The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1893-08-29

! was any real uanSeE II leIIlnS Ills uotuel
aIay alone.
u guess I amt goin' to set up for 3
coward, at my time of life" said Mrs.
Dyer. ~ wonder now if Marthy IeAlly
thought I'd come"
An express train was coming
from the south. The light from
the engine could be seer for
some time before there was any noise
from the train. Night had come quicS-
ly. 1t was already quite dark.
Mrs. Dyer took of her giugham apron
and put it over her head, and stood
watching the light from the engine as it
drew nearer, and finally when the train
had dashed by the little station she
turned and went into the house. There
were but two rooms in the house-the
living room and small bedroom open
ing out of it. Mrs. Dyer went over to
the window and looked out.
sit does beat me how soon night
comes out here sac said; "back in
York State We had little between-time..
There's the moon shinin' away as if the
Jun hadn't only just left. You can see
the movers plain as if t was day.
They're much as half mile away, tool
They've got big fire. IT amt likely
there's any more harm in, them than.
there's in me. I'm going to get out that
money and count it. They must be
most enough to have the carpet woVe
oy this time. Six dollars, they say, it'll
lost me. They never charge no SUCH
price as that back East" >
The can 10 which she kept the money
was on a shelf behind the stove. Shq
went over and took it down, and than
sat down in an old rocking-chair, not
far from the window. The moonlight
shone in brightly. She took the cushion
out of the top OF the csn and emptlel
the money into her lap. There was
q'ite pill, of it.
zone would think there was coa-
siderable more'n there is, to look at 1t, "
she said, lingering the money. eff you
could call these pieces dollars Std OF
n;ckels, It would be. Might as well say
;hve-do!lar pieces while I'm about 1t, !
suppose"
/ She began counting the money, drop
ping each piece into the can az sne did
SO. She en- njoyed the sound of the moneys
rafting. Two or three tunes
she forgot her count, and emp
tied it back into her lap and began
again. Suddenly she started, gathering
the money up IL her dress. She went
over and looAed out of the window.
The prairie was flooded with moonlight.
The light from the fire in the movers
camp lit up the white canvas covered
wagons. Everything was perfectly still.
She went over and locked the door.
"It must have been cloud passing
over the moon. They arn't any chance
of persons gettin' out of sight as qule1,
unless he just wen: round the house.
She stood listening for some time.
lit Is all my imagination, I'm going
to put the money right back and 60 to
bed. They amt no such great rush
about its being counted, anyhow"
She sat down and put the none! care
fully back into the can. She did not let
it fail in this time, but put each piece IN
carefully, counting it as she did so.
"There, they's five dollars aud fifty
Eve ceats, most enough" holding tue
can between her hands aud looking to-
ward the shelf aud then toward the win
dow.
Now I'm gon' to bed. I amt goiu'
to be so silly as to tnink any ones goin '
to get it. They'd never think of lookin'
in this can anyhow. They'd never koo"
it was can"
, She put it back on the shelf. theE
turned and looked quickly toward the
window, trembling. !
"Well, didn't think was so silly,
but seems like ! see somebodV goln' by
that window again. hadn't any basi-
aess countin' the money and tainSin'
about it. That's whats upset me. If I'd
lit the lamp and put down the window
curtain and gone to bed in a natural way.
I'd been all right"
She lit the lamp snd drew down tho
1carsain. It was a darkgree paper
shade. T'rHen she went into the littls
bedroom, uudreSsea, quickly, blew out
the light, and got into bed, leas>--s - -"
door into the other room open. Sue dia
not go to Sleep but lay there listening,
the fear growing every minute stronger
and more beyond her control.
Once she sat up and looked out int0
the other room. Tnea she got up al |
pulled aside the curtain in her little bed
room and looked out. The moon hal
gone under heavy cloud and the nlgn7
was growing dark. She could see th1
other houses of the town from this
window. There was light burning in
the back room of her sons house. 1t
gave her a wonderful sense of security.
She went back to the bed AMI was soon
asleep. Some time near one o'clock shs
woke 81 lden'y and sat IN in BED. The
wind vas blowing around the house and
it was raining.
"rAere, that rain trough alat put up
SOS I'll catch any water in that barre.
The tubs ought to be put out, 100. |
sin't had any soft wafer 10 wash wlta l
don't know wien"
Al! the fear that she b2; in the even
ing was gone. She began to think 6:
putting on her clothes aud going out to
place the tubs. AS she sat there 10 bed
the window il the other room was opened
softly. A spool OF thread that stood on
the upper casing fell to the floor. She
bcari the green paper she'e give way
then she knew that some one was IN the
room.
MMeN. Honiar i In gl:nr To SET