The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1899-08-11
@H0RACE LANE
CHAPTER XVIII.

( and she went on tip-toe across the room,
| softly withdrew the key from the lock,
| and soon aftervard extinguished the can
| de. Presently her measured breathing
| told that she was fast asleep.
| Then Mabel sat up and listened in the
! silence. II would not do to move just yet
"a little more time was needed to let the
maid fall into her usual heavy slumber;
| but, Oh. how terrible to have to wait like
| this, while the minutes were flying by,
/ besrins with them perhaps her chance OF
| escape.
| To lose this opportunity must be to lose
| ali. Not one of those surrounding her
| would consent to post letter for her; and
| she had 10 money at hand with which to
| bribe anyone. Her father-no, no, the
| man who dared so to call self.-would
be with her with the lorning light, and
then how should she evade him?
But there was another thorght mingled
| with all this dread in MabeFs mind-a
thought which set her heart beating with
| hope; for, if her surnlise was correct, the
way was open for her.
Jane had certainly carried away the key
carefully slung upon her finger-Mabel
had not only heard but seen the woman do
50, for she had watched her furtively as
bel saw, she had not locked the door be-
fore Withdrawing the key. Was it that
she was too much absorbed in her book to
notice the omission? Or had her sudden
consciousness OF the lateness of the hour
furried her? Surely Mabel herself had
made no mistake about this-surely the
door was not locked,
1t was not only Jane who was late in
retiring to rest. thought the tortured girl,
who was waiting for her guardians to be
wrapped in slumber before she dared
make her venture; Mrs. Jones did not
come upstairs till it was nearly midnight,
shutting the door somewhat noisily after
her-indeed, the woman appeared TO have
ioeen opening and shutting the doors all
the evening.
At length silence reigned in the cottage.
and James deep breathing, amounting
now to heavy snoring, announced that
there was little danger that any ordinary
noise would disturb her. Now was the
time-now.
| Hardly breathing, Mabel slipped from
| the couch, and in the dim light went softly
across the floor and turned the handle of
| the door Oh. what a moment was that
| in which she tried the lock and found her
conjecture right. Jane had not locked the
t door, after all! It opened softly, without
noise, without difficulty!
| Mabel, trembling with hope and fear,
could see into the dim passage beyond
Tic, tactic, tactic, tao, How loudly
! the hall clock seemed to tell out the min
utes! Mabel listened only to assure her
self that Mrs. Jones was in her room,
then in extreme agitation put on her dress,
drew on the cloak containing the precious
letter, and, without looking for hat or bon
net, glided toward the stairs
Hush. Was that a movement below
4 For an instant she gasped with madden
ing fear, then recovered herself, feeling
that her excitement confused her, Cour-
age. In little while she would stand at
the house door; there would be only the
opening Of it!
She cast one frightened glance at the
room which she had just quilted; then,
holding by the balusters, descended to the
ground floor. She had gained the hall
walking with slippered feet, when in an
instant she became aware, by the smoth
cred murmur Of voices, that there were
others awake besides herself-two per
sons at least in the little room which open
ed out of the hall, close to the spot where
she stood!
Then, by one of those swift intuition.
which come in moments Of supreme dan
ger, she OWNED the truth. Her father
so caled-her dreaded father-had arriv
ed unexpectedly, bringing her uncle witt
, him They must have come that evening
after she was supposed to be sleeping
after Mrs. Feathers and Mary had start
, ed. No doubt Mrs. Jones had told som,
plausible tale concerning the absence O.
the housekeeper; and the sudden arriya
! of the two men was the cause Of the con
stant shutting and opening of the door
which sae-Mabel-had heard in he
room!
q All this flashed through her mind in
: second her intense fear made her DELHI
: crate for a moment, and in that pause th
. handle of the door turned. They wer
. . coming out-they would meet her face t
! face-there was no time to retreat!
With the calmnesa and hopelessness Q
q complete desperation, Mabel took one ste
% backward, hiding herself behind severe
d long cloaks that hung from the pegs in tn
o hall. The man calling himself her fathe
q came first; her uncle followed.
o "Wait one moment" said he, as the n
: puted Charlford was about to walk t
. ward the stairs. "Don't do anything rasl
!, ly. You seem to me to be losing yor
"a head" p
d "Boldness is best in such. a case" hisse
the other. "Let me get her safely out
a England, and she shall never come bao
10 to scare mel
l. "And suppose her sisters are import
Il nate and insist on seeing her? There
N Dick, too, on your hands; you cannot ket
it him away forever"
as II willn broke savagely from the Iii
I'd Of John Charlford's companion.
"It will be awkward" said the othe
lie "And what is to be done with Lane? "
er are mad to think Of eluding his demands
e. "Leave him to men' said the presum
in Charlford.
'.Take care what you do!' urged Une
le John. ''Where is he at this moment?"
u cat the old lodgings-nor is he likely
d; leave them till he either pockets the who
in of his money or comes to my terms,' w
ne the answer.
er 'What are your terms?'' asked Jo