The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-03-02

come to It n Just that one night, and
thought l would put it away
in the morning l do not
know how long / had been asleep,
when | was awakened by hearing a
slight noise. Opening my eyes, l saw
by the light of dark-lantern the fig
ure of q tall man standing by my
dressing-table. My first impulse was
to scream, and then came the thought,
eff | do that, he will kill me !" Sud
denly tho man turned, and ] could sec
that he was masked. Then / shut my
eyes and feigned sleep. Stealthily he
walked to the bed where | was lying,
and, bending over, looked at me, for
what seemed, in my agony, to be
hours.
"O, God" / thought, eff he would
only kill me now" But no!--ho
moved softly from my bed, and again
walked TO the dressing table. could
hear him take my jewels, one by one,
from the casket, and lay them gently
down. At last, the box was emptied,
and yet he did not move, but stood as
il bound by a spell. 1 felt rather than
heard that he was once more coming
toward me. Certainly this time he
would take my life, and prayed God
it might be done quickly; but, no! I
must suffer still more. BE knelt down
and put his face so close to mine that
| could feel his hot breath. was like
one petrifed. My blood seemed
frozen in my veins, and had the cold
steel been pressed to my throat, / should
not have felt single pang. My whole
being seemed held by some terrible
power. At last, he arose from his
knees and, going to one of the win
dows, blew whistle three times. This
is all that Remember. My conscious
ness must have forsaken me.
When again opened my eyes, the
bright light was streaming through
the blinds. AT first, l had only a va
que remembrance of what seemed to
me dreadful nightmare, but gradu-
ally the whole scene of the night be-
fore came clearly to my mind and a
terror seized me. My children were
my first thought. l sprang quickly
from my bed, but fell heavily to the
floor in dead faint. The strain had
proved too much for me. For days J
lay unconscious, only feeling burn.
ing pain il my head but through
Gods mercy I was given back to my
husband and children-for not hsil
of my little BARNS dear heads hat
been touched on that horrible night
The subject of the masked robbel
was never mentioned until my health
was fully restored. One day ] was il
my boudoir, idly lounging, when my
husband came in and, seating himsei
on the sofa by my side, took small
piece of paper from his pocket-book
1t looked like the fy-leaf of a book
and was covered with writing in leac
pencil. He handed it to me, saying
II think, little woman, you are stronG
enough 10 read this"
1t was as follows:
81 have come here tonight with {
band of robbers intending to steal and
if necessary, to murder. While taking
the jewels from your casket, ] cam
across a ring. That ring saved you
/ looked upon your face and q hoot
of recollections came over me. Yo,
need never fear. ! love you still
Bad as am, the thought of your pur
soul has never left me, and although
am robber, the memory of you ha
kept my hands clean from blood.
shall always keep watch over you,
shall sSways protect you. j. G"
SO the mystery was solved, and tn
robber, who had robbed me of nothing
was my old lover. Your uncle tried T.
search him out but in vain, and it wa
not until many years after that
having been invited to spend
few days with some relatives of m,
husbands, in the west srn part of Ne7
York State, l again heard of JOIN
Graham.
One morning, at my cousins sug
gestion, We walked over to tn
picturesque old churchyard. W
strolled in and out among the graves
stopping now and then to read tn
quaint inscriptions. A simple gra
stone, on which was hanging a smG
wreath of immortelles, attracted m
notice. I stopped to see what Nigh
might be written on it, and then
read the name "John Graham. Die
on the Eve of New Year Day, IS
Beloved of the people. God rest hi
soul" 1 asked my cousin if she kne'
who this John Graham was? And sh
told me that some twenty years befoI
, a man with a peddler'a pack had com
into the town. His wares were gooC
and he sold great many. AS he tray
eled from house to house, staying, {
was the custom in those times, fir
? with one family, then with another