Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-09-05
CHAPTER IN.

what happened III Eulth room th''
night l did not learn until the next
morning, but l 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. III
was her habit to lock the door, anu
that she did not omit to do so OIL 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 If the bolt
was shot She left the lamp burning
on the table, screened from her by the
lace curtains of the bed. 1t was half
past eleven when she lay down, and
she felt so little fear that she fell
asleep almost Immediately.
A pillow slipping from beneath heI
head awoke her, she believed. Her
first consciousness was that her head
felt uncomfortably low. She put hel
hand out to find if she had slipped tc
the edge of the bed; but no, her posi-
ton was unchanged.
Then it struck her that she had LETT
a light on the table; it was now out
and all was dark.
She wondered if this was trick OF
Imagination. Was she awake or
asleep? She touched her eyes to be
sure they were open. Then it occurred
to her.that she might have been asleep
q 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.
1t was drol. She felt inclined to
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 Oh
each side of her even, and soft, and
yielding. That was strange!
81 must have done all the tossing
with my head" she said to herself,
still tickled by the oddity of the thing.
ollt lIllllS WAC ICl Npuiu hoN
sleep in comfort with nothing but
bolster under her head.
She leaned out and felt upon the
floor as far as 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 it all mean? Decidedly this
must be a new freak Of her magma
ton.
She was not yet thoroughly fright
ened. The spirit who could steal her
pillows must have some sense of hui
NOR; it was preferable to drumming
on the window panes and glarinS
through the blinds at her. Hearing and
sight had been tried, and now her
sense of touch was to be tested.
But though she tried to make light
of the affair, she felt that something
terrible underlay its comic aspect, and
little shiver ran through her at the
thought of getting up and striking
light. 1t 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 in a 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 up with the bolster doubled.
She doubled the bolster, and gave it
Il little pat; then she put up lock of
hair that had come down, and told
herself not to be stupid about little
thing like that; and, wondering wheth-
er she should dare to tell Of this incl
dent in the morning, she dropped on
her elbow and laid down her head
down. down down till it touch the bed.