Water Valley progress., 1903-06-13
4 JSEFgL BURGLAR.

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glowing fingers the candle that she
held above her head. She heard
mice scurrying about among the pans
that Aunt Sally had left on the table
when she went to her cabin for the
night, and she shrank from yentur-
ing into the darkness below. But as
she hesitated, peering anxiously
down the flight, groan from another
room needed her reluctance. Lifting
her skirts she ran quickly over the
stairs, for Edward, her husband, had
been seized at midnight with vio-
lent headache, the result of riding
too long in the afternoon, and was
begging deliriously for ice. So ice
Molly must have, even if it meant
Drawing the terrors below.
The refrigerator was in lean-to
opening from the kitchen. Mrs. Car
son found the door shut and fast
ened securely against all her push
ings and shakings, and the end of the
key glinted maliciously at her
through the keyhole, as if taunting
her inability.
Running upstairs, she left the
candle on the table in the dining
room, and went out of doors to try to
open the outside shed door. The
moon shone dimly through fieecy
April clouds, and whippoorwill
called insistently from nearby
field, in the note that sounds more
melancholy in the North Carolina
mountains than anywhere else in the
world.
The outer door proved as obstinate
as the inner Molly ratified it in
vain, and then fell to pulling at the
wire netting over little window be-
side it. The tears rolled down her
cheeksas she tugged with no success.
"A ragged bit of gauze tore her fin
gers, but she did not mind the pain.
The sound Of Edwards voice inside
the house, rising and falling in the
babble of delirium, spurred her to
continued effort, and deafened her to
the cry of the whippoorwill. She did
not even hear the sound of approach
ing footsteps, until a man came
around the corner Of the house so
quickly that he almost ran into her.
"Wellp he exclaimed, standing
immovable.
"Heavensp she cried at the same
moment, shaking from head to foot.
and hardly able to articulate. "What
do you want?"
Her heart thumped furiously, but
through her fear there ran the
thought that whatever happened
Edward must have the ice.
The man regained his self-posses-
sion as he saw her fright.
''It looks like we-all's on the same
business" he chuckled, pointing to
the window, and giving her poke in
the arm with dirty thumb.
81 don't understand you; am Mrs.
Carson" said Molly, throwing sack
her fair head haughtily. Then, re-
called by his gesture to her occupa-
tion, she forgot her terror in the
thought that there was a mana
strong man--who could help her.
She began again to work feverishly at
the netting.
'Mr. Carson's very i'll. He's out OF
his head, and | want to get some ice
for him. The door from the kitchen
is locked" she explained. "There!'
triumphantly, as one corner gave way
in response to vigorous tug. eNow
you pull on that" she commanded,
and the would-be burglar, nothing
loath, gave jerk that brought off the
whole covering.
Splendid" exclaimed Molly,
and prepared to climb in at once.
mo, you don't, ma'am," said the
man. 'Let me 60 in first and assist
you-all," CALAMITY.
Hepushed his bulky frame through
the small easement and then halnad