Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-07-19
WHEN FEAR REIGNED

" New York We had many friends
in the city, but being both of an inde-
pendent turn of character, we preferred
living by ourselves. SO we looked about
for clearinghouse. The one we hit
upon was situated in the best part or
Fourteenth street, and was fine
brown stone building, with most pre-
tentious portico, and flight of some
twelve steps up to the entrance door.
Now, to understand what follows, it is
necessary the reader should know the
position of the room we engaged.
AS you entered the hall, the reception
parlor, as it was called, lay on your
right hand, and was very fine room;
at the end of it were two doors which
slid back and led into the room which
we were to occupy. These said doors
were ground glass half way down, with
flowers on it, but so thick as to exclude
any view of what was passing in the
other room, unless you pressed your
face against the glass, and then 1t
would be but an imperfect vision. Our
apartment was large, and had three
windows, two only halfway down, but
the third, French one, opening on to
the wooden balcony that ran along the
back of the house, with fight of steps
down to piece of ground. Our room
had also another entrance, door lead
ing into little lobby, very convenient
for putting our trunks. dresses, etc, in;
this had again another door into the
hall.
The dining-room was situated in the
basement, on level with the kitchens,
as were also the servants bedrooms,
three in number The house was sew
eral stories high, and either by chance,
or because the purses of the other
boarders were, like our own, not too
heavy, two or three floors above us
were at present unoccupied, and the
other boarders slept on the top of the
house Thus we were cut off from
the rest of the community by a lot
of empty rooms; this did not trouble
us, and all went on well for some
when the season was at its dreariest,
our landlady, who had not the best of
tempers. fell out with her servants,
and they one and all left her at days
notice. Now, as everybody knows, do
mestics in New York are rather diff
cult to obtain, so the reader can i'm
agine the diSmay of the mistress of the
house. For two days we managed in
some way or other; but the boarders
grumbled, and the merchant said he
must leave unless he got his meals
properly; SO, driven to her wits end,
Mrs. Andrews engaged three servants
who applied for her place.
They had only just landed, they said,
to account for their having no charac-
tiers, and, with the fear Of losing her
boarders, it would not do to be too par
ticular, and the women, who, by the
way, were all friends, entered on their
duties My cousin and myself pos.
sessed several articles of fine jewelry;
these things l saw the new housemaid
the day after her arrival, when tidyine
up our room, examining very minutely
1 did not think much of it at the time
putting it down to curiosity. This
girls name was Margaret, and mus
say a more unprepossessing-lo looking
person l have seldom seen; not thai
she was ugly, but there was cum
ming light in her gray eyes, which she
never raised to give you a fair, homes
look, and an evil expression in her face
that would have gone against her IL
any court of justice; but it was nothing
to me, and, beyond remarking to m.
cousin Bertha that the girl was no
pleasant-looking, l dismissed her from
my mind.
The third day after the advent Of tn,
new domestics we went to spend tn,
day with some friends who lived a
Brooklyn; there the conversation turn
ed on the number of burglaries, nearl,
always attended with murder, that hat
lately taken place in New York, sait
to be committed by gang of ruff1an
who wore light linen masks, and VIII,
had managed to elude justice. Thi
description made a great impression
on me; the idea of waking and seein,
white mask bending over one haunt
ed me all the way home. We wer
too late for anything to eat when W
arrived at our clearinghouse, for din
ner was the last meal, and that wa
served at seven, now twas nearly ten
so, feeling rather hungry, we got MAJ
garet to go out and get us some rolls
made frugal meal, and then prepare
for bed.
What induced me / cannot tell, bu
for the first time since we had occr
pied this room examined the faster
ings of the shutters, and found ther
very frail. Much to the amusement Q
my cousin, looking round the room fl
something to place against the window
my eyes fell on the hreirons. and
bright thought entered my head;
would place the shovel against th
fastening of one window, and the tong
at the other, in such a way tina
should anyone open the windows froI
the outside, these things would ia
down with a crash. To the Frenc
window / placed the head of our sof
bed, thus effectually barricading tina