The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-08-25
ALONE In THE HOUSE.

~ WhH buu OIL uh9 Oi INoFoIuutr'- uuy
Fawkes Day" in the old English calendar
chat hung above the mantel in my maternal
grandmother's long disused room up stairs.
In this northern home to which we had re
gently removed, falling heir to 1t through
that very ascestress' will, the dwellers re
garded November rather as winter than
IN autumn month. and today the wind
howled and the rain pattered with a per
kistency marvellous to behold.
And, as 1t happened, was all alone in
The house. Father had gone TO take his
ruHet apples to market-the apples that
myself had helped to harvest and pack
Into the barrels-and was not expected
home until tomorrow night at the earliest
Jack, my brother, was in Montreal, fitting
mp the law Office which was henceforwArd
10 be his abode Jean, our hardfeatured,
crossgrained old servant, had gone home
with the ''rheumatics,n as she termed it, to
be treated by a certain ancient Indian herb
doctor, and just ut dusk fall Peter, our
-useful man, !" had thrust his shock head
uDceremoniously in Mt the door
"lsay, Miss Ruth" he had said, there's
plenty Of wood and everything's all snug
for the night. and Pm goin over TO Steph-
enson'R They're In trouble there"
'Trouble, Peter' What kind Of troubIef
Ia the old man sickY'
But 10 answer to my query Peter only
uttered an indistinct remark aud went out.
slnmming the door behind him
stood In front Of the fire, looking down
ut the glowing einbers and pondering with.
In myself, The Stephensons, who lived in
an old graystone house on the other side
Of the precipitops glen, had always been a
riddle to me. The family was small, con
Kisting only OF u Grabbed old man, bis por-
teutOusly silent wife, and two tall, un-
gainly sons and what on earth they did
with the big, eehoing rooms, or how they
coutrived to live, perched like eagIets on
the side Of ths rock, could not form the
least idea ''City boarders," Peter had
oDcr gruuted out in answer to my persist
ent tintsrrogations. But II they kept city
boarders. why did they not leave these
dreary mountain businesses when the
leaves fell and the dismal autumn fogs
gathered above the cltffsf Altogether,
chere was certain atmosphere OF mystery
about these "Stepbensons" that aroused
all the Eyelike instincts Of my nature.
While still stood thinking, n soft tap
sounded at the door. opened IL at once,
never once remembering that ] was alone
In the house.
aver never oughter'd do that, Miss Ruth" I"
wni1 fh. xpaII Lnntvn nnoautg ~ Mr1
Gludge, Farmer Gludge's buxom wife
"Do what, Mrs GludgeS"
"0pen the door arter dark, when you're
alone in the house, without askin who's
there
allow did you know was alone in the
house9"
81 Just met Peter goin to Stephenson's, :"
"0hn said |. But we don't have
tramps around here, Mrs. Gludge."
"l'm not 40 certain o that" said the
farmers wife. "Your folks hain't lived
here M long as have. We're just nigh
enough to the Canada line to have queer
characters prowlin aboat when ye least ex-
pect 'em. And then there's Stephensons. +"
"What of StephensonsY' cried, eager
by. "Wbo is Stephenson, anyway Do
tell me, Mrs Gludge"
"Well, declared said Mrs. Gludge.
''Is II possible, now. that they hainit told
yonY"
"They have told me nothing" said l.
well, It's likely they didn't want to
scare you or make you nervous" said Mrs.
Gludge. "But, all the same. think you
ought ter know"
"Mrs. Gludse," cried |, seizing her arm,
"what is its DO tell meP
"It's private hone," said Mrs. Gludge.
lowering her voice TO "a whisper. ny though
the raindrops and the rustling fir boughs
could overhear
~ what7" gasped.
"Iror people OF feeble mind" explained
the woman. "aad lunies. tapping her fore
head as she spoke,
stared ut her.
"Theu," cried |, "that's what Peter
meant when he said that--that
zone OF the poor creatures has somehow
given 'em the slip" said Mn, Gludge-
ian Euglish gentleman from Montreal,
ns has only been there few days. No
body knows just how it happened. but
happen 1t did. My mans gone over with
lantern to help hunt for him: 80 has
Peter
"He might have told me-" cried iudig-
nantly.
Anyway, Idon't think be ought to have
left you here alone" said Mrs. Gludge Sc
yerely.
"Bu. you've come to stay with me, Mrs.
Gludge7"
"Bless your heart, Miss Ruth, mol Pm
on my way to carry letter to Mr.. Rom
ney's, up tue road--,l very important let
ter, with in haste writ on It," tFor in
addition to her duties as farmers wifeand
mother Of a large family Of little children,
Mrs. Gludge helped her husband In the
care Of the obscure little country postotlice
mile down the road.) "And-by tho way,
d'd nearly forget tive got a letter for
bon too. That's what brought me here"
For me, Mrs. Gludges"
stinctively put out my hand to grasp
the treasure, while the woman fumbled
FIRST in one and then In another Of her
pockets.