Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-05-07

ior thlnk L never was SO sleepy IN al
my life
81 shall not sleep wink all night,
said Marian. "Oh, Clara l wish We
had kept on down the mountains.
wish we had not come here"
marian, what ails youY' cried Clara,
almost impatiently, 81 wouldn't be such
an old maid as you for thousand dol.
lars. Do lie quietly down and let me &C
to sleep"
Marion Dale said go more, but at mid
night she noiseIessly walked her com
panion.
"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 ar,
dreamingl"
81 am not dreaming-neither have
been asleep. But tell you face die
look in just nova face CHASTITY in the
moonlight, with shaggy hair and beard ,
Clara raised herself on her elbow, anG
perceived that the violence of the storm
was over, aud the moon was shining SC
as to cast square of white radiance 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 fl cure climbe into the room,
its face looking singularly yellow aud
corpse-like in the magic light, framed as
it was with mat of coarse red hair.
A ragged coat hung loosely Oh It's mis-
shapen shoulders, and its feet were
cased in something that looked like
mocassins of fur. And as Clara lay
there, she could feel the blood pulsing in
wild leaps to her heart. She could not
speak-she bad no voice to scream. 1t
seemed to her for the moment that she
must surely go mad with terror.
Tue creature, whether appsrition or
reality, creEt stealthily across the oreak-
ing floor to where the girls necklaces
and earrings lay glittering on an unp
painted pine table, and uttere 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
"Asleepi" he murmurel, "as!eepl"
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
listened with an increduluus face.
"Nonsense!' she croakedi call stuff
and nonsensel You were dreaminglh
"But our rings and necklaces, and
Blarian's coral brooch?"
"There they are, said Huldah, with
a motion of her head toward the pillow
of her own rough couch in the corner
81 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- under my pillow for keeping. I"
Clara lifted up the homespun linen,
and there, sure enough, lay the sparkling
treasures! She looked at Marian, al
most inclined to disbelieve the evidence
of her own senses.
"But, Huldah, said Marian, quietly,
81 saw it with my own eyes-the hor.
rid, dwarfed creature gather up our rings
and charm: and drop them into his
pocket. l saw his face, very white, with
his glittering eyes and red, tangled hair.
| felt his very breath upon my face"
"Dreams, dreams! dreams!" nut.
tered Huldah, impatiently care You
ready for your breakfast, young ladies2"
But neither of The girls could eat after
the hideous night they had passed, They
rewarded the old woman libctally for her
grudgingly given hospitality, and set out
to walk down the mountain side, with
what speed they might
''But knew it was no dream said
Clara, in a whisper, as if even the copses.
and birds, and powders of rock had ears
to hear
About a week afterward the maid who
daily came up to brush Mss Wynford's
lovely golden hair was brimful of It'd
ings.
"Dear heart allie, miss" said she,
"dId you know that Widow Huldah
Dale, who lives up on the mountain,
where you stopped all night in that
tremendous storm, you know"
"Yes, said Clara, impatiently. eco
on"
"Well, she's got crazy son that's
been wanderin' round in the woods, liv-
ing on nuts and berries like wild man
these three morths, for he's escaped
from the asylum, where they didn't use
him well noways, and his poor mother
hadn't the heart to put him back there
again; and last night he slipped on them
rocks by Creelel's Creek, aud fell in and
was drownded! And WIDOW Huldah
she takes on Just as bad as if he wasn't
poor, detormed creature without con-
mon seUse-and to think she's KEEP that
secret all the years she's lived there,
havin mad sonl'
Clara spoke no word, but her eyes met
those of her cousin Marian.
"That explains the mystery" said the
latter, quietly. ''Poor Huldahl no won.
der she was so unwilling to shelter us
from the rain. She must have herself
taken the jewels from him afterward,
and told a falsehood TO keep the awful
secret
"Poor Huldahl' sighed Clara. .sBut.
Marian, how wonderful that our lives
were preserved. suppose, in an instant
OF mad caprice
She stopped short and shuddered, in
stead of finishing her sentence.
And the two Innocent young girls.
kheeling at their prayers that night.
thanked Heaven with tremulous feryepcy