Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-12-21

that she felt her heart stand still and
ner feet grow para wed.
Knowing that her husband had taken
peculiar pains with the fastenings of
this door, as it was the ono toward the
woods, and therefore most accessible to
wayfarers, she sat where she was, with
all her faculties strained to listen. But
10 further sound came from that direc-
ton, and after a few minutes of silent
Terror she was allowing herself to be-
aeve that She had been deceived by her
fears when she suddenly heard the same
sound at the kitchen door, followed by
a mutlied knock.
Frightened now in good earnest, but
still alive to the fact that the intruder
she stepped to the door, and with her
hand on the lock stopped and asked
boldly enough who was there. But she
received no answer, aud more affected
by this unexpected silence than by the
knock she had heard she recoiled far
ther and farther till not only the width
of the kitchen, but the dining room also,
alarm, when to her utter confusion the
noise shifted again to the side of the
house, and the door she thought so Sc
curely fastened swung violently open as
If blown i'll by fierce gust, and she
saw precipitated into the entry the
burly figure of man covered with snow
and shaking with the shock of a storm
h,t 30 Ln
Her first thought was that it was her
husband come back, but before she
could clear her eyes from the cloud of
snow which had entered with him he
had thrown off his outer covering and
she found herself face to face with a
man in whose powerful frame and cynic-
al visage she saw little to comfort her
and much to surprise and alarm.
"Ughl' was his coarse and rather
familiar greeting. "A hard night, mis-
sus! Enough to drive any man indoors.
Pardon for the liberty, but l couldn t
wait for you to lift the latch; the wind
drove me right i'll. "
"Was-was not the door locked?"
she feehly asked, thinking he must have
STAYED it i'll with his foot, that looked
eminently fitted for the task.
''Not much" he chuckled. 81 s'pose
you re too hoSpitablo for that" And his
eyes passed from her face to the COM
Portable freight shining through the
sitting room.
"Is it refuge you wa;t?" she demand
ed, suppressing as much as possible all
signs of fear.
''Sure, missus--what olse A man
can't live in gale like that, specially
after tramp OF 20 miles OF more.
Shall shut tho door for you:" he ask
ed, with mixture Of bravado and good
nature that frightened her more and
more.
Il will shut it." she replied, with a
half motion Of escaping this sinister
stranger by a flight through the night.
But one glance into the awirling SNOW
storm deferred her, ard making the
best of the alarming situation she closed
the door, but did not lCck it, being
more afraid now of what was within
the house than Of anything that was
now likely to enter from without.
The man, whose clothes were drip
ping water by this time, watched her
with cynical smile, and then, with
out any initiation, entered the dining
room, crossed it AID moved toward the
kitchen fire.
"Ugh! Ughl But it is warm here -
he cried, his nostrils dilating with an
animal like enjoyment that ill itself was
repugnant to her womanly delicacy.
do you know, missus, l shall have to
stay here all night: Can't go ont in that
gale again; not such fool" Then
with sly look at her trembling form
and white faco he insinuatingly added,
"All alone, missus?"
The suddenness with which this was
put, together with the leer that accom-
panied it, made her start. Alone? Yes,
but should she acknowledge it? Would
it not be better to say that her husband