News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-01-07

know, and"
eyes my dear I'll do that, assent
ed the woman, evidently relieved to
be let off so easily on the score of the
letter.
"And it won't be long first. It's
only a short half mile to Romney's,
if the wind don't blow like all pos
sessed. >
With a good-humored nod she dis
appeared into the rain and darkness,
and l ran back to pile fresh logs on
the waning fire Bank burglars, ex-
tradited wanderers, a lunatic at large,
with all these possibilities whirling in
my brain it is not strdnge that l
lighted a second lamp in order to
Danish all lurking shadows from the
angles of the room, and started nerv-
ously when a sudden blast of wind
shook the window-shutters as if with
some imperiOus hand.
''Tl go up to the garret and bring
down some butternuts," thought /,
''and then I'll get some cider from
the cellar. 1t will 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, l
caught up a lamp and flew to the
garret of the roomy old house where
my father had bestowed all thenutty
treasures ofthe autumn woods. Some
how Priscilla, the cat, had gOtlocked
into the garret, and | had to release
her from durance vile and replace a
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 ruddy light into
the Cimmerian darkness of the hall.
| stopped abruptly. Surely | had
closed the door when | came out. re
membering a certain trick it had of
slamming to and fro in windy wealth
er like this. And at the same time a
curious consciousness of some human
presence nearby crept over me like an
unseen magnetic current.
Nor was it a false premonition. As
l stretched my neck to peep into the
room | saw seated before the fire a
gentleman-a youngish gentleman,
pale, black-haired, and, as | thought,
rather unsettled of aspect. And a
decidedly wet and mud-bespattered
young gentleman, whose raiment
steamed in the glorious blaze and
crackle Of pine logs as he sat there
holding out his hands to the genial
warmth
How had he gained an entrance?
Had | carelessly neglected to bolt the
big door after Mrs. Gludge's depart
ure? Yes; | must have done so-and
that was proof of how utterly unfit
| was to be left by myself For a
second l stood there quailing and
quaking, my heart humping like a
trip-hammer, and cold sweat break
ing out upon my forehead before |
decided what to do.
had never seen a bank burglar, to
be sure, but | was pretty certain this
white-hared gentleman could not be-
long to that race. And | did not
think he acted like any other scoun-
drel who was fleeing from the rigors
of the law. He must be the English
gentleman gone wrong in his head,
who had escaped from Stephenson's.
| [ was alone in the house with a
maniac And at the idea my heart
beat more violently than ever, and
the cold drops grew colder on my
brow,
With a sudden instinct | decided
that there was nothing for it but
| fight The worst feature of the case
was that ! could not get out of the
house (be it remembered 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 precipated
myself through the room, tumbling
over the cat and scattering a shower
of butternuts as | went and darted
headlong through the door, with an
involuntary shrek that might have
rent the ceiling, if ceilings were rent
in that way, except in the pages of
| romance.
Directly into the arms of Jack,
my own brother Jack, who was com
ing in from the van with light valise
in one hand and dripping carriage
robe in the other.
"HalloO?' bawled Jack, staggering
under the blow of my very uneXpect-
ed appearance. "Why-what the i
declare if it isn't Ruthyl"
"Oh, Jack oh, Jack !" | screamed
clutching at him like the drowning
man at the proverbial straw.
"Where are all the folks? What
has become of the stable keys? What
have you done with Carleton?" he
demanded. But Ipaid no heed to his
interrogatories.
"Come, Jack p Icried, ''come qdick-
! ly! The escaped lunaticl He's right
there in the keeping-room! Oh, Jack,
do hope you've got your revolverp
WHAT" roared Jack. "An es-
capped lunatic? Where the duce has
he come from? Has he hurt Carle-
TOM"
He made a spring toward the keep
ing-room, in whose door stood the
tall, pale man, straining his eyes out
into the night.
"Where is he? shouted Jack.
Where's who? said the escaped
lunatic. in a pleasant, slightly draw
ling voice. at wasn't hel 1t was a
shel And she cleared the floor in
single bound, and, Oh, I'm sure | beg
"a thousands pardOns he caught
sight of me- But please what is the
matter?''
In a second my mental vision be-
came as clear rs crystal. | saw it
all, and | envied Priscilla, the cat,
because | could not vanish under the