The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-02-15

the smallest sound except the ticking
of a little clock in my darkened bed
room, and the clicking of the dying
Goals.
1 was, possessed with,a strange sink
ing fear. l was afraid to move, afraid
to turn my head to the left or right
lest l see something lurking in the
gloomy rners 1 was cold, too, and
trembling. The was chilled; 1
fancied it must be just before dawn.
Ny fear increased rather than dimin-
ished as the moments dragged by. 1
could heal my heart beating. 1 soon
became enthralled by terror. l had 4
/ kind of instructive animal fear of i'm
pending danger. 1 thought of the
money. 1t was locked up in the cabinet
at my right hand, not two yards away.
L found myself listening painfully, tor
%turously. My throat seemed swollen.
L swallowed in gulps.
1 ~endeavored to rally my courage, to
persuade myself that 1 was awakened
from q nightmare and was nervous;
that there was nothing to fear, and that
1 was making a baby of myself. All to
no purpose. Something was going to
happen; something vas happening at
that moment which would bring me
hurt.
1 could not throw off the notion.
Just then it began to rama regular
downfall, as if the bottom had suddenly
fallen out of the clouds. l have never
known it to rain so heavily. \ perfect
deluge, and every drop seemed Ia pene-
trate my soul. L did not move. 1 lay
back in my cushioned chair helpless,
and felt that 1 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 pattering Doise-listening for an
other sound. 1 had a grotesquc idea
hat the elements and this something
That was coming to me were colleagued
together, the one TO screen the approach
of the other.
I was listening with every fiber of my
body drawn taut. Listening for what?
l did not know. Something beyond,
behind the rain. Then l heard it A
sound distinct from the rain-patter.
A sound emanating from u little
drawing-room-a scraplng, saving
sound. 1t came from the front portico.
I 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 it was pushed
up. Some n was entering the house:
This person, whoever it was, knew of
brothers absence. Good Heavens,
1 thought of Henry, Dur Office man. He
brought the note-an open note. 1t vas
he who caused the delay which pre-
vented my depositing the money. 1t
was as clear as day. Irose rigidly to my
feet. In q twinkling my mind was
acutely active, and a thousand ways of
escape surged through my brain in a
grasped the large p~ocketbook which
contained the notes, and thrust it into
my bosom. To what purpose l did not
know. l retreated into the dense dark
ness of my own bedroom, where l stood
uncertain and shivering.
The windows were too high from the |
ground to admit of my jumping there
from without mourning the risl: of q
broken limb; besides. there was no
time. At the first sound of my putting
the sash, l would be detected and
overpowered. 1 heard a heavy tread
along the hall. An idea flashed in1o nv
head like sae incision of Il blade. III
clutched the money IN my bosom and
stepped into the empty fireplace. Ii
another momest I H> scramblinR I'D