The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-12


Being bachelor, with few wants, l
took with me only my man Henry,
who was an excellent housekeeper
and cook.
1 don't think l ever enjoyed myself
more than the first four weeks ] spent
on the island In the morning took
TO the water, or took a walk for an
hour or so; then l wrote for three
hours, and the afternoons l read and
loafed, and at night l slept Some
days l would row over to the main
land, and every day Henry went over
after the mail, unless it was stormy.
Sometimes l had a friend or two to
drive with me, but no woman was
allowed to come ashore there.
/ was rigid in my determination on
this point, for had not one Isabella
Ventnor told me two weeks before l
bought the island that she did not
think / was the kind of man any
woman ought to marry?
She had, and for that l had for
sworn all women.
As I say, l was supremely happy
',all by myself, exec pting, of course,
the hurt Isabella had done me. and :
think that was healing slowly, when
one night the entire scheme was over
thrown.
That night was a dark one, but
quite STILL and / went to bed feeling
fairly comfortable, a couple of my
friends had been with me until
O'Clock and were to return early in
the morning with sail boat for fish
ing trip out to deep water. About l
o'clock, or perhaps later, l was
awakened by hearing dlsturb bance
of some sort down stairs, and before
my eyes were fully opened Henry
rushed into the room. slammed the
door and locked it
Whats the matter?" l exclaimed.
''For Gods sake, major" get up and
help me There's burglars in the
house and I'm done for
Then Henry went down on the floor
in heap. and l lit lamp, as there
came a terrific banging on the door.
The light showed me Henry covered
with blood, his throat slashed, lying
there dead or rdying, as l supposed.
What to do did not know, for the
only arms in the house were across
the hall and the burglars had me shut
off from that direction and were
rapidly demolishing my door.
They swore and pounded, entirely
regardless of the ordinary rules of
burglary, for they knew that so far
away from the shore they were per-
r fectly safe.
go down stairs and get that ak,
heard one of them say, ''apd we'll
have this id door out of the way
in minute. We've done up one of
'em and now we've got to do up the
other, SO there won't be any tellin'
tales out of school"
Then he laughed and l heard foot
steps down the hall and stairs.
| knew there was no help for me
there and only a chance anywhere,
and l took that. One window of my
room opened out on back roof and
from that it was only short distance
TO the ground. Once out of the house
I had one chance in mil ion of es-
cape. In a minute l was ont of the
window, over the shed and on the
ground. | had on only my pajamas,
and the sharp stones cut my feet cruel
ly. but did not think of that 1t was
life, and life is very sweet TO us even
though some fair Isabella may have
slipped drop of bitter into it
Over the rocks and stones | flew.
going knew not where, thinking of
nothing but escape.
What brought me to my senses
somewhat was my rushing into the
water, and at first l thought of swim
ming out and trying to reach the
main land, but | was only Il Door swim
or caught and knocked on the head in
the water by the burglars "a hunter
might knock a muskrat on the head,
and the horror O. il drove me back.
Then l thoug 1T of my boat but be-
fore | started that way | remembered
that my friends had moved it over to
the mainland to return at daylight
with the sailboat leaving me only my
rockets to signal the shore in case of
need, and what were signals now?
Only a means whereby the murderers
might discover me.
One thinks rapidly at such moments,
! fancy, and all this took place in
much less time than it requires to tell
1t; but there was time enough for the
burglars to learn | was not in the
room, and with their quick eyes see the
window through which | had escaped,
and | heard some of them coming
along the course had taken, and one
going down toward my boat landing
to cut me off there.
= Then, aimlessly and utterly dazed |
began to circle the little island, run
ming on the beach They could not
see me and my bare feet made no
noise in the sand and l rushed madly
ahead, when all at once l went down
with terrible crash over something
.on the beach. They were near enough
to hear my fall and one of them
shouted:
Here he is. Bill; we've got him; d
him for givin' us so much trouble,
we'll fix him now"
thought about as the burglar did,
but as tried to get up l found was
in boat drawn half way up on the
sand.
almost shouted with Joy when l
made this discovery 1t WAC thar
boat and once in it and on the water I
was safe. BY this time / could hear
their footsteps along the shore, which
was quite rocky an rough here, ex-
fcept the little bit of beach where the
boat lay, and they could not make
Esuch headway as / did as thev did not
know the way through the rocks
Ii But they were coming fast enough
Eand cnrsing at every step, and with