The Bottineau courant., 1905-12-15


lighted a lantern, and, helping his
halting steps with stout stick, made
for the village and walked up the youth
who assisted him in his duties.
''Dost hear yon bell, Amos?" he
called, quaveringly.
"Ey, Mr.. Bargle," and Bargle was
relieved to have his hearing thus cor
roborated. who be it oop there, l
wonner?"
Put your coat on smartly, lad m
goin' to see.'
Silent, and quaking with cold or
nervousness, they moved noiselessly |
over the muffling snow, turned the
wall of the churchyard, and, Bargle |
grimly leading, filed in through the
creaking lych gate.
The narrow path between the graves
brought them to the porch, and here
Bargle, who entered first, stopped,
fumbling for his keys, and suddenly
held the lantern lower with husky
cry Of alarm.
In the glimmering light of the Ian
tern, woman lay huddled close to
the church door, with child rolled in
a shawl, and clasped tightly in her
arms.
"Alice!' faltered the old man, "Alice!"
He flung himself on his knees be-
side her, crying out, clasping her cold
hands, and appealing wildly and help-
lessly to those who were with him, for
she lay as still and unresponsive as
if she were dead.
They took the child, which woke
and whimpered, and dispatched Amos
with it to the nearest cottage.
Tell 'em to light fire." said one
of the men; AN get you on, lad, an
get the doctor there against we come"
| Then the two lifted the woman be-
tween them, and the old man, trem-
ulously, distractedly, leading with the
lantern, carried her with what speed
they could in the direction that Amos
had taken.
And every minute still the bell re-
iterated it's heavy, monotonous clang,
though, for the nonce, they had al
most ceased to be aware Of it.; Bargle
had become Indifferent to it altogeth-
er, and only gradually awoke to it
again as he sat holding his daughters
hand, watching the life rekindle in her
eyes, and listening to her feeble whis-
perings.
"It is a long way from the station"
she was telling him, satisfied with the
forgiveness she could read in his
every tone and look; land when l got
as far as the church I WAS so tired
and faint-and l iancied about that
time tonight you would be there, in
the belfry; so l went to the church,
but the door was locked, and"
Bargle turned to a touch on his
shoulder.
"The vicar is waiting, with several
others, in the next roOm," said the
doctor. "They want the key of the.
belfry, but think you had better go
with them-you are talking to my pa
tient more than is good for her.
Gomez"
Bargle hesitated moment, then
stopped to kiss the pale face on the
pillow, and submissively obeyed.
Up the steep, narrow stone stairway
of the belfry tower, up, and up, and
up they clattered, one after the other.
till at last they streamed in across the
hollow-sounding floor of the belfry.
and there through the ceiling the
three ropes dangled in the shadowy
!; emptiness, moved by no visible
agency; and yet, even as the palpitat-
ing little group paused, the iron clang
i. doomed again close above them.
; "Some ones up in the bell chamber" !"
!; said Bargle, obviously.
BY right of his Office and of his
familiarity with the place, Bargle
mounted first with his lantern, the
others trailing up after him. In a
twinkling, he had jerked the trap
door open, and stepping into the bell
chamber, peered eagerly around, and
} was startled by a vision of two white
faces gazing from the shadow Of one
Of the bells. ....
"Why!" he, calculated, what are
, you doing here, young masters?"
For he recognized them instantly as
, the Squire's two sons, down at Peri
} dale for holiday. a.
IQoy came lOTWdTO SulVeTluS, OUT
evidently bent on showing that they
were unperturbed.
} "Its all right, Bargle," cried the
older of them; you have been long
, time coming"
} "But why are you here, James," in
: quired the vicar, reprovingly.
: 20, we nipped out after we'd gone
; up to bed, sir" said the boy, "and
: came to ring the bells.''
"But I've got the keys" muttered
Bargle.
: 1--WE crawled through the belfry
4 window"
There was no need to come so high
! as this, though"
3 "No. 1t was too early to begin
when we got here, so we came up to
see what it was like in here; and all
!, in jiffy the trapdoor slammed down
? and the candle blew out, and we'd left
I&ho ,,oo%ohoo I,o1o&u Uyo o0,,1dn,+ P1o,