The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-05-13

| delicious to the two hungry girls, and
| when afterward Huldah showed them
the way up a steep fight of steps more
like ladder than stairs, which led into
the garnet, Clara's delight was greater
than ever.
"What a love of an old place." she
exclaimed, looking round her at the
bare beams and rafters. which, at their
apex, almost touched her head. "IIow
unsteady the rain sounds, and how
cozy that little bed under the beams
looks, only we shall have to go on our
hands and knees to get into it. Obi
Marian, what do you suppose we shall
dream about?"
Hush cried Marian, selling her
companions arm. what noise was
that?"
"Only an owl hooting in the woods.
What bundle of ridiculous nerves you
are, Marian"
"Ah! but the strange grating sounds
as If skeleton fingers were feeling over
the roof"
Clara burst into laugh.
Nothing on earth but the trees that
hang over the ledge of rocks, and brush
to and fro across the ridge pole at every
gust of wind. What will you fancy
next?"
Marian drew deep sigh of relief.
but shall not undress," she said,
quietly.
"Why not?"
81 think it safer to lie down just as l
am"
Marian, you are goose!' exclaimed
Clara. However, l don't care; wen
just draw the patchwork coverlid over
us and sleep as soundly as if we were
in the state chamber at Windsor castle,
for / think | never was so sleepy in all
my life"
II shall not sleep wink all night"
said Marian. "Oh! Clara, | wish we
had kept on down the mountains.
wish we had not come here"
Marian, what ails you?' cried Clara,
almost impatiently. Il wouldn't be
such an old maid as you for a thousand
dollars. DO lie quietly down and let
me go to sleep"
midnight she noiselessly walked her
companion.
CLARA! Clara! Hush! Do not speak,!
she whispered; but a face was looking
into the window just now"
Into this window, Marian? No one
but bird could reach it. You are
dreaming"
II am not dreaming. Neither have I
been asleep. But tell you face did
look in just now. A face CHASTITY in the
moonlight, with shaggy hair and
beard"
Clara raised herself on her elbow, and
perceived that the violence of the storm
was over and that the moon was shin
ing so as to cast a square of white radi-
ance on the rough board floor.
Suddenly the flood of light was dark
ened. Marian forced her companion
back into reclining posture, and whis-
pered
Hush! pretend to be asleep-it is our
only safety"
And at the same instant curious
dwarfed figure climbed into the room,
its face looking singularly yellow and
corpse-lille in the magic light, framed.
as it was, with a mat of coarse red hair
A ragged coat hung loosely on its mis-
shapen shoulders, and its feet were
cased in something that looked like
moccasins of fur. And as Clara Law
there, she could feel the blood pulsinr
in wild leaps to her heart She could
not speall-She had no voice to scream.
1t seemed to her for the moment that
she must surely go mad with terror.
The creature, whether apparition or
reality, crept stealthily across the
crealling floor to where the girls neck
laces and earrings lay glittering on an
implanted pine table, and uttered a
strange, chuckling sound as he gathered
them together and dropped them into
some receptacle hidden away in his
clothing. Then, horror of horrors! he
approached the bed, leaning over and
listening SO intently that they could
feel his hot breath on their temples for
an Instant
Asleep he murmured, asleep"
And when Clara and Marian next
dared to open their eyes he was gone.
They lay there trembling and fearing
repetition of the strange visit until
daybreak, and then hurried down to
Huldah Dare, to tell the story of their
nights adventure. The old woman list
ened, with an incredulous face.
"Nonsense!' she croaked: "all stuff
and nonsense! Vow were dreaming!"
"But our rings and necklaces. and
Marian's coral brooch?"
There they are" said Huldah, with
a motion of her head toward the pillow
of her own rough couch in the corne~
II came up last night to see that you
were sleeping well, and saw them all
spread out, and knew it wasn't safe. so
brought them down with me and put
EN- uader my pillow for safe keeping"