Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-12-12
CHAPTER X.

CHAPTER X.
What happened In Edith's room that
night did not learn until the next
morning, but 1 will give her account in
this place In order to preserve tho So
qaence Of events.
True 10 her resolve, she had left the
window open and the blind down, ex-
actly as ON the preceding nights. TWAS
her habit TO lock the door. and that she
did not omit to do 80 on this occasion she
was convinced by the fact that she found
some difficulty in turning the key, and
had afterward tried the handle to know
if the bolt was shot. She left the lamp
burning on the table, screened from her
by the lace curtains Of the bed. II was
half past eleven when she lay down, and
she felt so little fear that she fell asleep
almost Immediately.
A pillow slipping from beneath her
head awoke her, she believed. Her first
consciousness was that her head felt I'M
comfortably low. She put her hand out
to find il she had slipped to the edge Of
the bed; but no, her position was un-
changed.
Then it struck her that she had left a
light on the table; it was now out, ind
all was dark.
She wondered II this was q trick Of
imagination. Was she awake or asleep!
She touched her eyes TO be sure they were
open. Then it occurred to her that she
might have been asleep q long while.
There was nothing extraordinary in a
lamp going out, or her head slipping from
the pillow. Saying this to herself, sha
calf fnr tho rillou
To her establishment she found that
both were gone.
Il was droll She felt inclined to laugh
thinking how she must have tossed about
in her sleep to knock both pillows out.
But the bedclothes were perfectly smooth,
the bed on each side Of her even, and
soft, and yielding. That was strange!
II must have done all the tossing with
INV head" she said to herself, still tickled
by the oddity of the thing.
One thing was certain-she could not
sleep in comfort with nothing but boil
ste. under her head.
] She leaned out and felt upon the floor
as far as she could reach to the right.
The pillows had not slipped out on that
side. Then putting her shoulder against
the wall she felt down on the left. There
was nothing there. What did 1t all
mean? Decidedly this must be new
freak of her imagination.
She was not yet thoroughly frightened.
The spirit who could steal her pillows
must have some sense OF humor; 1t was
preferable to drumming on the window
panes and glaring through the blinds at
her. Hearing and sight had been tried.
and now her sense of touch was to be
tested.
But though she tried to make light of
the affair, she felt tn. something terri
BILE unSerlay its comic aspect, and a lit
tie shiver ran through her at the thought
of getting up and striking a light. 1t
was so much easier to be courageous in
the daylight than in such darkness az
+ this.
| After all, perhaps the pillows had slid
out of the bed in natural way, and lay
only Just little beyond her reach. But
rather than stretch her arm out again in
the dark space, she preferred to put up
with the bolster doubled.
She doubled the bolster and gave it a
little pat; then she put up lock of hair
that had come down, and told herself
not to be stupid about little thing like
that; and, wondering whether she should
dare to tell Of this incident in the morn
ing, she dropped on her elbow, and laid
it touched the bed.
"What was thisy" she asked herself,
starting up in fright. She felt from
side to side; now the bolster was gone;
there was nothing there but the bed.
But this pantonnime trick was no long
er comic. She felt the tears Of fright
springing in her eyes, and something ris'
ing in her throat. Cold fear chilled her
to the bone.
Was she in reality awake? The strik-
ing Of the clock in the belfry assured her
Of that.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding
dong It lightly chimed; and the hour was
tolled out slowly, sonorously, solemn:
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
But if this was not hallucination, what
was it? The work of actual hands,
what then? II they had no more direful
intention than to play q trick OF this
kind. they were not to be feared. 1t was
not terrific; it was merely childish mis-
chief, and this reflection suggested that,
after all, it might only be Lola who was
irving to brighten her. And just for one
moment, as she leaned back on her ell
bow, she fancied she saw something like
those luminous eyes In the midst Of the
darkness, and close to her-therel there,
above her, toward the side of the bed.
''Is it you, Lola?" she asked, but In .
voice SO faint. for she was sick with
fright, that she herself could hardly hear
the words she spoke.
ITO BE Continued
Kittie Frances Of Dubuque, Iowa, Ii
the latest witness to the truth OF the
statement that kind action IL not al
WAYS its own reward. Kittie until
quite recently was Q domestic employ
al nv Archibald Graham, 9 wealthy