Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-12-21
TRACKED.

-
The 25th of March, 1872, was mark.
ed by thaw succeeding severe frost
of three weeks duration. At Lehman
Court, a mansion situated Is miles or
so from London, on the west side, great
inconvenience and some damage had
been caused by the bursting of a water
pipe during the day. In special, one
room was rendered so damp that its
usual occupant, Spencer-Lady Brown
Salter's lady's maid-was compelled
to change her sleeping place. In
stead of sharing one of the housemaids'
beds, she chose, with her ladyship's
permission, to make up bed for her
self in the small room, or large cup
board, situated at the end of the corri-
dor which runs through the whole
breadth of Lehman Court on the first
story. 1t was room used to store
trunks and boxes in, and Spencer placed
some of these as foundation for her
couch. Many of these trunks had made
the voyage to India and back, for Colo
mel Sir William Brown-Salter had dis
tinguished himself not little in John
Company's service. There had been
much extra work for all the servants at
Lehman Court that day, and it was late
before Spencer retired to her cupboard.
On getting into her bed she found
her novel couch by no means so COM
Portable as it looked. 1t had to be re-
arranged, but on extinguishing her can
die second time she found herself as
far from sleep as ever. While she twist
ed and turned she heard the stable
clock strike 2, and Immediately after
ward she became conscious of subdued
sound outside her door. Remembering
the jokes at her expense at the supper
table about the size of her bed cham
ber, it occurred to Spencer that her
fellow servants might be going to play
her trick, to indulge in some practical
joke. So she slid from her uneasy couch,
and removing the key from the lock-
she had locked herself in on coming to
bed-she applied her eye to the key
hole. The door, as we have said, faced
directly the whole length of the corri-
dor. About two yards from her stood
man, but not one of her fellow serv-
ants. He held a lighted candle in one
hand, shading it with the other so as
to cast the light now here, now there.
His face was concealed by mask of
black Grape, and he was listening in
tently. A breathless minute or two
passed, and as if by magic there were
either two or three other men in the cor
ridor, all masked in Grape, behind which
their eyes shone in the candle CLEANS.
They went and came and consulted,
noiseless as so many specters. In and
out Of the rooms, locking doors softly
behind them, now ascending to the
third story, now descending to the
basement; now the one holding and
shadowing the candle was left alone
again.
Spencer drew back from the keyhole
moment, trying to think If there was
anything she could do. Sir Williams s
room gave on to the corridor. He must
be murdered, thought pOor Spencer, or
surely she would have heard some
sound, for he often sat late reading, and
it was round his door that the thieves
were clustered. He was passionate
man and powerful, beloved by his serv-
ants for his bounty, though feared on
account of his temper. Surely he would
have made fight for it, if he had not
been taken at some cruel disadvantage
What could she do? The alarm bell,
even if she could muster courage to try
to get to it, was quite at the other
end Of the house. Applying her eye
once more to the keyhole, she was terri
fed to find not only darkness, but in
the darkness some one breathing close
to the door. Then the handle softly
brushed her cheek as it was turned, and
lock and hinges were strained by the 81
lent pressure brought to bear upon them
to such degree that instinctively she
drew back, expecting the door to be
forced in upon her. The door creaked
as the pressure relaxed, and Just then
the stable clock struck 8.
As the minutes passed and silence was
unbroken, Spencer gathered courage to
look from her spying place. The watch
man stood alone, candle in hand, in his
former place. She became stiff and
cold at her post. Nothing moved that
she could hear or see, except that the
man trimmed his candle now and then
with his fingers and turned his head
watchfully from side to side, his eyes
cleaning behind his mask, and seeming
now and again to fix themselves on her
lurking place. At low whistle from
the basement, he and his light vanished
together. Taking the precaution to stop
up the keyhole, Spencer struck steel and
flint till she obtained a light, then hud-
died on few clothes, inserted the key,
turned it, stood one minute outside, in
silence and darkness, then snatching uI
her candle made q rush for the only
open door In the corridor-it was hel
masters.
| Bound hand and foot to a chair and