Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-10-20

| !dr.,.n2 n .ouiri us. il i'll bccuIu. :, IA"
| wi any pretensions TO learning to gle his
time to whisky toddy and na To word
roots"
| He gradually emptied the tumbler. and
oeing. he had predicted. ny thar time
well disposed for his usual hours repose.
he excused himself to the doctor, and re
tired to lie down On the hard little sofa i'll
the ante-chambs-r
As soon as the curtain between the two
rooms fell behind his hosts retiring fig
ure, Armathwaite seemed TO become diff
ferent man. Looking at his watch, he
4sces@rsd that " was seventeen minut
pasf ten: and springing up lightly in n
, state of high excitement. which there was
no longer any need to conceal, he turned
up the lamp and paced the room from end
to end with soft tread, his ears ON the
alert for any sound. When he came close
to the outer door. or TO the curtain y aich
hung in the doorway of the inner room.
he would stop and listen; and as. at last.
peeping behind the curtain, he saw Lord
kild"nan lying with closed eyes. he step
ped softly in and blew out the candles
that We're burning on the table at the foot
Of the sofa.
The doctor retreated into the next room.
1t was now twenty-five minutes past ten.
Faint night-noist-s, unnoticed by day, but
rendered startling in the silence of the
| dark hours. assailed the listening on
all sides. The chirp of a cricket, the
cracking of the woodwork. the scurrying
of mice. each of these sounds came with
almost deafeniEg distnctness to Arma-
thwaite as he stood by the door, hearing
the drawing of his own breath and feeling
Interested in 1t, as If it had been that of
q patient. At last in the distance he heard
something which no nearer sound could
stitle-the creak of board under a hu-
nam tread. followed presently by soft.
slow footballs along the uncarpetcd gal
cry outside. He drew back from the
ioOr. In the bare room there were neither
curtains nor screens behind which he
could retreat On tbs. other hand, the
lamp. with its dark green shade, cast only
small circle of bright light ON the table,
aud a still smaller one on the ceiling
above He withdrew into the darkest cor
ner of the room and waited, standing up
right and as still rs n statue.
The door handle ratified and turned and
the door itself was pushed open So very
slowly that Arma thwaite had to battle
with an impulse to take three strides for.
| ward. pull ii towards hirna and L>>.,- --=-=..
,tG ItIier. At last a hgure aD-
peared, looking hardly more solid than
shadow in the gloom that filled every cor
! ner of the apartment beyond the little ring
Of the lamps hght-a woman's figure.
moving slowly and lightly over the floor
towards the inner room. Armathwaite
remained motionless until she had drawn
the curtain aside on its rings and passed
through; then he stepped out from his cor
ner and passed TO the other side of the
room. As he did he saw in the gloom
the lady bend down over the head of the
sofa and kiss the forehead of the recum-
bent man.
'.Good night. my darling" he beard
Lord kildonan murmur. And then fol-
Owed soft woman's whisper: Good
night" A moment later the curtain NOV
ed again, and the lady returned, passing
,tose by where he stood without turning
her head. She crossed the room, opened
the door, and went out into the gallery.
and it was not until her footsteps had died
laway that Armathwaite began to brea the
Naturally again