Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-12-10

! L y
six-shooter under my piller, and my fin
Ger on the trigger. / don't ailnde to one
any more'n another. but well just tak'
Israers word for gpspel. that everyone
IL a thief If Won give, him a chance %
thieyin'; end at that rate, I'm aust a.
likely as not to murder my two PARTNERS
and cit the whole Of that diamond Z
myself. Consequently, you Win alio"
that the squire has double reason tol
wantin' that agreement altereda Tor u
amt only the money he's got to secure
on to his daughter but ber husinis lie
likewise. Time enough for the young
lady TO be a widder in the natraI oruel
of things i'm general.
CHAPTER v.
When / met Sir Edmund IN the morn
ing, / told him that my partners had
agreed with me TO alter the clause I'm the
agreement, though we had not yet de-
cided in what manner
~ am GLAD to hear il !" he said "any-
thing will be better than that agreement
as il stands"
Edith came down late TO breakfast.
She lookea pale and said she had over
slept herself.
s'For the first time in your lire, be-
leve," said Sir Edmund. ''YOu did not
fall asleep quite so readily as usual
hey?" he asked smiling.
Il could not Sleep she answered, but
so gravely thatI saw IL was not from the
cause the baronet implfed--tbe love that
had kept me awake; and then she added,
II have been terribly frightened"
We looked at her in astonNshment and
anxiety.
II win tell you ali about it, she con-
tint J, 'because you may be able 70 ex-
plain what perplexes me, and that VIII be
great relief"
She paused, as if to collect her thoughts
and then said:
81 was nearly asleep when noticed q
sound coming from the window. TWAS
as If someone was rapping upon the glass
not loudly or quickly, but softly, as
though with the tip of the finger, and at
intervals. might have counted twenty
or thirty between one tap and the next.
took little notice of il at first, thinking
that as had left the window partly open
il might be the wind moving the Vene-
tian blind; but after awhile, the persistent
tap--tap--tap irritated me. rose AID
lit the candle, then went to the WIN
dow. The lattice was just as had left
it. The blind hung perfectly motlonless.
l drew ii up and looked out. There was
a gray mist everywhere. Not a breath
of air stirred; the flame of the candle
burned as steadily as though the windov
had been closed | let down the blind,
and listened; there was not the slightest
sound.
"a moth on the ceiling" said Sir Ed
mund: ''th6v have worried me in the
same manner. Then you get light, and
the thing stops
Hold on, we ai1ft heered the last on
it. kin see. said the Judge, looking al
Miss Lascelles intently, his shaggy brows
bent over his quick eyes.
Il explained it as you do, papa. put
out the light, and tried TO sleep. heard
no sound for quite ten minutes, think,
and then again that soft, slow tap-tap--
tap came from the window-the same
sound, with the same long interval be-
tween them. 1t was not like the beat Of
a moths wing. 1t was like nothing but
the touch of human finger. But Itried
to think il was an insect in the wall-the
insect that is called the 'deathwatch.'
And | did my best to take no notice Of it,
but could not help hearing it; and after
a time grew frightened, and the sound
grew dreadful in my ears. IL became
unendurable. / could not lie there listen
ing passively. | got up again, and struck
"A match. The wick of the candle was
slow to light, and during those moments
| noticed that the sound had ceased. As
] say. | was frightened-very frightened.
And the unbroken silence seemed more
terrible than the sound. There was
something ghostly and supernatural
about it, that brought back the old ter
ror used TO feel as a child in passing the
room that is said to I've haunted at night.
And just then the clock In the belfry
struck. dared not go to the window.
NV hand trembled so that could not
take up the candle. but | looked toward
the window. The first thing that struck
me was shat the laths of the blind, in
stead of lying fiat, as they generally do,
when down, and as | had left them, were
opened and turned edgeway-do You
know how mean?'
She held her hands, that trembied with
the recollection of her terror, one above
the other horizontally.
"But the next thing she continued,
and then stopped. with little shudder,
wnlie we who listened held our breath
''the next thing l saw was two great
black eyes that caught the light from my
candle in between the lower laths Of the
blind"
She paused, and then continued with
more firmness-
81 think fainted-I must have done
80, for was conscious of nothing after
that. until found myself upon the floor,
The light was still burning upon the ta-
BILE. As recollection returned TO me, |
looked toward the window. The laths
were no longer open, but turned fiat.
Then it occurred TO me that all had seen
was merely imaginative-that It was
merely realistic dream-that had gone
through these experiences in my sleep.
My great terror was gone. | went with
out fear to the window to ascertainif the
night was as | had seen it. There was
the gray mist; the flame of the candle
did not flicker. Nevertheless, when
looked down and saw how impossible it
was for anyone to have stood outside the
window, felt convinced that at least
the vision of the two ewes was imaginary
-an outcome of the fear / felt when
looked toward the window. lay down
again. and though | could not sleep for
sometime, l heard no further sound
whatever, save the Ginning of the clock"
''Is it not very probable, my dear, said
the baronet, 'that the sound you speak
of was also the outcome of fears'
II had no fear when went first to the
window. The sound was reality. 1t
is that wish explained.
''DO you know what time IL was when
the tapping first began, Miss Iascelles?'
Van HOeck asked.
1T was a quarter to one by my watch
when l recovered from the fit. b"
May / ask, Miss, without offense, if a
thing of this kind hes ever happened TO
you afore?" asked the Judge.
GAS child ] was timid, but / cannot
remember ever being so frightened"
.sYou don't look as il trihe would
skeer you, | viii allow and, rising from
his chair, the Judge added, "if you'll ex-
cuse me, I'll go and prospect the place
straight off, for I'm lorth to say il looks
TO me like as if the Kid had been taking
a hand in the game.
by all means, said the baronet. ''the
sooner the truth is discovered the better"
We all went out onto the lawn which |
faced that part of the building in which |
Edith's room was situated.
ON the Way Van Hopck who had IL ]