The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-02-13
I SOON BEcAME DEEPLY ABSORBED.

the smallest sound except the ticking
of little clock in my darkened bed
room, and the clicking of the dying
Goals.
was possessed With strange sink
ing fear. l was afraid to move, afraid
to turn my head to the left or right
lest I see something lurking in the
gloomy corners. was cold, too, and
trembling. Tho room was chilled;
fancied it must be just before dawn.
My fear increased rather: than dimin-
ished as the moments dragged by. I
could hear my. heart beating. I soon
became senthralled by terror. I had a
kind of Instructive animal fear of i'm
pending. danger. thought of the
money. It was locked up in the cabinet
lat my right hand, not two yards away.
I found myself listening painfully, tor
turously. My. throat seemed swollen.
+ :swalIoYed ingulps.
!, T endeavored TO rally my courage, to
s'perspale myself that 1 was awakened
from hi htmare and was nervous;
that there WAS nothing to fear, and that
Twas making, = baby ofmyself. All to
4aspurpose Sonnet thing wasTgoing to
happen; sonnet thing was Happening ut
that, moment which would bring me
hurt. .Ss... ..:.,,..xySa ~ Nd
I could not throw of the notion.
Just then it began to rain--a regular
downfall. as il the bottom had suddenly
fallen out Of the clouds. l have never
known it to rain so heavily. A perfect
deluge, and every drop seemed to pene-
trate my soul. did not move. lay
buck in my: cushioned chair, helpless,
and felt that could not have raised my
hand to my ii myslife were the for
sdeit. Such pouring! y found myself
listening behind the rain--behind all
The pattering noise listening. tor an,
other sound. II hadaa grotesque idea
that the elements and this something
that was coming to me We're collengued
together, the one 10 screen the approach
Of the other.
I was listening with every fiber Of my
body drawn taut. Listening for what?
! did not know. Something beyond,
behind the rain. Then sheard it. A
sound distinct from the rain-patter.
A sound emanating from our little
drawing-room-a;9 4, "scraping,- saving
sound. 1t came from; the front portico.
1 knew some one was cutting through
the Venetian.blinds into the house. My.
faintest doubt vanished. soon, when I
Enthusiastically. heard the blinds dragged
back and the sash creak as it was pushed
up. Some one was entering the house,:
This person, whoever it was, knew of
nv brothers absence. Good Heavens!
1 thought of Henry, our Office man. He
brought the note--an open note. It was
he who caused the delay which pre-
vented my depositing the money. It
was as clear as day. Irose rigidly to my
feet. In twinkling my mind was
acutely active, and q thousand ways of
escape surged through my brain in a
moment. l unlocked the cabinet and
grasped tha large pocketbook which
the notes. and thrust it into
my, bosom. TO what:purpose I did not
know Ireireated into the dense dark
ness of my own bedroom, where stood
uncertain and shivering. (
The windows were too high from tho
ground to admit of my jumping there
from without mourning the risk of a
broken limb; besides, there was no
time. At the first sound of my putting
up the sash, I would be detected and
overpowered. heard heavy tread
along the hall. An idea flashed into my
head like the incision OF q blade. I
elutched the money in my bosom and
stepped into the empty fireplace. In
another moment I was scrambling up