Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-04-14

ing me my medicine, and some beef tea,
wrapped herself up in a blanket, and
putting the key of the door under her
head, as was her custom, lay down upon
the sofa to take her nights repose.
CHAPTER XIV.
Hour after hour l lay tossing about
in a sleepless, mental agony. Clara was
undoubtedly in the same house with me,
exposed to heaven knows what sufferings
and prosecutions; and yet, for any hope
Of seeing or succoring her, / might as
well have been hundreds of miles away.
At last, unable to lie there any longer,
rose and dressed myself. A fire was
still smoldering in the huge crate, and a
night light was burning upon the table.
The nurse, by her hard, regular breath
ing, seemed to be in deep sleep, and l
moved about cautiously. Her face was
turned to the open side of the sofa.
crept behind it and inserted my trem-
bling hand beneath the pillow, feeling
further and further until my fingers
touched a hard substance-it was the
ward key. Little by little 1 drew it
away-she still sleeping profoundly
fitted it noiselessly in the lock. turned it,
and the next moment found myself in
large, dark hall, at the foot of an i'm
mensely wide staircase.
1 closed the door softly behind me.
A long window, that stretched upwards
from the first landing, admitted sufi-
cient light to guide me, and, with a
noiseless step, crept up the stairs. At
the top Of the first fight was a long
| corridor, on each side of which, as far
as I could see, for the further end was
| lost in obscurity, was a line of doors.
Now came my difficulty; the slightest
error would not only defeat my present
object, but consign me to stricter sur
veillance than ever, and perhaps bring
| about Clara's removal to some spot to
| which I could obtain no clue. Suppose,
| by chance, that should go to Judith s
chamber door? 1 shuddered at the
! thought.
I stood for some moments at the head
| of the corridor, irresolute what to do,
listening eagerly for the slightest sound
that might guide me. But the silence
| was deathlike. Down the corridor
moved noiselessly. Through the crew
ices Of the third door came faint streaks
! of light and faint muff1ed sounds, either
means or a low, monotonous singing
the walls and doors were SO thick, that
it was difficult to distinguish which.
| 1 listened more eagerly, until l fan
cied l could distinguish Clara's voice.
paused for a moment, and then, with
my heart beating in my throat, tapped
| gently. Breathlessly l waited for sew
eral seconds. No answer. Then | tap
ped second time little louder. A
sound of moving, and then soft, trem-
ulous voice, that thrilled my very soul,
asked family, "Who is there?"
l could doubt no longer. The key
was in the lock outside. l tried it-turn-
ed it-opened the door-met her whom
sought-heard low cry of astonish-
ment, and my darling was in my arms.
At that moment / fancied that l heard
sound like the click of lock in the
corridor. l suddenly turned, disengaged
myself from her arms, and looked out
All seemed precisely as / had left it
no light, no object, no sound; it must
have been fancy. I gently drew the
key from the outside, and, reversing it
locked the door from within. We wert
alone-no one could surprise us now.
To her eager questions, how had l dis
covered her, l scarcely knew what tt
answer; for, the first excitement of ou
meeting over, l repented that l had eve
| sought it. Could l have freed her from
her enemies then, and then only, woult
it have been justifable? AS it was,
was feeding my own hopeless passion
, and engaging more and more closely tn,
affections of a simple-hearted girl, be
meath the very roof that sheltered tn
implacable woman who claimed as he
husband. Oh, all this was weak, Grim
inally weak; and / felt it so. and yet
had not the courage to end it honestly
After while / asked her what hap
pened upon the fatal night that we los
her-how she came to be separated fron
us.
She told me that rush of people ha
suddenly impelled her forward, and tha
, by the time she could turn her head t
look round, she found that she had bee
: carried out of sight Of Mrs. Wilson!
! AT that moment young man, evident
ly the same who had delivered Montgon
ery's message to me, touched her upo
: the shoulder, and said that l was wal
= ing for her in a cab little way dow
the street.
r HE was hurrying me along all th
/. time he was speaking she went OF
/: "and I was too bewildered by my situs
/ lion TO OHer the SHgnIeSt resistance
Y There was a long line of cabs and ca
e riages; the one he pointed out as oul
i. was the last, of all, and stood up an III
e frequented side street. He opened tf
door and pushed me in; at the sam
a moment a strange man jumped in pa
e me, the door was slammed, the window
IF raised, and the horses were off at fu
b speed, before could recover my breath
/ From her description, l discovere
Is that this man who accompanied b
was Montgomery.