News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-03-12

was dear to Marian from associations
connected with it. l could suggest no
steps for its recovery beyond the ordi-
nary English alternative of communi-
eating with the police
This l found, had been already done.
though evidently my friends had small
hope of any good results following upon
the exertions of that cstimable force, of
whom, according to Hannah, no one in
Ireland stood in awe Altogether it
was an uncomfortable state of things
and although we discussed the subject
in all its bearings, entering into the
most minute details Of any burglarics
we had previously heard of or read
about, we only succeeded il making
ourselves distinctly uneasy, and had to
decide at last, as at first, that it was
most mysterious.
Directly after dinner l begged that /
might be alloUedto retire foy tlla night.
as my journey had thoroughly tired me.
Marian took me to my room, and wish
ing me q good nights rest left me to the
ministrations of Hannah, whose euua-
nimity was thoroughly restored, and
who was in q state of diScursive con-
tentment very trying to the patience of
one whose eyes were closing fast under
the soothing process of hair brushing,
and whose sole idea was bed. " and
that speedily. But at last | got rid of
my talkative attendant, and having as
a last precautiOn looked under my bed
tiny constant practice, though if for one
moment had supposed there could be
anything there nothing would have in
duced me to look) retired to rest. and
was soon wrapped in dreamless slumber.
After, | suppose, some hours l was
awakened by a loud noise close to my
bed, us of some heavy body falling on
the floor from q height, but being only
partially reused l drowsily conjectured
it was fancy on my part, and turned
over on my side, preparatory to again
composing myself to Sleep This move
ment brought my face opposite the
window, the blind of which | had de-
sired Hannah to draw up tho last thing
at night, that l might enjoy the SIGHT
of the sunrise, if by some untoward
and unusual event | should not sleep
as late as usual. The room was flooded
with bright moonlight, and l had an
uneasy feeling as l gazed at the white
expanse of toilet cover on the dressing
table before the window that there was
something wrong about it's appearance.
! Suddenly / remembered that | had
certainly placed my watch and chain
on the corner of the table after wind
ing it up the night before 1t was no
longer there. Trying to persuade my
self that | was mistaken, | raised my
self on my elbow to look more care
fully after my missing watch, when /
distinctly felt the beGclothes, which
my movement had little displaced,
| tugged toward the foot of the bed. In
stinctively l clutched my retreating
coverings, and in spite of some unseen
| opposing agency succeeded in restor-
ing them to their former position, only
to feel them again slowly drawn away
Three times this agitating phenomenon
occurred.
At last l determined to abandon
some portion of the bedcIothes, retain
ing only the sheet, in which l wrapped
myself tightly. and watched the blank
cts, etc, pulled to the floor and slowly
dragged under the bed. Motionless
with terror, 1 lay scarcely daring to
breathe, while numerous and dire pos
sibilities occurred to my distracted i'm
agination. Was my unseen visitor
moonlighter2 Was this preliminary
measure to the numbering in ones
bed, " so graphically quoted by Hannah
from the p. c.. 1872, the well in
formed? Certainly l was not in favor
of home rule Could the Land League
be about to make an example of so in
significant a unit as myself2
After q space which seemed to me
interninable, although it could have
been only of q few minutes duration,
my nocturnal visitant, who had been
emitting sundry very terrifying snorts
and suppressed demoniacal cackles, put
out hairy hand and grasped the edge
of the bedstead farthest from me, slow
ly drawing to it's full height the body
of large babOon, clad in q species of
loose tunic Round its neck was sus-
pended my chain; while the watch,
still attached to the chain, was held in
it's hand. l gazed horror stricken upon
this fearful sight, recalling in kind of
agony all the stories | had heard and
read of the extreme ferocity of the
baboon, remembering, too, that my
door was locked and that / was en-
tircly at tho mercy of a brute almost as
large as and infinitely moro powerful
than myself.
1t was not in this way that had so
ardently desired to study the fascinat-
ing ways of the Sinir, and as thought
of my brothers laughing wishes at part
ing with me l was struck with a sense
of the grim hulnor of the situation.
But the humorous aspect did not ap-
peal to me for long, as | watched with
fascinating eagernes9 the movements of
my terrible visitor. With uncouth,
shambling steps the creature walked to
the window, and by the light of the
moon examined my unfortunate watch. !
It's glittering case evidently delighted |
the baboon, as it strOked it repeatedly |
with one finger, but the ticking, of |
which it could not discover the cause
or the whereabouts, appeared to eXas-
perate it, and it tossed the watch con-
temptuously aside, though it remained
dangling from its chain down the ami |
mails back.
Once l made slight sound, but my
undesirable visitor resented it by so
savage a spring in my direction that l
feigned profound slumber, and only
ventured to open my eyes after several |
minutes of strained expectation that l
was about to receive practical illustra-
ton of that which had so often care
lessly spoken about--the extraordinary
physical force in the fore limbs of the
quadrumana. When | did dare to look
again | saw that the baboon had seated
itself before the toilet glass, and by the
aid of my brushes and combs was at
tempting to reduce its bushy locks to
some order.
Finding this task q fruitless one, it |
proceeded to ransacll my jewel case,
which Hannah had cafelessly left open,
and one by one examined various ar
ticles it contained. Rings and brooches
and bracelets the creature appeared to
approve of, but jewel comb for the
hair and a diamond star it evidently
did not at all appreciate, Ginging them
down and snarling at them savagely.
| dared not attract the creatures at
tantion to myself by making any sound,