The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-03-15
[CoNT1NUED.]

she knew not how long, with her head
resting against the wall Her neck felt
stiff and sore from the constrained po-
sition. The moonlight had disappeared
from her little chamber. A cold night
wind blew in at the window The house
was buried in darkness and silence. FL
sic rubbed her eyes vigorously, wonder
ing what had happened. She listened to
the old clock in the kitchen striking
its slow and solemn 12. More than two
hours had passed since she sat looking
out at the lane and the moon illumined
hill and thinking of Paul, and yet it
seemed hardly moment She remem-
bered vividly the vision Of Uncle ST
holding out to her the packet of papers,
Elsie was not more superstitious than
other healthy minded young girls Of
her age, but now her nerves were slight
ly shaken, and the dream, Or whatever
it was, took powerful hold on her mind.
Uncle Sis sad and solemn face brought
the conviction that he was not at rest
in the grave and that he called upon
her to take some decisive step.
The closet door opening in the solid
wall was as inexplicable to Elsie as
ever, but as she sat there in the dark.
shivering, trying to think calmly of
these strange things, it suddenly occur
red to her that the moment had come
for calling Paul out of the woods with
the whippoorwill's Cry. All were fast
asleep in the old farmhouse. Not a
mouse rustled in the wall. She was
fully dressed, and it was but the work
of moment to take little plaid shawl
from among the garments hanging on
the wall, throw it over her head, open
the door and creep out into the passage.
She stole along through the slumbrous
house like spirit, crouched at the door
Of the spare chamber and heard within
the regular breathing of Arthur Hap
good, glided down the back stairs,
avoiding the creaking step, and softly
undid the kitchen door. 1t was chill and
dewy without, and the melancholy
moon sloped toward the west, casting
long beams across the grass, where a
rabbit, sitting ON his launches, pricked
up his sensitive ears.
Elsie knew every stick and stone and
bush in the home fields as we'll by
night as by day. She ran through the
farmyard, crept between the bars into
the lane, sped up the steep cowpath and
over another fence to a grassy knoll,
where near pile of stones grew the great
branchy hollow oak. Here she stopped
to take breath, putting her hand to her
side, for the climb was steep and rugged.
The low moon looked at her solemnly.
There was stirring of young birds in
the bushes Some small creature, per-
haps snake, filtered away through the
grass Elsie, half frightened at what
she was doing, let out her voice in the
long, low, melancholy call of the whip
poorwill The sound seemed to divide
the country silence like sword thrust.
Then it fell again more profound than
before, and the night held its breath in
the low moonlight. Again she let out
her voice louder and longer in the
strange bird call, and putting her ear to
the ground she listened, with beating
heart. Yes, he was coming now. The
light swapping of twigs, the crunch of
heel on the stones. told her so. In a
moment she saw his tall, dark outline
looming over her, and they had clasped
hands.
"What is it, Elsie? Has that fellow
been annoying you again?"
"Don speak of him." said Elsie in
an agitated whisper, and she laid hold
of his arm. 81 have seen Uncle 81
again tonight in my sleep, and he open
"a lo nj -, Lo 80
his room and showed me that bundle of
papers. He looked so sad, so awful, /
was frozen with terror, and had to get
out of the house to breathe. What do
you think it means?"
Paul saw that Elsie was wrought up
to the highest pitch of excited feeling
and skeptic as he was about supernatu-
raj appearances he tried to soothe her in
stead Of making light of her delusion.
1T is very strange, Elsie. Do you
think we could creep into the house
without being heard?"
81 am sure we could, Paul Do come
with me, and let us try to probe this
mystery"
81 know Hapgood has come back,
Elsie, for have been spying on the
house all day from the top of the hill
l would like to take look at that wall
in the corner of Uncle Sis chamber
Now remember the attic stairs go up
near that place, and there must be a
cavity underneath. Perhaps years ago,
when you came here as a child, there
was closet door there, and it has been
walled up. You may have forgotten all
about it, and it has come back to you
now in dream. At any rate, we will
go down and see what we can find. "
The moon had set, and moaning
wind bowed the tops of the trees, and
dark clouds rolled up from the west,
obscuring the stars. They crept down
the lane and into the house like two
conspirators and presently found them
selves in tie dark room where Uncle 81
died and where he had slept for more
than half century. Elsie CROPPED her
way to the chimney piece, where stood
the night lamp she had used in the old
mans long sickness, with matches.
Stealthily she kindled the wick and
looked at Paul, who was quite pale, and
he, too, remarked that Elsie also looked
pale and wide eyed with suppressed
excitement.
They gazed furtively around the room,
as if expecting to see something strange
and uncanny, but it was just the same
plain, familiar, homely place they had
always known. Paul had taken off his
shoes, and row he approached the COR
ner where Elsie had seen the closet door