The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-04-21
But Just as she was about to ascen

d
wlGn II candle, Lady Macbeth like, to
her room, she suddenly paused.
Then three hemstiched handke-
cheers o min9 are ont the grass, a
| bleaching she said to herself. "And
the black clouds in the west means
wind. don't want them handkechers
blown away. I'll 90 out and fetch 'em
in"
Carefully unbolting three bolts and
unlocking one ponderous lock, Salina
sailed forth, shading the candle with
her hand; but the first puff of freezing
| pine-perfumed air blew the little flame
out.
Undaunted by this mishap, however,
SaliLa went v4liantly out, feeling her
way through the cloudy starlight, un-
til she was opposite t. wood-shed.
II guess I'll 90 in and cross over that
way" she thought.
But as she was turning in the intend
ed direction Il light suddenly flashed
out-the reddish glow of lantern,
that was almost instantly obscured by
the slide.
Gracious :" thought S lima, step
| ping back, in h:r horror and amazs-
ment.
"Confound You ~ muttered a gruff
voice-the identical voice OF Mifton's
hired man. What did you want to
show light for ?"
1.-The slide was rusty" apologized a
second voice. ut don't matter-there
is no one but cats and grasshoppers to
see us. The last window was darken-
| ed long ago. Come on; Pm fit to per-
ish with cold and cramp in that out
landish hol:. Let's get the matter over
with
And while Salina was striving to
overcome the terrible weight on her
chest sufficiently to cry out or make
some sign, two dark figures slunk past
her like the procession in hideous
dream, and vanished through cellar
door which she could have sworn she
had safely secured, early in the even
ing.
Recovering her senses as fast as she
could, she hurried through the long,
wet grass TO the rescue of the two help
less girls in the house.
II always knowed it would be So"
she thought. "Oh, dear-oh, dear; it
seems rs if my feet was weighted with
lead ~
Finally she stumbled in the tangled
Hover beds; once she caught her ankle
in the down-hauging loou of an old
grapevine and nearly wrenched it out
Of joint. But at last she reached the
green space in front of the door, just
as it flew open and the two midnight
marauders cam. stumbling out, drop |
ping their lantern in their frantic |
haste.
You fool ~ muttered the man who |
had carried the light, why didn't you
tell lie t ere was man about the |
placc-a great, burly sailor, with a |
cutlasss half as long as himself? You |
told me the coast was clear!
AS live and BREATHE" wined Milf |
toms hired man, never knew of the |
fellow; | don't know how lie came |
there; can't understand it at all; l."
Don't stand here fooling," savagely |
uttered the other 1.-The whole neigh |
borhood will be in an uproar directly. |
Clear out. Through the shed is the |
best place !"
But Salina was too prompt for them. |
Before they could escape she had Sc.
curely locked and bolted b 9TH the shed |
doors on the outside and fastened the |
solid shutters of it's solitary window
And then she pushed to the house and |
ran shrieking up the stairway to where
Abby and Fanny, with shivering forms |
stood on the landing.
OallbttS "IldG 10 IL L
What is it, Salna ?" reiterated |
ABBY.
We're all robbed and murdered ~
have been, if it hadn't been for that |
sailor with the cutlas. And how he |
ever made his way into the house it |
beats me toll.n |
Abby and Fanny burst into hysteri- |
cal laughter.
Its the model" said Fanny.
THE figure lay dressed up us Il sailor |
in old Deodatus MIftcn's Sunday |
clothes, with the rusty sword that be-
longed to the suit of arInor," breathed |
Abby. Down in the library we ar |
ranged him tonight SO that we could |
begin to sketch him for our naval bat
tie scene early tomorrow"
well, never ~ said Salina. 81 do |
b'lieve he's saved our lives; they !
thought ne was alive and was half |
scared to death. Now I'm a goin' to
ring the bell for help"
And a rusty bell, which had hung
out Of the window for half d hundred
years, ready to be ruDg in some such
possible emergency rs this, presently
flung forth its deep-toned warning in
the silence of the November night,
pulltu ny Sdllud eucTSellC STus.
Aid arrived in marvelously short
peri I'd of time. The two burglars were
arrested and put in safe keeping until
they could be committed to prison.
Old Squire Milton, who was more
amazed than any one else at the novel
accomplishment developed by his
hired man, remained at The lonely
hous:' all night, to protest the two
young artists and laughed very hearth
ly when he saw the naval DUNN
which had served SO good a turn in
frightening eff the cowardly thieves.
George Clifford resolved not to leave
his sisters alone until the removal to
| the New York fiat was an accomplish
ed fact. A: for Salina, she had now a
| valid excuse to traverse the whole
| house with a lantern two or three times
a night whenever she wished, and set
up watch dog and a burglar alarm.
at was very narrow escape" said
Salina, and there's no tellin' when it
may happen again"