Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-24

rose, slipped on my shoes and Jacket, and
listened crouchingly by the door. 1 heard
4 moaning without which briefly and sob
bingly stilled itself. Then came a whisper
ing, a trampling, and the %scufling of linen
sheets untolded fresh from the napery cub
board.
At first thought the noise was the work
Of spirits, and my heart was dead within
my breast with fear. But presently | heard
one cough. And by that | knew those who
were without for humans. 1 grew bold on
the instant and feared them no more.
! desired to see them, to speak with them.
Then | took it in my head that a CLEAN
came from behind the arras. The wall
hanging indeed waved as If some one were
shaking it, holding the edge in their hand,
or parhaps more exactly as If a wind we're
blowing Il about.
Yet even then l dared not move, for the
terrible cry, the sound of which had
awakened me, rang still in my ears. And
| seemed to hear as it had been several
persons struggling together confusedly, as
If one strove to be through into my room
to be at me. and another, stronger and
kindlier. restrained him.
Whereas, with the childish instinct OF
hiding, l slipped behind the arras and
prayed that they might not find me.
Scarcely had l been a moment behind the
hanging when | saw a strange thing be-
fore men. At the very place where | had
seen the dark figure vanish was an open
ing in the wainscot. A little wicket door,
long and narrow. stood half a!ar, and a
strong glow of light streamed in from the
room adjacent.
l could now hear the voices plainly, and
the human sound of them gave me cour-
age. | stole forward and peeped round the
swinging edge OF the secret panel.
l locked into my grandfather's room, and
there l, a little trembling lad, little more
than a BARN, saw that which might have
blasted the reason Of a grown man to be-
hold.
For 1 saw the young man Philip STAINS
field stand by the beside of his father,
coolly wiping the blade OF a knife with a
sheet Of paper out of the book which my
grandfather had ever used to keep on a
little stand by his bed-head wherever he
slept. 1t was called, as well as l knew, "Bax-
ter's Saints Rest
And at the back, with their feet upon a
torn-down hanging, were two women, one
of them busy handling my grandfather's
body, while the other with a crisp, Kissing
sound unfolded fresh sheets for the bed
out of a press in the wall. Sir James was
dead-that l was sure of-though had
never before seen one dead. His eyes were
open and stared steadfastly upward. His
head wambled from side to side on his
breast as the woman shifted him from arm
to the other, busily enduing him with his
flannel night cleading.
This last was the white faced woman
whom had seen earlier in the evening in
James Bryson's change house; Janet Mark,
the wife Of Saul Mark, was her name. The
othar I kDaV mot nv haad mark hut diyipnd
from a certain similarity Of look that she
was a sister or crony OF the first.
More than once Janet Mark called to
Philip Stansfield to help her with the body;
but he only swore at her and would nos
going on unconcernedly tearing fresh leaves
from the Saints Rest and polishing his
knife, breathing on it and rubbing in cor
nere.
At last he finished the blade to his salts
faction.
Now he said, 1--WE will carry this car
rion out ard throw it in the river. If it be
found we will cast the blame upon Umphray
Spurway, and be ready to swear that he did
it, because he could not pay the rent and
mails due upon his mills"
So saying, Philip Stansfield took the body
upon his back, and with the women going
one before and one behind, he staggered
out OF the room and down the stairs. taking
no care to walk lightly, but stumbling rather
heavily like a man who carries on his back
a sack OF corn.
1t was found afterward that he and his
accomplices had locked and barred all in
the house within their sleeping chambers,
being as it were fey and desperate, run
ming needlessly great risks, trusting to the
darkness of the night and the fear of the
folk within doors.
When the murdered had gone half way
down the steps he rested his burden at a
landing, and | heard him say: Janet, take
the knife and go see If that deil's brat is
asleep in the blue room. And if not cut his
throat"
l stood p~etrifed for a moment, as If !
felt already the edge Of the blade touch
my flesh. Then with a sharp access Of ter
ror / turned and fled back into the blue
room, shutting the panel after me and drag
ging the arras into place, | crept under
the bedclothes and drew them about me in
a heap.
The next moment | could hear the woman
fumbling at the door, Then, finding It
locked, she went into the apartment where
| had seen them, and after many attempts
found the spring Of the panel, which she
opened. l heard her feet steal toward me
behind the hanging, ! could not pray; !
only lay and shut my eyes.
The light of her candle flashed out of the
dark like an illumination lying yellow upon
the lids of my eyes. She crept to the bed
side, and l could hear her stoop and listen,
| smelt the smell of raw spirits. A lock OF
her locsoned hair fell across my face and
tickled it, so that p%erforce | had to raise my
hand and rub my face. At this ] thought |
was done fer. But it proved my salvation,
IHitbnr che nopciNarad ~ 10 ba agIaeD -
was averse to more bloodshed. However that
may be, she retreated step by step to the
arras and disappeared behind it, a white
CLEAN of candlelight lingering at the end by
the door. l heard the panel click back, and
| was again alone.
v.
The BODY on the Ice Floe.
/ lay on my bed and chartered as with