People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-28

in the labyrinthine PIE, l heard a
faint cry. Driven by some secret i'm
pulse, l flew, without a moments re-
Election, to the closet door, lifted the
tapestry within, unfastened the second
door, and stood in the great waste
echoing hall, amid the touches, light
and ghOstly, of the cobwebs set afOat
in the eddieS OccasiOned by my sudden
entrance.
l started, and my heart swelled; for
| saw movement somewhere could
neither tell where nor of what; was
only aware Of motion. | stood in the
first shadow, and gazed, but saw moth
ing. / sped across the light to the
next shadow, and stood again, looking
with fearful fixedness of gaze toward
the far end of the corridor. Suddenly
a white form glimmered and vanished.
| crossed to the next shadow. Again 4
glimmer and vanishing, but nearer.
Nerving myself to the utmost, | ceased
the stealthiness of my movements, and
went forward slowly and steadily. A
tall form, apparently of a woman,
dressed in a long white robe, appeared
in one of the streams of light, threw
its arms over its head, gave a wild cry
which, Notwithstanding its wildneSS
and force, had a muffled sound, as if
many folds, either of matter or space
interyened-and fell at full length
along the moonlight. Amidst the thrill
of agony which shook me at the cry, l
rushed forward. and, kneeling beside
the PROSTATE figure, discovered that
unearthly as was the scream which
had preceded her fall, it was the Lady
Alice. | saw the fact in a moment;
the Lady Alice was a somnambulist.
Startled by the noise of my advance,
she had awaked; and the usual terror
and fainting had followed.
She was cold and mOtionleSS as
death. What was to be done? If |
called the probability was that no one
would hear me; or if any one should
hear-but need not follow the course
of my thought, as tried in vain to re-
vive the poor. girl. Suffice it to say,
that both for her sake and my own, l
could not face the chance Of being
found, in the dead of night by common
minded domesticS, in such a situation.
l was kneeling by her side, not know
ing what to do. when horror. as from
the presence of death suddenly recOg-
nized, fell upon me. l thought she
must be dead. But at the same mo-
ment l heard, or seemed to hear How
should l know which9 the rapid gallOp
of 4 horse, and the clank of a loose
shoe.
In the agony of fear l caught her up
in my arms, and, carrying her on my
arms, as one carries a sleeping child,
hurried back through the corridor.
Her hair, which was loose trailed on
the ground; and as l fled | trampled
on it and stumbled. She mOaned; and
in that instant the gallOp ceased.
lifted her up across my shoulder, and
carried her more easily. How found
my way to the stairs l cannot tell: l
know that l CROPPED about for some
time, like one in a dream with a
ghost in his arms. At last l reached
it, and, descending. crossed the hall.
and entered my room. There | placed
Lady Alice upon an old couch, secured
the doors and began to breathe-and
think. The first thing was to get her
warm, for she was as cold as the dead.
l covered her with my plaid and my
dressing gown, pulled the couch before
the fire, and considered what to do
next.