River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-02-06

and take the risk, If there were any.
because il was troublesome to do other
wise.
/ did net want any tea. so lie, the
servant girl go early; and sat, neglect
ng e.en TO light the lamps, before a
big oak fire in the sitting-room "think
ng N.Y. one of Dicks cases. II was a
mur5er case. that had a great deal of
circumstantial evidence LEADING in vari-
Gus directions.
soon became deeply absorbed; so
deeply that presently went TO sleep at
it, and in a dream saw our poor man
Sried. convicted and actually sentenced
to be banged, and was myself posse seq
Of frantic desire TO attend the hing
ing in person. my non-appearanee being
wholly due to the fact that could not
find my shoes. being separated from
.hem Cor some neIplainab.e reason.
woke up suddenly. frightened to
sl.d myself enveloped in darkness. re-
lieved only by an uncanny red glow
from the faSt-dyinr Goals upon the
hearth. Everything was so still. Not
the smallest sound except the ticking
of a little clock in my darkened bed
room, and the clicking of the dying
Goals.
] was possessed with strange sink
/ ing fear. / was afraid to move, ofraid
TO turn ms head TO the left or right
lest l see something lurking in the
gloomy corners. ] was cold. too, and
/ trembling. The room was chilled;
F., fancied il must he just before dawn.
NV fear increased rather than dimin-
/ ished as the moments dragged by. j
could hear my heart beating. I soon
became enthralled by terror. had a
kind of instructive animal fear of inn
pending danger. | thought of the
money 1t was locked up i'm the cabinet
at my right hand. not two yards away.
/ found myself listening painfully, tor
turously. My throat seemed swollen.
swallowed in gulps.
/ endeavored to rally my courage, to
persuade myself that l was awakened
from a nightmare and was nervous;
/ :hat there was nothing TO fear, and that
was making baby of myself. All TO
no purpose. Something was going 10
happen; something was happening at
/ that moment which would bring me
hIITt.
l could not throw off the notion.
Just then il began TO rama regular
downfall. rs if the bottom had suddenly
/ fallen out of the clouds. have never
known it to rain so heavily. A perfect
deluge. and every drop seemed to pene-
trate INV soul. | did not move. | lay
back in my cushioned chair helpless,
end felt that / could not have raised my
hand to my face if my life were the for
felt. Such pouring! 1 found myself
listening behind the rain-behind all
/ the I ,ttering noise-listening for an
other sound. i had a grotesque idea
/ that the elements and this something
/ that was coming to me We're cOlleagued
/ together. the one TO screen the approach
of the other.
was listening with every fiber of my
I body drawn taut. Listening for what
did not know. Something beyond
| behind the rain. Then ! heard it. \
sound distinct from the rain-patter.
/ A sound emanating from our little
drawing -room-a scraping, saving
sound IL came from the front portico
| knew some one was cutting through
the Venetian blinds into the house. My
/ faintest doubt vanished soon, when
| Enthusiastically heard the blinds dragged
/ back and the sash creak as il was pushed
1 up. Some one was entering the house.
| This person. whoever it was, knew OF
my brothers absence. Good Heavens.
/ thought of Henry, our Office man. He
! brought the note-an open note. 1t was
/ he who caused the delay which pre-
vented my depOsiting the money. II
was as clear as day. rose rigidly TO my
/ feet. In a twinkling my mind was
acutely active, and thousand ways Of
escape surged through my brain in a
moment. i unlocked the cabinet and