The Monticellonian., 1905-12-21

"ho dSSlSt eu nm III ms dul4eS.
 "Dost hear yon bell, Amos?' he called, quaycringly.
 Fly Mir Bargle." and Bargle was relieved to have his hearing thus cor roborated Who be it cop there, I wonner?"
 Put your coat on smartly, lad. I m gem to sec
 Silent, and quaking with cold or nervousness, they moved noiselessIy over the muffiing 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 lan- tern, a woman lay huddled close to the church door, with a child rolled in 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 iessly to those who were with him. for she lay as still and unresponsiye as if she were dead.
 They took the child. which woke and whimpered, and dispatched Amos with it 10 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, tfem- ulousy, distractedly leading with the ! lantern, carried her with what speed they could in thc direction that Amcs had taken.
 And every minute still the bell re iterated is heavy. monotonoHs c1ang, though, for the uonce they had al most ceased tG be aware of t; Bafgls had become indifferent to Il altoselh. CT, and only gradually aToke to it again as he sat holdin. his daughters hand, watching he life rekindle in her eyes, and lis eains to her feeble Nhis- perings
 It is q long way from the station, :" she was telling him. satisfied with the forgiveness sha could read in his every tone and look and when 1 got as far as the church was so tired and faint-and l faneied about that time tonight you would be there. in the belfry; 50 I went to the church. but the door was locked, and
 Bargle turned U 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 l think you had better g0 with them-you @se talking to my pa tien1 more than is good for her Come!H
 Barsle hesitated a moment, then stopped to kiss the pale face on the pillow. and submissiyely obeyed. l Up the steep, narrow stone stairway of the helfry tower. up. and up. and up they clattered, one after the other. till al last they streamed in across the hollow sounding floor of the belfry and there through the ceiling the i three ropes dan3led in the shadowy emptiness, moved by no visible agency; and yet, even as the palpitat- l ins little group paused, the iron clany i boomed again close above them.
 Some ones up in the bell chamber !" said Barsle. dubiously. l IA.. of bic pffi1o Of !, i familiarity with the place. Barsle mounted first with his lantern. the others trailing up after him. In a tWinkliHg, he had ierked the trap door open, and stepping into the bell chamber. peered eagerly around. and was startled by vision of two white l faces gazing from the shadow of one of the bells.
 Why" he ejaeulated what are you doing here. young masters 9"
 For he recognized them instantly as the Squires two sons, down at Peri dale for a holiday
 They came forward shiyering. but evidently bent on showing that they were unperturbed
 Its all right. Bargle." cried the olacr of them; you have been a long time coming.
 But why are you here, Jamcs?" in Quired the vicar. reprovingly.
 70. We nipped out after we'd gone up to bed, sir" said the boy and came ta ring the bells"
 "But I've got the keys m....ereG I}arale
 We erawled through the esIfry window"
 "There was no need to come so high as this though"
 No It was too early to begin when we got here. so we came up to see what it was like in here; and all in a iiffy the trapdoor slammed down and the candle blew out, and we'd left the matches below. We couldn't feel where the trap was in the dark. but we found one of the bells" He fal- tered. shuddering reminiscently, but added forcing a laugh: Its your fault really. Bargle. If you hadn't said you wouldn't ring the bells-no bells it Chris istmas!-neyer heard of such thing!-we shouldn't have come"
 If you hadn't come, young mas ters-"
 Bargle stopped as if his words choked him. He thought of the white face he had left lying on the pillow and could not believe it was by mere accident or by human hands only that the warning bell had summoned him