Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-09-04
crossed to the exclusion of all othei
duties and diversions.

the loneliness oppressed her, she felt
reasonably secure. She settled int
an easy chair and began reading.
/, This was an excellent idea, she
thought, and well designed to pro
tect her from any feeling of nervous
| ness.
After reading for some time she
merely out of curiosity, raised hel
eyes to look at the clock. To her sur
prise it had stopped, yet-no, she dis
tinctly heard it ticking.
1t was ten minutes after IL wheI
she began reading and now it was
three minutes later. She had reae
| for at least half an hour-of course
she had-and it must have been that
the clock had stopped and then re
sumed its work. In the morning she
would have the clock repaired.
| Four times she read for similar halt
| hours, and four times the clock
stopped. Therefore it must have been
after one, though the clock indicated
less than a quarter of an hour for heI
entire literary recreation.
She rose to her feet, wondering why
| her father did not come. Feeling op
pressed, she opened a window and
gazed inquiringly into the unanswer
| ing night.
The cat purred contentedly on the
| arm of her chair.
For some reason she did not con.
tinue her study of tactics-she had
been reading the manual of Arms
left through her brothers error.
She now determined to retire, feel
ing perfectly quiet after her first
nervousness. It was really absurd that
she should have felt agitated at all
How different everything would ap.
pear in the morning-the sunshine's
tranquil gold dreaming upon the floor
the melody of the birds whose notes
fell in liquid showers amid the showers
of dew. She would listen, too, for the
woodpecker with its crimson head OF
fire burning behind it's driving bill
like the glare of the explosion that
gives the projectile its furious energy.
She would know the exact time to
arise by noting through the transom
when golden lance of sunshine ripped
the palpitating shadow in the hall.
AS she lay meditating, with her hand
upon the soft fur of her pet, she felt
soothed and lulled by it's soft purring
Suddenly the sound ceased. The cat
rose with arched back and glarine
eyes.
CHANGING up, she saw outlined
against the transom human head.
Death was hers for the asking, and
less!
She looked upon the floor and in a
moment it was peopled with shadowy
faces, and she felt the carpet torn by
champing teeth.
The paralysis of her terror was also
her safety. She made no sound that
| would direct the attention of the head
from the diamonds to herself.
Terror had wrapped her so close in
his weaving that she could not wound
herself against the thorns of danger.
Slowly the girl realized her situa.
ton. The first signal was like stun
ming blow; then she came to the real
lied anguish, the nerves working into
tormented surprise, the chaos of mis-
cry, excitement and fear.
She wondered what would be the
outcome. Death, indeed, but under
what circumstances?
Remote from human aid-choked
with strong hands about her throat
that grinning sepulcher of a head
against her face, while the congested
veins blackened. Oh, the horror OF
such death! And worse than al
physical pain, the nameless agony OF
fear.
Was there no help? Could that des
perate intruder terminate the whole
design and mystery of her existence
Doubt and agony and cropping hope
lay upon her heart.
How long she lay in that condition
she could not tell
Ages of torment she knew. records
of uncaring minutes were lost.
The great house seemed buried in
night and silence The world had
fallen away in its circuit, and this
fragment whereon the house was
builded lay lost in space. She felt that
the fathomless ocean held no more i'm.
perious or sterner solitude.
I After these maddening moments
that deride the longevity of the cen
I turtles, she suddenly thought of an es-
cape.
She rose slowly. 1t were easier to
step barefoot on burning plowshares
yet the girl did not falter. She
reached the bureau where the dia-
monds lay, drew them with trembling
| fingers from their case and stood alb
sently lingering the blazing jewels as
th0agh loath to leave their sparkling
company; then, without replacing any
of the stones, she left them in scat
tered confusion and walked slowly tc
the other end of the room.
Those blazing crystals might well
hold the attention of that terrifying
head for the moment at least.
Then, summoning all her resolution
she rushed to the door and with flu
rious haste pressed the spring that
closed the heavy transom.
AS it closed with crushing force up
on the elinging fingers an unearthl,
cry rang out upon the stiffness of the
night, and the black cat sprane
through the open window into the inn
penetrable gloom.
Some hours later Flora's father anf
brother returned. Their return wa,
not coincident through design, but tn,
!. result of an accident which was elicit
ing an earnest but incoherent nara