The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-15
LOST MANS LANE.
PRIZE NOVELTIES, No. r2.
BY ANNA KATHERINE GREEN.

"No," said /, "not when I am not
frightened. -,
HAnd you were frightenedY"
every much SC"
That is too bad what could have done
Il? Miss Lucetta's sicknessp'
"I thought" said /, rising on my
| elbow, so as to look her squarely in the
| face, "that some one came TO my door at
midnight and locked 1t softly on the
| outside"
dreams, dreamsl" calculated the wo-
| man.
"That later, two hours after, perhaps,
| the same person came back and as softly
unlocked IL again.
"Mere fancy, child, mere fancy"
| "And do you mean 10 say" cried,
starting up ''that no one did do thatr
| 81 do certainly mean TO say that you
dreamed all this or that your imagina-
tion deceived you. We had no time to
| come TO your door last night.
81 will ask Miss Knollys," cried 81
| cannot believe i dreamed that.
But here the woman assumed very
| serious air.
81 would not disturb Miss Knollys IL
were you. She has her troubles and is
very anxious about her sister and not
well herself besides. 1t would be cruel
to bother her with silly fancies Just now
1t was not a silly fancy, for knew i
had experienced that part of my nights
! adventure II no more, but l was not un.
touched by the women's appeal, so lei
| little laugh escape me, and charm eo
at the beam OF sunshine which at that
moment poured into the room, / answered
in quite a different tone OF voice:
"Well II Is morning now and matters
look very different by daylight. Perhaps
no one did come to my door AT all
events will try to think so.
Before was quite dressed Miss Knollys
came for me. She looked tired, but not
so careworn as / expected; indeed there
seemed to be slight lifting OF shadow
| that had been on the brow the day be-
fore. Seeing it, / became puzzled again,
and resolving to ignore the night entirely,
greeted ,h her pleasantly snn Gys,d and scarcely
"Matilda tells me you did not sleep
well in spite of my assurances. Is that
so, Miss Grant?'
''It is 80 and II isn't so," l laughed; |;
"I slept some and ! was awake some,
but that was to be expected in strange
house. But feel very well this morning,
better that Lucetta, fear. hear that
she was quite Ill in the night.
"Lucetta has heart complaint" an
swered Miss Knollys, with a curious tone
OF decision In her voice. "But you will
find her sitting in her usual place at
table this morning."
| And did.
had determined on rising to cut my
visit short and leave the house before the
day was out. But as the hours went by
found this becoming more and more
difficult. The girls showed me so much
kindness, and the brother such new In
terest, that common gratitude kept me
from showing the extent of my feelings
by n sudden departure. Besides those feel.
ines had become much modified by the
sunny aspect of the day and by long
drive which Lucetta had given me In the
early forenoon. The man whom they
aaItad nio, Rob had hrnuOht rOund thf
horse, and thus having seen all the mem,
bers OF the family alive and well, i fel,
sure that the horror OF the night had beer
indeed but dream and that 1t would bt
both unwise and ridiculous to dwell any
| longer on what a perfe city sane minc
would dismiss at once
Yet when the shadows began tc
lengthen, and found that no change hat
been made I'm my apartment, and that
was likely to sleep again In that remote
room, felt a decided return OF yester-
days apprehension.
Miss Knollys, whose face had growr
graver as the evening advanced, showed
that she appreciated my secret dread, ano
with glance at her sister, put her arm
round me as che led me down the hall
say ing that on the morrow she would b,
able to make different arrangements, II
would only excuse her for this one more
night. n.t.
returned her embrace and answered a:
suitably as my fears would allow; anC
making great effort over myself, did
succeed in falling asleep much NOR,
quickly after her departure than / hao
anticipated.
But / was not to rest. The horrors o.
my short stay in this house were not yet
over, and sometime In the night, never
knew at what hour, ] was again awakened
by the sound Of gliding step, a hanc
on the lock, and the turning OF the key
which for the second time made me {
prisoner. ral
SO all that had suffered the night be
fore had not been dream! Something
strange, something which they feared tc
have me witness, was going on In this
house of seemingly innocent young peo
pie. What could 1t be, and what connec