The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-05

wind shook the window shutters as il with
some imperious hand
''I'II 60 up to the garret and bring down
some butternuts" thought T. and then
I'll get some cider from the cellar. It viii
be fun to crack the butternuts and watch
the shells blaze in the fire. and Mrs.
Gludge will like drink of cider when she
comes back all wet and chill"
Cheered BY this happy thought, caught
up lamp and few to the garnet OF the
roomy old house, where my father had be
slowed all the nutty treasures of the au-
tumn woods. Somehow Priscilla, the cat,
had got locked into the garnet, and had
to release her from durance vile and re-
place box or two which she had knocked
off from the window sill before | came
down, driving her catship before me. with
the lamp in one hand and an apronful OF
butternuts in the other.
Through the open keeping room door
streamed a ray Of rudy light into the
Cimmerian darkness of the hall stopped
abruptly. Surely had closed that door
when | came out, remem bering a certain
trick it had OF slamming TO and fro in
windy weather like this And at the same
time a curious consciousness of some hui
man presence near by crept over me like an
unseen magnetic current.
Nor was it a false premonition As
stretched nay neck to peep cautiously into
the room, / saw seated before the fire a
youngish gentleman, pale, black haired,
and, as | thought, rather unsettled OF as
pect. And a decidedly wet and mud
despatched gentleman, whose raiment
steamed in the glorious blaze and crackle
of the pine logs, as he sat there holding out
his hands TO the genial warmth.
How had ne gained an entrance' Had |
carelessly neglected to bolt the big door
after Mrs Gludge's departure? Yes, [
must have done so-and that was a proof
Of how utterly unfit / was to be left by
myself. For second stood there quail
ing and quaking, my heart humping like
a triphammer. and a cold sweat breaking
out upon my forehead, before l decided
what to do.
I had never seen bank burglar, to be
sure; but l was pretty certain this black
haired gentleman could not belong to that
race, And / did not think he acted like
any other scoundrel who was fleeing from
the rigors of the law. He must be the
English gentleman gone wrong in his
head, who had escaped from the Ste
phenson's.
was alone in the house with a maniac.
And at the idea my heart beat more yio-
lently than ever, and the cold drops grew
colder On my brow.
With a sudden instinct 1 decided that
there was nothing for it but flight. The
worst feature of the case was that | could
not get out Of the house (be it remem bered
that Peter had taken away the key of the
back kitchen door in his pocket without
passing directly through the room where
the escaped lUnatic sat basking before the
fire
This, however, must be faced; there was
no remedy for it, and with one blind rush
precipitated myself through the room,
tum bling over the cat and scattering a
shower Of butternuts as | went, and darted
headlong through the door, with an in
voluntary shrek that might have rent the
ceiling, if ceilings were rent in that way,
except in the pages of romance
Directly in the arms of-Jack, my own
brother Jack, who was coming in from the
van with light valise in one hand and a
dripping carriage robe in the other.
'Halloo" bawled Jack, staggering under
the blow Of my very unexpected appear
once, "Why-what the-I declare if it
isn't Ruthyl'
~Oh, Jack, oh, JackP' screamed, clutch
ing at him like the drowning man at the
proverbial straw.
Where are all the folks? What has be-
come Of the stable keys? What have you
done with Carleton'' he demanded. But
! paid no heed to his interrogatories.
Come, jack" l cried, come quickly,
The escaped lunatic! He's right there in
the keeping roornl Oh, Jack, do hope
you've got your revolver"
What" roared Jack. can escaped
lunatic? Where the deuce has ne come
from? Has he hurt Carleton"
He made a spring toward the keeping
room in whose door stood the tall, pale
man, straining his eyes out into the night.
Where is he?" shouted Jack.
where's whos" said the escaped lunatic
in pleasant, slightly drawing voice; ''it
wasn't bel 1t was d shell And she cleared
the floor in a single bound, and-oh, I'm
sure | beg a thousand pardons," as he
caught sight of me, But please, what is
the natter"
In a second my mental vision became as
clear as crystal. saw it ali and | envied
Priscilla, the cat, because could not van
lsh under the china cupboard as she did,
and be gone. / could only blush and hang
my mead and stammer out incoherent aOoI-
ogies amid the laughter of Jack and the
polite apologies of the friend whom he had
brought from Montreal with
him, and whose coming had been an
nounced, as it seemed, by the very letter
Mrs Gludge had lost
That's all There is 10 sequel to my
story. N real life have found that stories
seldom do have sequelS / had had dread
ful fright, and they all laughed at me at
first, and made excuses for me and petted
me afterward. and said, Poor Little
Ruth"
Father declared that ne would never risk
such thing again. and discba rged Peter
on the spot-b1t Peter came back to his
work the next day, just as usual, and ne is
here still Mr.. Carleton was very nice and
spologetic for coming in without knocking
10 dry himself. while Jack was leading tins
horse to the barn, bot he has not yet fallen
in love with me, as al orthodox hero ought
70 do.
The genuine escaped lunatic was cap
.ured near StephensOn's and taken 20
Montreal under the impression that he was
he governor general going TO take posses
,ioa OF his vice regency. And Just half an
-our after we had settled down to the
,racking OF butteruuts and drinking sweet
;ider that night, a merry group, 4 sepul-
,hral knocking sounded at the door, and
Mrs Gludge's voice was beard proclaim
nz;
If you please. mss. I've come % keep
rou company True Flag.
The government OF Japan gets large
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