, 1891-02-18
TWO HOUSEHOLDERS

Twill sly this-peakinG as accurately As
man may so long afterward-that when
first I spied the house il put no desire in
me but just 70 give thanks.
For conceive my case. Il was near mid
night by this, aud ever since dusk l had
been tracking the naked moors a-foot, in
the teeth OF As vicious a or'wester as ever
drenched a man to the kin and then blew
the cold home TO his marrow, Ny clothes
were sodden; my coat tails Tapped with a
noise like pistol shots; my boots squeaked
as 1 went. Overhead the October moon
WAS in her fast quarter. and might have
been a slice OF finger nail for all the light
she afforded Two-thirds OF the time the
wrack blotted her out altogether, and
with my stick clipped under my arm
pit, ewes puckered up and head bent like n
butriug rams, but a little Aslant, had to
keep my wits agog TO distinguish the glim-
mer Of the road from the black heath 10
right aud left. For three hours I had met
neither man nor mans dwelling, and flor
all / knew was desperately lost Indeed,
at the cross roads, there had been nothing
for me but 70 choose the way that kept the
wind on my face, aud IL guAwed me like n
dog.
Mainly to Rllay the singing OF my eyes
l pulled up at last, turned right about face,
leaned back against the blast with a hand
on my hat and surveyed the blackneSs i
had traversed It was at this instant that.
far away 70 the left, a point OF light
caught my notice, faint but steady. and at
once I felt sure 1t burnt in the window Of
a house. THE house" thought "is q
good mile of, beside the other road, and
the light must have been AT Inch over my
hat brim for the last half hour" for my
head had been sloped that way.
This renection-that on so wide n moor
l had come near missing the information I
wanted and perhaps a supper-scnt a
strong thrill down my back.
l cut straight across the heather toward
the light. risking quags aud pitfalls. Nay.
so heartening was the chance to hear a fol
low creatures voice that / broke Into n
run, skipping over the stunted gorse that
cropped up here and there, and dreadiug
every moment to see the light queuClted.
Suppose IL burns in an upper window,
and the family is going to bed, as would
be likely at this hour" The apprehension
kept my eyes fixed on the bright spot, to
the scandal Of my legs, that within five
minutes were stuck full OF gorse prickles,
But the light did not go out, and soon a
flicker OF moonlight gave me n glimpse Of
the houses outline. 1t proved To be n deal
more imposing than looked for-the out
line. in fact, Of a tall barrack with a clus-
ter Of chimneys at either end like ears, and
n high wall, topped by the roofs Of some
outbuildlugs, couccaling the lower win
dows. There was no gate In this wall. and
presently I guessed the reason. was Hp-
preaching the place from behind, and tho
light came from a back window on the first
floor.
The faintness OF the light also was cN-
planned by this time. 1t shone behind n
drab colored blind, aud in shape resembled
thu Gfaru ~ n tyfns glass hroadauIuU mt
at the foot, an effect produced by the half
drawn curtains within. came TO a halt,
waiting for the next ray Of moonlight At
the same m n rush Of wind swept
over the chimney stacks, and on the wind
there seemed 10 ride a human sigh.
On this last point ] may err. The gust
had passed some seconds before l caught
myself detecting this peculiar noise, and
trying to disengage II from the natural
chords OF the storm. From the next gust
it was absent. And then, TO my dismAy,
the light faded from the window.
was half minded to call out when It APP
peared agnin, this time in two Windows
those next on the right to that where IL
had shown before, Almost at once II in.
creased In brilliRnce, as II the person who
carried It from the smaller room to the
larger wa lighting more candles. and now
the illumination was strong enough to
make Inc gold thread OF the rain that fell
within its radiance, and ding two shafts OF
warm yellow over the coping Of the back
wal! into the night. During the minute
or more hat ! stood watching no shadow
fell on either blind.
Between me and the wall ran a ditch.
into the black obscurity of which the
ground at my feet broke sharply away
Setting my back to the storm again, | fol
lowed the lip Of this ditch hround the
wallis angle. Here was shelter, and here
the ditch seemed to grow shallower, Not
wishing. however, TO mistake a bed Of net
ties or any such pitfall for solid earth, !
kept pretty wide as l went on. The house
was dark on this side, and the wall. as be
fore, bad no opening. Close beside the
next angle grew a mass of thick gorse
bushes. and, pushing through these, 1
found myself suddenly on n sound high
road, with the wind tearing at me as furl
ously as ever.
But here wa the front; and | now per.
ceived that the surrounding wall advanced
some way before the house, so as 70 form a
narrow courtlaEe. So much OF It, too, as
faced the road had been whitewashed,
which made il easy to find the gate, But
as | laid my hRnd upon the latch | had a
surprise.
A line Of paving stones led from the gate
to a heavy porch, aud along the wet sur
face Of these fell n streak OF light from the
front door. which stood ajar.
That a door should remain six inches
open on such a night was astonishing
enough. until | entered the court and found
IL rs still rs a room, owing to the high
wall, and doubtless the porch gave addi-
tional protection. But looking up and as
surfing myself hat all the rest Of the facade
was black as ink I wondered at the in
mRtes-thus careless Of their property.
1t was here that my professional in
stincts received the first jog. Abating the
sound Of my feet or the paving stones, ]
went up TO the door and pushed IL softly.
1t opened without noise.
! stepped into a fair sized hail OF modern
build. paved with red tiles and lit with a
small hanging lamp. To right and left
were doors leading to the ground door
rooms. Along the wall by my shoulder
-An a line Of reGS on which hung knf ,
The senior PROPRIETOR OF this paper la