Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-11-12
/ saw for the first time that she ha
,rOu2ht the boots / had left behind l

!
! saw for the first time that she hat
brought the boots / had left behind il
my flight thanked her. and asked he
10 leave them where She stood. ha,
no reed of Them in the loft and i
would be o;lieter work to scramble u,
and down. if need be. without them
She went away and sal down at tn.
edge of the trap. my feet dangling, IN,
eyes fixed ON the stai,. corner wher,
danger must first show itself. and m,
thourhts busy on the situation. Afte,
while remembered NV enapty pistol
A bag of large swan shot stood clos,
at hand and loaded II from that
Then i swung myself over the side o.
the opening and lropped lightly to thu
floor below | advanced sfealthijy ia
the head of the stairs and neerea down
The house lay MS silent in the gathering
dusk az if wer, the only living sou
In If.
THE silence wae no,.tentim,s and in.
spired me with caution MOI confidence
/ slipped hack and gently lifted The lad.
der into place. thai my way of retrea,
might be clear then returned to the
stair bend IT grew darker and darker
ana ventured q fcN stems down 10 a
point where conf, catch a ,,li,nnse ot
the hall No sign of light. or sound. OF
movement [ felt certain there was a
trap laid Tor me IL i went further. so
returned. NV foot touched something
as crept up again. | put my hand
down and found that carhine had
been fluns, away on the stairs by one OF
the fleeing band.
picked it up and carried IT back with
me. rpon trial found II vas loaded
and nronned II b,n1y AGAINST the
stair rail and resumed my watch,
The night had now fallen as dark as
1t would be Vet OF black darkness there
was none. for the sky was frosty clear
and filled will, twinkljnyr stars burning
their brightest. and sending through
the marrow easements faint. gray
Simmer. nv ewes. too. were thorough
ly at home in the pale light, for had
known no other since the night fell.
ard when a silent. creeping figure came
slowly up the stairs from the hall, /
saw it, Another and another followed,
until a cluster of five men stood in the
gallery.
1t is very likely that they had come
from a lighted room in a part of the
house out of my sight, and so believed
themselves surrounded by an impen-
etrable darkness. The while they gath
cred, distant sound came to my ears.
II was a long. shrill, faint scream ac-
companied by hollow rapping. There
was a note of warning In the sounds
Luckily. | had no need of ii, for my
eye was fixed upon the group below
MY assailants stood several moments
sroping among one another, TO be sure
that they had gathered together, and
think that the silence and the gloom
fingered at their hearts even more
surely than they identified each other
ny sense OF touch
l haa laid my hand on the carbine,
thinking TO follow the shot with pistol
a I3,l sword, but drew back. The five
tt,li 10 800. Mafu anu ! #d~
mad, Two ,o,,,,I,.. Nv, tb IL
ne loft ,ooi, 1amiij l,,,.lr,,, s W
.,,a. a., w ui
nm 10 ,,,. S,,Ia,, ,,. ~, i,.ll is
yrv slaIi, a,,, ,.,,.,,,, ,t,; al', iilts
found az, init %
,lrrl, tbav bad statad ,,t III. ..ili
enous,h aud nas,. No 5.,'.,.,a.s - 1+ ,,,s
st,in ~ ,ba;,. .'.,Ni VIZ