Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-07-21

u
tray me- opened the Gag and seize,
the knife. With this in my hand
l did not feel entirely defenceless
and with renewed hope and conf
dence ] took my stand close by tn,
trap, determined il my room wer,
entered, to do my best in defenc,
OF my life and property, and de
voutiy hoping the number of m,
assailants might be limited to th,
ianzlord and his wife.
/ | waited minute after inmate
until my blood, so lately stirred b,
sense of extreme peril, grew chill
in my veins from the excessive cold
Suddenly l heard what seemed .
steaithy step crunching the sneu
without. Directly after, the trar
was very slowly and softly raised
long bony hand, holding .allow
CANDLE protruded through the open
ing, and gray, withered face ap-
peared below, with wildly staring
eyes following the light of the candle
around the room.
/ shrank as close to the wall as I
could, but ! knew / could not re.
main long undiscovered, and as the
light and the eyes approached me,
started forward and struck with
all my force on the wrist that up-
held the candle.
The keen blade cut through bone
and muscle, and hand and candle
fell with sickening thud on the
fioor, while a single shrill, agonized
scream told that my victim was a
woman. lshivered through all my
body, and, breathless with horror.
waited in the darkness for an in
slant attack. Iheard nothing, how
ever, except a stified moaning.
which gradually died away.
| waited and waited, half-frozen
with cold and fear. Nothing hap
pened. At last, / could stand it
no longer, and determined to get in
in the dark, | managed to pile my
heaviest bales on the trap, SO that
it could not be opened without
noise; then, crouching on the bed,
| wrapped the blankets around me
to keep from freezing, and made
up my mind to watch till morning.
/ thought that night Of horror
would never end, but, at last, gray
streaks of dawn shone through the
cracks in the window shutters, and
| devoutly thanked God it was over
and that / had lived to see daylight
again.
AS soon as could see clearly, I
got up and cautiously moved my
bales, shuddering in anticipation
of finding the hand l had cut off
last night. But what was my as
constituent to find neither hand
nor candle, nor even a stain of
blood on the floor nothing actu-
ally nothing to tell of last nights
horror. Had it then really been
only a dreadful dream?
All, the knife I eagerly snatched
it up. Yes, there was the red wit
ness plain enough, still wet and
crimsoning the blade from point to
handle. Yet on turning again to
the floor there was no stain there,
and on close inspection it looked
solid plank from end to end.
"Well - thought /, "of all the
queer places ever heard of, this
one takes the lead. But for this
knife / should be tempted to be-
lieve the events of last night only
a vivid dream. This, however, is
indisputable evidence of what hap
pened, and of one thing ! am very
certain-the sooner | get away from
here, the better for my health" /"
Iwiped the knife on the skirt Of
my coat, and placed it in my bosom,
taking very good care to have the
handle convenient for laying hold
of. / then opened the door, not
without many inward misgivings,
and called to the landlord to bring
ont my wagon.
He soon appeared, sullen aud
dogged as ever, but i saw no change
in him since last night. He offered
me breakfast which / at once re-
fused not for worlds would have
eaten or drunk in that house. /
was in fever of impotence to be
of, and after paying his bill in the
smallest change had, and without
any unnecessary display Of wealth,
stood by and watched him replace
my packages in the wagon and har-