lection with mute Caresses.
The creature archad his back and cast
his greenish yellow eyes up at Ruby's
face with knowing glance Then he
mewed loudly, and stepping along the
moist path with his dainty white paws.
led the way down to the end of the old
neglected garden toward the great crook
ed sweeting apple tree that shaded bit
of turf grown up to barberry bushes.
The old tree was rugged and gnaried
and bent, with onlya thin shell of rufous
bark remaining. yellow with ichen and
green with tree moss. bat still crowned
in May with abundant blossoms. Crum
pet, as he stepped along, kept looking
back to see if he was followed, and Ruby
plodded on after him hardly knowing
why, but feeling that nothing short OF
a miracle could reveal the papers.
Near the old tree Crumpet stopped and
gazed up in her face, mewlng more pite
ously than before The earth had been
trodden about the roots by fresh foot
steps and the dead weeds broken down.
revealing large. black cavity in the
veterans trunk close to the ground
Ruby fell on her rheumatic knees in the
wet grass and thrust her hand into the
hole until her fingers came in contact
with smooth, hard object. She pulled
it out, painting and dizzy from her emo,
tons. 1t was the tin box She had seen
in James hand, and the papers were all
intact, though yellowed and rumpled and
little torn at the edges. she turned
them over as in dream and read casually
"Anson Fearing in account with J. Fear
ing" Yes, yes! it was just as she had
fhOupht the mystery WAS cIppra1 at laC+
A little further examination of old James
hiding place brought to light a lace scarf
she had lost the year before, two table
napkins and II pair of slippers all moldy
from the damn.