Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-09-08

/
! by this arrangement, and l rejoiced IN
! having room where no household nose
( could possibly disturb my SAUNDERS.
/ We were a jolly crowd when we got
| toge,her. had forgotten my bad dream
and was, in my quiet way, as merry as
/ the r-st. The fun and frolic continued
/ until quite ate IL was almost MD
| nisl- when sister Kate escorted me 70
/ my room: and, after seeing th2t every
( thing was provided for my comfort, re-
/ tired. leaving me- TO my own devices 20
! pass the time until I fell asleep.
/ After Kate left me l looked about the
| apartment. II was to me the only strange
room in the house where l was BORN
| also felt lonely. as I was not accustomed
| to room alone. and. coming from the
/ brightly lighted sitting room into the dim
/ mer one may have brought about
/ STRANGE feeling which oppressed me-
/ thouch I was not nervous at all
knew that Kate would have enjoyed
/ sharing my room that night, but 1 also
/ knew that for some time she had occupied
/ q tiny apartment opening out OF our pa
rents chamber. in order to be within can
| if either required attention, and she con-
| fded to me her fears that mother would
/ have "a bad night after the excitement OF
seeing so many of her offspring in such
/ an unexpected fashion. so 1 had not asked
/ Kate to remain with me.
The room itself was not attractive. 1t
was an oblong apartment, not very high,
with a door leading into the grounds as
well as the one connecting with the house
and these doors we're az least fifteen feet
apart The furniture was not remarkable
/ except that il was decidedly old fashioned
| The bedstead was a high four-poster. 1t
/ stood with its side close to the outer wall
/ Of the room. and at the foot of it was an
! iron safe. 1t was "a comfortable bed,
/ though however uninviting its position.
/ and / felt weary enough to sleep even in
| q strange place so retired after paying
! due attention to the fastenings of the
/ outer door. which I found of massive
make and in good order. and, strange TO
| say. I fell asleep as soon as my head
/ touched the pillow. and slept soundly for
| some time.
How long the duration Of that sleep was
1 I never knew. I awoke with a start from
/ the selfsame drearA which I had the pre-
/ ceding night. and amid what appeared to
/ be babel Of voices, one Of which heard
say distinctly:
Not now until the 18th"
/ There had been something strange about
! the dream of the preceding night. While
Fl left the impression Of undue unpleas-
antness. and 7 knew that it concerned my
father. I could not recall a single incl
dent of ii. But now I could remember
/ that there was In some reference to the
I al o1fbnrruh had
evidently dreamed it the second time.
When I had fully recovered my waking
senses I sat up. and tried 10 pierce the
intense darkness of the room. Yet the
words had made such an impression on
me that they had apparently fastened
themselves in my brain. for Not now,
until the fifteenth" seemed to shine rs if
branded in fire in the deep gloom of my
chamber.
The day before had been the fifth of the
month. ten DAYS off was the fifteenth.
What was 10 occur upon that date?
There is no need for one to say that that
night was full Of horrors. Every form OF
trouble and disaster paraded before my
mental vision. until the darkness through
which my eager eyes could not pierce be-
Gan TO grow appalling to me, and the 81
lence which had succeeded TO my disturbed
dream was so oppressive that 1 would
have welcomed any sound. however dis
agreeable.
had sunk back upon my pillow after
my first uneasy start and now raised my
self once more to sitting position re-
solved 10 get out of bed and procure a
lirht TO dissolve my f2ncies when sound
fell uron my strained senses of hearing
mt first astonishing me- later filling me
with alarm and finally entirely removing
I from me any desire TO get out of bed, Tor
the present. at least The sound was the
rythmical breathing of man. VINO was
evidently sunk i'm the prOfoundest sluhoer'
To listen TO the sound of snoring Is not
pleasant NJ any time. but to hear the
whole scale run up the gdmut OF SOUND
from under ones bed is appalling AS
soon ne had located the sound 1t robbed
mo of the last remnant of courage, While
nv late ghostly fancies gave place at
I once 10 fears.
! could 7 indeed have heard voices outside
( my dream? Was there plot 10 ron my
brother who. as postmaster had ABOUT
/ ,,,is ,7,te considerable cash on hand from
t,a money order business, Middleton
+ botnr factory town, and numbers OF non
,,.i1,,,te working there in the busy season
and sending home their earnings 10 ram
uy and friends? What was to do! How
was TO act under the dreadful circurn-
I stances? 7 can never describe the agony
of terror which I endured as I lay there
listening. hardly daring 10 breathe myseH'
TO those unmusical sounds.
AsI was compelled to hold myself still
and must think, my terror gradually SUD
sided a little. and common sense began
once more TO resume sway. If the man
under my bed was a burglar or was there
for the purpose of committing a felony
was il at all likely that he would calmly
On to sleep? This consideration awoKe
now terror What if the wretch was only
feiening sleep. waiting until my regular
/ I,,.,o+bine, assured him tnat l was locked
=, SUMNER and would not add TO the dill
/ e,,,ltios of his undertaking by compelling
liz, ~ commit murder in order to carry
ONT his scheme of robbing the United
States government?
II would be tIresome to relate all my
fears and all my fancies, or the argu-
rnents which 1 held with myself during
that. to me- interminable night. / expect,
cd that at the very least my haT woul1
certainly be white in the. morning. anu
how 7 prayed. how l longed FOR dayis'''
How I hoped and prayed that my Vlllaih-
GUS friend would remain asleep until theh'
for 1 was certain by that time that no
one could feign sleep for such length
of time
When the first faint peep of day came