Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-04-21

of her sojourn at Swampy Corners such
thing had never happened to her be.
fore.
Uncle Absalom had occasionally been
absent, it was true, but Miriam Nudge
was always there to bear her company
until his return. Now that a sudden
summons from her father, hurt in an ac-
cident in the saw mill on Ragged River,
six miles below, had called Miriam away,
poor Emily was all in hutter.
True, the one train day which stopped
at the station was not due until seven in
the morning. The telegram Office was
closed, and there was absolutely no care
for her to assume except to put another
log of wood on the air tight stove and
60 quietly to bed.
But the very sense Of solitude appalled,
her. She shivered at the very click of
the snow fakes against the window, the
crack of the boards in the floor, tle SLOW
drip of the water into the kitchen sink,
where Uncle Absalom had recently in
troduced the modern improvement of
water tap, connected by pipes with the
spring in the spruce glen above.
"Why couldn't Miriam have stopped
at one of the neighbors' houses and sent
some one to keep me compauyl' she re-
pined. ANDREW says there are some
nice girls at Almondsley, down the
mountain, and he said he'd like to intro
duce me to Marietta Mix, who teaches
Sundav-school in the South Cleating,
and does type writing for the company
on week days. I'm sorry, now that l
tossed my head, and put Oh airs, and
said did not care to mingle in the So
ciety hereabouts. l must have appeared
hateful enough. Gracious, what was
thatl"
It was the clock striking nine, and
then Emily remembered that she Ia | no
supper. Ntrvously glancing around her,
she tip .toed to the cupboard, and took a
glass of milk and a little bread and
cheese. AS she replaced the tumbler on
the shelf she heard footsteps on the
frozen ground outside.
"It's my imagination" she said, after
listening for a second. "But won't be
frightened so. Twill be brave" She
took hatchet, and sallyiuS forth,
opcned the cellar-door. 'If anyone
comos he'll sail down there before he eau
cct to the door, said she.
Aad with two prodigious slashc5 OF
the hatchet she cut away the board Ta:h
which led across a series of rugged bould.
ers to the railway platform.
There" she cried, hurrying back 10
the inside warmth and brightness, as if
a whole brigade of pursuers were at her
heels. "that's donel feel safer now.
But must hang the lantern out before
Uncle Absalom comes back. l don't
want him to fall down aud break his
dear old neckl"
She had just seated herself with sigh
Of relief when something like big fire.
fly blazed on her visiou-for brief Sec
ond only; then it was gone.
"a dark lantern !" she said to herself.
'I am sure now that hear the sound of
feet on the platform. There are two or
three people there perhaps more. They
have learned that am alone with all
that money! She clasped her hands
over her eyes, and shivered as she heard
a crash, a smothered exclamation, sup
pressed buzz OF voices, "Some one has
fallen down the cellar Oh, how for
tunate 1t was thought of that!"
And now low whisper came up
through the carelessly- joined boards of
the floor. She could distinguish the
words, "Hold on! Be carefull The
front door is fastened, for l tried it.
You can all of sou get down cellar, and
come up that way"
EmiIy's heart gave an cxultaut jump.
The cellar door, mass Of timber in
which she had the fullest confidence, was
securely bolted. She peored out into
the stormy darkness. By the OCCASION
ally displayed CLEAN Of the lantern she
could see a huddled mass Of figures
creeping down the cellar steps.
Last Of all disappeared the lantern it.
self, one leisurely step at a time; and
then, consummating a plan which she
had long been concocting in her mind.
Emily made dash out into the night,
clesed the two divisions of the cellar
door with bang, barred them, and fed
painting into the house.
BY this time there was brisk knock
ing at the cellar door, crying out Of,
"Open the doorl Let US inI''
But to these calls Emily Elkton paid
no heed, and it was only when hand