Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-01-19
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CHAPTER VIM.
ON THE STAIRS.

WHO'S there?" / called, for I could
not say Come i'm till had moved my
bed and made way for the door to open.
Hannah with warm water, said a
voice, at which l made haste to rise.
Hannah was the woman who had wait
ed on us at dinner.
The sight of her pleasant countenance,
which nevertheless looked trifle hag-
gard / thought, was a welcome relief
after the somber features of the night.
Addressing her with my usual brusque-
ness but with quite my usual kindness,
asked how the young ladies were feel
ing this morning.
Her answer made a great show Of
frankness
sob, they are much as usual" said
she. miss Loreen is in the kitchen and
Miss Lucetta will soon be here to in
quire how you are hope you passed a
good night yourself, ma am. -
/ had slept more than / ought to per-
haps and made haste to reassure her as
to my own condition. Then seeing that
little talk would not be unwelcome to
this hearty woman, tired to death posi-
bly, with life in this dreary house, l
made some excuse for keeping her few
minutes, saying as did SO:
"What an immense dwelling this is
for four persons to live in, or have you
another inmate which have not seen?"
thought her buxom color showed a
momentary sign of failing, but it all
came back with her answer, which was
given in a round, hearty voice
"Oh, I'm the only maid, madam. [
cook and sweep and all. couldn t
abide another near me- Even Mr.. Sims
bury, who tends the COW and horse and
who only comes in for his dinner, wor-
rits me by spells. like to have my
i own way in the kitchen, except when
the young ladies choose to come in. Is
there anything more you want, ma am,
and will you have tea or coffee for
breal1fast?' .-....- N...
I told her that always drank coffee
in the morning and would have liked
to have added another question or two,
but she gave me no chance. AS she
went out saw her glance at my candle
stick. There was only half burned end
in it. She is calculating, too, how long
sat up, thought l.
Lucetta stood at the head of the stairs
as / went down. -
"Will you excuse me for few mo-
ments?' said She 81 am not quite
ready to follow you, but will be soon. :"
II will take look at the grounds .
/ thought she hesitated for q mo-
ment; then her face lighted up. "Be
sure you don't encounter the dog" she
cried and slipped hastily down a side
hall had not noticed the night before
'Ah, a good way to keep me in, y
thought l. "But shall see the grounds
yet if have to poison that dog" Not
withstanding, made no haste to leave
the house. Some might think that Lu-
cetta had got the better of me, but
that is not good reason for placing
myself in uncalled for danger. don t
believe in tempting Providence. espe-
cially where dog is concerned.
Instead of that stood still and look
ed up and down the halls, endeavoring
to get some idea of their plan and Of
the location of my own room in refer
4 ence to the rest.
i lOuuu GLllb bu5 1lldln ublA ldl1 nC
right angles to the long corridor down
n which had just come, and noting that
n the doors opening into it were of size
N and finish vastly superior to those had
passed in the corridor just mentioned
u Judged that the best bedrooms all lay
h front and that had been quartered at
N the end of what had once been consid-
n cred as the servants hall. At my right,
as I looked down the stairs, ran wall
II with a break beyond which was what
looked like an opening into another cor
II ridor, and indeed I afterward learned
that the long series of rooms of which
mine was the last had it's counterpart
ON the other side of this enormous
n dwelling, giving to the house the shape
Of long, square U.
NJ I was looking in some wonderment at
this opening and marveling over the
extravagant hospitality Of those days
n which necessitated such a number of
| rooms in a private gentleman's home
M when heard door open beyond it and
two voices speaking. One was rough
IA and careless, Enthusiastically that of Will
III liam Knollys. The other was slow and
M timid and was just as Enthusiastically
that of the man who had driven me to
this house the day before. They were
talking of some elderly person and had
n good sense enough not to allow my in
\ dignation to blind me to the fact that
by that elderly person they meant me.
This is important, for their words were
not withous significance.
"How shall we keep the old girl out
n of the house till it is all over?" was
what heard drop from Williams surly
N lips.
"Lucetta has plan, was the hardly
n distinguishable answer. II am to
n take''-
That was all could hear; closing
N door shut off the rest, but that was
enough. Something, then, was going ON
n in this house of dark if not mysterious
character, and the attempts made by
N these two interesting and devoted girls
to cover up this fact by explanations
fcEuded on their poverty had been but
IA y, srfuges after all. Grieved on their
n account, but inwardly grateful to the
imprudence of this more than reckless