Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-01-27

dark, she was close upon us before
saw her; and hearing me knocking |
suppose, she guessed what / was seek
ing; and she asked me did | want a
lodging?
"Of course I said yes, and she told
me she could save me the trouble OF
going back into the town, for the
house where she was going never
said she belonged to it, [ noticed that
afterwards-the let lodgings, she
said; and it would be cheaper and a
great deal more comfortable than
this.
Well, I never suspected anything
wrong, | was very anxious to get my
dear child in out of the rain and cold
so [ thanked the woman, and followed
her at once.
at was a miserable, wretched place,
up a dark, dreary kind of street; as
well as I could make out, the houses
were old tumble-down places; even
worse than that she took us to.
1In the room we went through there
was an old man sitting over the fire,
and a dreadful Unlocking boy with
red hair, picking birds in one corner.
:'There was hardlya bit Of furniture
in the place, though there was a great
blazing fire, and longed for Ida to
have had a good warm before we went
to bed; but it was all SO dirty and
wretched, and such queer folks, that
/ did not care to, and when the Wom-
an asked would | want any supper? |
said no, we would go do bed at once.
"There was a pretty good bed in the
room, that was big enough for half-a-
dozen, for it went the length of the
house, but there was nothing else in it
but big chest, and, oh! so dirty, it
was dreadful to look at; the floor and
the walls. and even to the bed-clothes.
'The woman made some excuse,
quite forget what; but my dear one
was so sleepy, that | was thinking Of
nothing but getting her to bed.
II paid for it at once, for, as [ told
her, we should be starting away early;
and she spoke fair enough, and said
if | felt lonely at all, l could fastenthe
door, and then she bade me good
night.
II did fasten the door, and I found
it fast in the morning. We were SO
tired, [ must have slept too sound,
for when | jumped up, all in a fright,
seeing now broad daylight it was, my
bundle was gone from my side-with
everything [ had in the world; her bits
of clothes that the dear, good girl had
washed and done up for me; and
several little things the kind folks had
given us, even the little cakes that
the young woman baked apurpose for
the dear child the day before"
'sAnd the moneys? cried Agnes.
every penny of it, with the excep-
ton of the few halfpence that the
woman had given me in change, the
night before, and that | had happened
to put out ofny hand on the sill OF the
easement when [ made it fast. There
stood the little heap of halfpence, just
as I'd put it, but my bundle, and all
in it, was gone!'
"And the pretty beads!" put in the
child, in an under-tone, with sigh
and shake of her little head, as if
recalling the Giro instance to herself.
Il believe at the moment" Nelly
continued, ~ was most vexed for the
poor, dear child-it did seem so cruel
to have. taken her poor things, and
the little odds and ends that she had
set store by. believe Twas the worst
OF the two about it; for Ida was all
for starting, as if she'd got it into her
head we should find it on the way"
Whatever did you do?"
"Well, you see" Nelly went on, cit
was so strange, the door had never
been undone, if looked just exactly
the same as l left it the night before;
and the woman had taken such pains
to show me the fastening"
"Of course, cried Agnes, "don't you
see? they had some other way Of get
ting in Oh, the wicked wretches! and,
of course, that was to put you off
your guard. f."
"May be So" said Nelly, with a sigh,
and she continued: II dressed all in q
hurry, and ran down stairs; there was
nobody there but the old man I'd
seen the night before, sitting exactly
the same, and, for all the world, as II
he had never been to bed at all. |
spoke to him, and tried to make him
understand what [ had lost, but he
was so deaf, | might as we'll have
spoken to the door-and when I
shouted again, trying to make
him hear, he looked up 50 savage and
wild, and seemed looking round for
something to hit me with, and drew
back quite afraid.
Just then the redheaded boy came
in, and he stood still and stared at
me, and then he said, You'd best not
put gronfayther in a passion, elsehe'll
heave something at ye-he almost
killed mother, he did,
''Then | told the boy about the
bundle, but he only gave horrld grin
oh, he had such a dreadful look and
he said his mother was gone out to
work, and wouldn' be home till night,
and if I'd locked the door, how could
anything be stolen?7
II said SOP Agnes exclaimed.
Nelly sighed.
ut was no use-I saw that-to say
anything more; could not find any
one else at all in the place, audit all
looked so horrible, was glad to get
away.
'sThere was a great heap Of feathers