The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-15

cnstoInol sounds. They will have no
rnlnr0nco TO yon."
llor look, hOr manner worn %Oncournr.
ing aud for n moment | ialt ashamed Of
my foolish trom0rs. What II | weto
banI,hed to a temoto corncr in II dismal
mud strangely ordered house! Was |
not unlcr tho protection ot two nmiablo
girla, daughters OF my fathers oldest
iriend2 Certainly my conduct was
%rldlcnloni and could but add to Miss
Knoll Va Trouble.
Taking her by tho hand. | cravol her
pardon, aud begging lIur to lInvo no
moro concern about mo-, J returned TO
my room and carefully closed tho door.
Hut no sooner did | find myself thus
shut IN than all my yuriO doubts 70.
turned and would havo giyon anything
Tor tho mOancst and smallest apartment
IN II crowded country tavern with nor.
nal commonplace people.
Dnt INV fatO was to DO shut In, In thla
don ol darkness aud discomfort. aud /
forced myself to make tho best Of 1t.
Tho candle which sto had brougli,
with her and act down on a ANAL table
by tho hearth was too short to last long
another circumstances which did not
add 20 my happiness; whiln tho ilru
was one Of those light aud tlaahy mos
meant only to burn ill bod Is reached,
and there was nc wood to add to It. TO
that ! had before mt tho. prospect Of n
dark and cold room, il my foolish fears
trIumphed ove my faiiglo mud kept
maawake. SO u evidently became my
INtNF In sl.nr uptl F.Nnuvntg tN, tl,t. fa,t
| Looked tn 500 how n sense OF security
could DO obtained. The bed was light
aud could DO pulled in front OF tho
door; the windows-but llicrO was bu,
ono and that was heavily drapol with
thick dark sluIl. Going to it, | dragged
tho heavy folds aside and looked out.
a multitude OF wintrv boughs over.
Swallowed n stretch Of unbroken show,
mot my eyes. repc!lin: me by its lone.
somoness. lot tho curtain fall again,
and allowing my good sense to reasscri
itself, ! prepared myself for tho night,
merely yielding enough to my fears TO
null tho bod in front OF tho door; then
| lay down, and with tho light still
burning, fell fast asleep.
II must have been after midnight tina,
| aroko in a violent ttombla. aud with
tho Precipitation streaming from every
pore. Some ono or something was al
my door. | heard tho stealthy steps,
swi,hjng dress. which proved tho IN.
trnder was a woman, and then tho
quiet. almost noiselcss insertion Of Il
key into the lock, followed BY the Quick
turn which made mo n prisoner. Bound
inrto the floor. | gaspci out Miss Knoll
ly's namo, but no answer came In replv
to my smo,hcred appeal, and next mo-
Inent | heard the step gliding softly
away. filling inc with 30 much alarm
thnt should certainly have shricked
aloud il ut that moment there had not
risen from somewhere in tho house n
cry 81 much moro wild aud unearthly
than any I could have uttered that my
" tongue became paralyzed and !
sank to the ground in terror.
A murlnur OF voices quickly sup.
pressed followed. hut no second cry,
and presently all was as still as il no
sound had arisen to disturb tho mid.
night, covered. however, for many
minutes longer against the floor. ana
then. stiff with the cold and blinded by
the darkness. ior my candle had long
ago burned out, | CROPPED my way to tho
chair where hnl laid my clothes aud
began with trembling fingers to dress
myself.
As | did so ! paused every now and
then to listen. but beyond the fain, fall
OF 4 distant ioot,;ep. or the smotherei
sound OF whispering voices. | heard
nothing, though every fibre in my body
told the that some dreadful thing had
happened. and that that event. what.
eve it was. hni been a p%remedita,ed
ono, or why had my door been locked.
Alive to nv iielplc,sness. and recall
ing for mv comfort tho parting a.sur-
ance Of Miss knollys that nothing
which might occur would have any rel
erence to myself. 1 sat down in my
clothes and waited with mingled no ne
and dread for daybreak.
But had miscalculated my amount
Of nerve. could not 81, thus passivelv
for hours, aud jumping up ut last, !