Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-01-06

hating steps with stout stick, made
for the village and walked up the youta
| who assisted him iii his duties
Dost hear yon BELL Amos?" he
called, quayeringly
| @Ey, Mr. Bargle, and Bargle was
relieved 10 nave bis hearing thus cor.
roborated. Who lie It oop there, ]
wonner?9
Put your coat 81 smartly, lad. I'm
| goin' to see.
silent and aaaking With cold or
nervousness they moved noiselessly
over the mufiiing snow, turned the
wall Of the churehgard, and, Barge
grimly leading. filed in through the
breaking lych gate
The narrow path between the graves
brought hem TO the porch, and here
Bargie. who entered first, stopped.
fnmbling for hts keys, and suddenly
held the antern lower with husky
cry OF alarm
| In the glmmering light Of the Lam
tern, q woman lay hudaled close to
the church door. With child rolled IL
a shawl and clasped tightly in her
arms
Alice faltered the oil inan 1Alicer
lie flung himself on ais knees be-
side her, crying out, clasping her cold
hands, and appealing wildly and help
lessiy to those who were win him. for
! she lay as still and unresponsiye as
| If she were dead.
They took the child. which woke
aud whimpered, and dispatched Amos
with II 70 the nearest cottage
Tell EN- to light a 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 its 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 sal holding his daughters
| hand. watching the life rekindle in her
| eyes, and listening to her feeble whis-
perings.
at is a long way from the station,
she was telling him, satisfied with the
| forgiveness she could read in his
every tone and look; and when | got
as far as the church | was SO tired
and farmland | fancied about that
time tonight you would be there. in
the belfry; SO | went to the church
| but the door was locked, and
Bargle turned to touch on his
| shoulder
The vicar is waiting, with several
| others, in the next room" said tbs
| doctor They want the key of the
belfry, but | think you had better &c
with them-you are talking to my pa
| tient more than is good for her
! Gomez"
Bargle hesitated moment, Their
| stopped TO kiss the pale face on the
| pillow. and submissiyely 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
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
1 twinkling. he had jerked the trap
| door open. and stepping into the bell
chamber, peered eagerly around. and
| was startled by vision of two white
| faces gazing from the shadow of one
of the bells.
| Why" he calculated, what are
| you doing here. young masters?"
l. For he recognized them instantly as
! the Suuire's two sons, down at Peri
dale for a holiday.
They came forward shivering. but
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 10 rims the bells"
"But I've got the keys" muttered
BarSle
| I'VE crawled through the belfry
window"
| "rhere was no need to come 50 high
as this though
NO 1t was 100 early to begin
when we got here SO we came up tc
see what II was like in here; and all
in jify the trapdoor slammed down
and he candle blew out. and we'd left