Daily camera., 1897-08-23

longing. and the cloud had not been
lifted from my life. And, oh, was SO
homesick for just glimpse of my dear
loves face.
= few days after my interview with
| MIR. Morlcy | had received a note from
Florence:
Dear Mr. Conway: Father has informed
| me of your resolve not to call on me or at
| tempt to keep u, the friendship which made
| me so happy, until you are freed from all
suspicion. | appreciate the manllness
which Prompts you to such Z resolve, and
| wisi-tD assure you from t.-l L-etCEl CT my
| heart TIT | respect a.-d trust yCu. | know
| you are Innocent, and shall always believe
| So Keep up brave spirit. The mystery
| will be explained and you eECncrated. Re
member, 1 believe in you wholly, and shall
| always remain, Your true friend,
'FLORENCE MORLEY"
l took the worn note from the locket
| which l wore around my neck and
| pressed it to my lips, as | had done
many times since its receipt, and won
dered if her heart was still true to the
sentiment expressed in it.
The harvest moon was resplendent
| and the white beams came into the win
| dow where l sat in my night robe, flood
ing my white drapery with light. There
were no sounds of human life; the
world seemed left wholly to the crick-
cts and katydids. With a sigh from
the depths of my lonely heart l re
! placed the note in its receptacle and
| arose.
Turning from the window, l saw
| right opposite me, on the other side
of the room, tall white figure. What
was it? There it stood, while | gaZed
| spellbound, motionless, mysterious. In
| lightning flash of thought Sarah's
| forebodings came to me.
Then | grasped my pistol, which was
| lying on the table beside me.
"Now then, if this is practical joke,
intended simply to frighten me, let
it stop" l said. 1t was with some diff
| ficulty. I confess, that my voice was
| kept steady.
whoever you are, speak and ex-
plain, or I'll see if you have substance
enough to stop bullet"
paused for reply, but none came.
Speak out, | say, or, as sure as there
is a God in Heaven, I'll fre!" I called
again, and again received no reply.
The white thing remained there, in
! spite of my threats. After another
| pause, during which the cold chills
chased up and down my spine, raised
my arm, took deliberate aim and fred.
| A rattle of breaking glass followed
the report of the pistol, and a dark
| spot appeared in the center of the
white figure. The flash of the pistol
had been reflected back, and in an in
slant I realized the truth
With scornful laugh and a con-
demnatory exclamation at my foolish
ness, placed the pistol on the table
and got into bed.
Then a slight scuf1ling noise, seem
ing to come from beneath, reached my
ear. and I said aloud, and with a laugh:
| 'I'te stirred up the rats, at any rate.
Hello, what's that?" | exclaimed as a
| deep. muffled sound, accompanied by
slight jar. Immediately followed. 1t
was as though a heavy dcpr in some
| distant part of the house had slammed.
| For quite time | sat up in bed and
listened, but no more unusual sounds
| followed
| Mrs. Snycer's words concerning mys
| terious happenings in my house and
Sarah's unreasonable fears for my safe
| ty, followed by the two events just men
toned, did have an effect upon me, al
though the first event was due WHOLLY
! to an ordinary cause, and the second
the apparent sound of slamming door
might be, and probably was, just what
it seemed A gentle night breeze had
arisen, and some of the windows in the
upper part of the house might have
been left open, thereby prods;cing
draught and causing an intervening
door to swing shut. True, the sound
seemed to come from beneath me. But
then that was probably imagination.
In the silence of night sudden noise
I is rather difficult to locate. How often
the most common events, under un-
familiar circumstances, become mex
plicable mysteries!
am not of superstitious makeup,
and therefore Sarah's vague fears did
not produce in me feeling of fright;
but there was a watchfulness about my
senses as though there were funny
things" to use Sarah's term, about the
house, which would become apparent
| in due time.
Nesting my head down on the pill
low, redolent with the grateful health
giving aroma of spruce, 1 closed my
eyes.
/ Sleep did not come as quickly as had
boasted to my cid nurse it would, and
it was some time before my conscious
ness began to wander into the domain
! If vague fancies and indistinct ideas
which characterize the period between
waking and sleeping.
Then, almost before my eyes could
open, l suddenly sat up in bed and
listened with hearing sharpened by the
sense of expectancy which had come
over me.
Out through the silence Of my room