Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-08-16
CHATTER XVII.

CHAPTER XXVII.
As Della reaches the second window she
tells Jane to re-enter the house and watch
,hs sleeping man for her. AS soon as ever
the girl disappeared. she is on the sill and
through the opeff easement.
Yes. here is the same room in which her
last interview was held with the old clerk
nf Chiffon; and there stanis MS bed, With
the immortal package on the top Of it.
She sits down, and, taking out pair of
scissors provided for the purpose COM
nences 10 unrip the stitching of the wrap
pers. She has never calculated on the
difficulty Of her task. The box, or books.
or whatever the contents may be, have
been stitched and restitched with thick
twine. so that the old man appears to have
spent days over his task. At last, by dint
Of blunted implements and bruised fin
gers, Della has succeeded in removing the
onter wrapper of American cloth, when
she finds herself confronted by a second
oue OF drugget or baize, as hard to work
through as the first.
She tries to cut right through the center
of the package. but some hard substance
rcsists the scissors; she must have pa
tience and proceed by degrees.
As she has half unripped the second
covering. however, she is startled by q
noise upon the uncarpeted stairs-the
sound Of approaching footsteps stumbling
up the narrow gangway. What can it be !
Is it possible that Strother can have
awakened from his slumber and had his
suspicious aroused by her absence? She
flies TO the easement which looks out up
on the front. 1t is true! He has left his
chair, and key is already grating and
twisting about in the keyhole of the door.
Della has no time for consideration-no
time TO DO anything but to escape by the
way She came, so leaving the 'pairceP' in
the state to which she had reduced it.
and not waiting even to recover her fallen
scissors. she leaps to the window sill, and
is down the steps and standing on the
gravel path below before an eye had seen
her proceedings.
Her next effort is to place the steps
where she found them, and thence to pro-
coed. flushed and painting, into the front
kitchen. where Jane is quietly seated
shelling broad-beans. with her half-sov-
ereign laid on the table beside her.
The old gentleman's gone through uI
to his room," are the first words with
which she placidly greets Della. My
goodness. what's thatT
She audes to a loud scream, like the
note Of an angry ape in pain, which pro-
ceeds from Strother's chamber. Della
knows full well what it is, and prepares
to fly from further questioning. But the
old mans rawlings reach them but too dis
tinctly. -"
"Wha's been in my roomY he cries.
"Wha's daured to touch my parcel? Let
me find the earle and I'll wreeng his neck
for him. I'll ken wha's daured to fash
me. l was anely i the garden takin' a
wee drap o. whusky, and naebody hae
been i the house but Jean. 1t maun be
that huzzy Jean. Here, Jean, Jean"
You had better go to the old man and
quiet him, Jane" says Della. Tell him
10 one has been in his room. How could
they, with the door locked? I'm afraid
| may have given him a little too much
whisky. Do what you can with him, and
I'll go and tell Miss Patsy, whom l see
coming up the garden, all about it"
Miss Patsy does not think anything of
the affair. Mrs Manners is main" good.
she says. 10 trouble about 'the old hunks, y
but one never dreams of attending to any
thing he says or does. He's as daft" as
any lunatic in the county asylum.
And where have you been, Patsy|
I've been to meet my young man,
ma'am," says Patsy, with blush and a
smile; for, you see, it is our harvest
home supper tonight. and if he was to
miss it all the fun Of the evening would
be gone FOR me-"
Naturally. Where is your supper to
be heldE'
up at the big barn in the poplar field.
suppose it would be no use asking ye to
Join us, ma'am. Likely parson will be
there. He mostly looks in at the harvest
Ing suppers."
"No, Patsy, thank you; am too tired
to-day. Besides. Mr.. and Mrs. Bond are
In London and have the cottage to look
after. But | hope you will have a very
pleasant evening and that your young
man VIII be sure to be there"
She gets away as soon as she can after
that, for she is disappointed at the failure
Of her aft rnoon experiment and fears lest
She may have marred her chances of sue
cess 10y her precipitaucy. But as she sits
alone IN the evening liking over these
uhsS II suddenly occU.. 20 her that in all
Probability old Strother will have gone III
70 the harvesting supper with his friends
shd the coast be once more clear.
She never thought of asking Patsy Ken
nett whether her grandfather would be
included among the guests, but it is worth
gong MP 10 the farm to see if il is the
v"St or no. As soon as this idea strike.
ieia She puts il into execution. 1t is ter
ocpck; but what is ten o'clock for q
"a!K along country lane. with the har
vest moon lighting up each object a'
bright as day?
ben She has traversed half its dis
lance her eye is attracted by something
ui"i ghtters in the hedgerow. Delia
stoops to pick it up and finds, to her as
tVhi>hmrnt, that it is the same glass flasl
ene lresch ed to the old Scotchman thai
afternoon.
II Is ike the old mans surly ingrati
,uue 10 throw it away, she thinks; bu
nv" on earth did it come here? She hold:
III hcr hand as she walks on wondering
Du' can come to no better conclusion thar
'hat StrOther may have commissioned
some child 10 fetch him whisky in it will
ele money she gave him, and the messen
ger cosnizant of the old mans weakness!
Vi intellect, has been unfaithful to hi
trust.
put as she reaches the farmhouse an
ier hght Is thrown upon the circum
sauce. She is met by the servant Jane
"llhs loudly, after the fashion Of th'
lower orders when in distress. and wiring
M her hands.
laclous heavens"' exclaims Della
"uat Is the matterT'
~, CHAPTER XVIII.