The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-10-28
CHAPTER TX.

tb al L IlN IAs
What happered In Edi:h's room that
night j did not learn until the next
morning, but I will give her account
In this place in order to preserve the
sequence OF events.
True TO her resolve, she had left the
window open and the blind down, ex-
actly as on the preceding nights. 1t
was her habit to lock the door, and
that she did not omit 10 do 30 on this
occasion she was convinced by the
fact that she found some difficulty In
turning the key, and had afterward
tried the handle to know II the bolt
was shot She left the lamp burning
| on the table. screened from her by the
lace curtains OF the bed. II was half
past eleven when she lay down, and
she felt 30 little fear that she fell
asleep almost Immediately.
A pillow slipping from beneath her
head awoke her, she believed. Her
first consciousness was that her head
felt uncomfortably low. She put her
hand out to find IL she had slipped TO
the edge OF the bed; but no, her posi-
ton was unchanged.
Then II struck her that she had left
n light on the table; il was now out
and all was dark.
She wondered IL this was trick OF
Imagination. Was che awake or
asleep? She touched her eyes 10 be
sure they were open. Then IL occurred
10 her that she might have been asleep
long while. There was nothing ex-
traordinary in lamp going out, or her
head slipping from the pillow. Saying
this TO herself, she felt for the pillows.
To her astonishment she found that
both were gone.
laugh. thinking how she must have
tossed about in her sleep to knock
both pillows out But the bed clothes
were perfectly smooth, the bed on
each side OF her even. and soft, and
yielding That was strange!
IL must have done all the tossing
with my head" she said TO herself,
still tickled by the oddity OF the thing.
One thing was certain-shc could not
sleep in comfort with nothing but a
bolster under her head.
She leaned out and felt upon the
floor as far rs she could reach to the
right The pillows had not slipped out
on that side. Then, putting her shoul-
der against the wall she felt down on
the left. There was nothing there.
What did II all mean? Decidedly this
must be 4 new freak OF her magma
ton.
She was not yet thoroughly fright
enCd. The spirit who could steal her
pillows must have some sense of hui
NOR; - was preferable TO drumming
on the window panes and glaring
through the blinds at her Hearing and
sight had been tried. and now her
sense of touch was TO bc tested.
But though she tried 10 make light
Of the affair she felt that something
terrible underlay its comic aspect. and
little shivcr ran through her Mt the
thought Of getting up and striking a
light. II was SO much easier to be
courageous in the daylight than in such
darkness as this.
After all. perhaps the pillows had
slid out OF the bed I'm n natural way,
and lay only little beyond her reach.
But rather than stretch her arm out
again in the dark space. she preferred
TO put mp with the bolster doubled.
she doubled the bolster, and gave II
little pat; then she put up lock OF
hair that had come down. and told
herself not 10 be stupid about n little
thing like that: and, wondering wheth.
er she should dare 90 tell OF this Incl
dent in the morning, she dropped on
her elbow and laid down her head
down. down down till IL touch the bed.
what was thisT' she asked herself.
starting up in a fright. She felt from
side 10 side; now the bolster was gone:
there was nothing there but the bed.
But this pantomime trick was no
longer comic. She felt the tears OF
fright springing In her eyes. and some
thing rising in her throat Cold fear
chilled her 10 the bone.
Was she i'm reality awake7 The
striking Of the clock in the belfry as.
sured her of that.
Ding dong, ding.dong. ding dong.
ding.dong is lightly chimed; and then
the hour was tolled out slowly. sonor-
ously. solemn.
Boom. boom, boom. boom.
But IL this was not hallucination.
what was itl The work OF actual
hands? What then2 IL they had no
more direful intention than to play
trick of this kind. they were not 20
he feared. IL was not terrific; IL was
merely childish mischief. and this re.
fiection suggested that. after all. Il
might only be Lola who was trying
TO frighten her. And just for enc mo-
ment. as she leaned back on her elbow,
she fancied she saw something like
those luminous eyes in the midst OF
| the darkness, and close 10 her-therei