The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-15

ed to bed at late hour, extiEguish-
ing the light. But sleep was not a
ready visitor. Every tick of the old
clock, newly erected on the dingy
mantlepiece, rang in her ears with
emphatic distinctness. It scarcely
seemed like the clock of former days,
so altered was its tone.
At length, however, she slumbered
lightly, but not long ere she was
awakened by some noise, and peering
out into the darkness, she discovered
that the cellar door had been opened,
and current of air was rushing into
the room. Unagitated by this occur
renee she arose, closed the door and
again retired. Scarcely had she CON-
posed herself for rest ere the door
opened, this time with force. At this
she was little startled. She knew
II had been 1atched.
Sne closed it again. The latch
dropped properly in its place. The
catch was deep. Her conclusion was
that the wind must have Jared it
open. Yes, 1t must have been the
wind, and she resolved to secure it
more firmly. Taking common table
fork, she closed and latched the door,
then drove the fork deeply into the
casing just above the latch. She
now retired with sigh of relief.
A small FIRE left burning in con
temptation of her husbands early re-
turn, threw a cheerful belt of light
between the double doors of the stove
and against the bed and walls of the
room. Still the clock ticked on with
the same unerring monotony, in
strange contrast with unearthly 81
lence which otherwise pervaded the
house.
WEAKNESS, nevertheless, dispelled
all unwelcome visions of the imagi-
nation, and again brought slumber to
her relief.
How long she had slept she knew
not, when she was aroused more sud-
denly than before. The cellar door
had again burst open. The fork had
broken short off above the latch, and
flown with considerable force up
against the ceiling. The poor woman
started up in bed half frozen with ter
ror. She scarcely dared to move or
speak, but with held breath and dis
tended eyes, vainly trying, as it were,
to sift the darkness, black and hide
Gus as it now seemed, as if she ex-
pected some terrible sprite or ghost to
stalk forth from the cellar landing to
increase her terror. Two full minutes
she sat thus. All was still. No
ghost appeared. Her courage began
to return. Slowly recovering her
equanimity, she left the bed with a
trembling step in search of the extin-
guished candle. At no time did her
eyes wander from that fearful door.
Her hands alone searched for the can
die; this she found upon the mantle.
niece WheFe she had placed it before
fetir1ng, and by AID or matcn soon
relighted.
What blessing is light What
inexpressible fears the rays of her
solitary candle dispelled Falling
upon and bringing into full view the
bed, stove, chairs, clock, mirror and
other housekeeping implements famil
lar to her daily in the happy past, she
felt reassurred almost as we'll as if
among circle of friends capable of
rendering sympathy and assistance.
1t is not without caution and some
deliberation, however, and for the
third time closed the cellar door. This
done sne lost no time in making it
more secure than before. BY what
power it had been opened she dared
not stop to question. Though strong
and courageous, she was no less wo-
man, no less human. To her the
cellar seemed pit where horror in
Vulnerable and indefnable were con-
centrated. In her excited imagina-
tion, Dante's vision of hell portrayed
nothing more appalling. Nothing
would have tempted her to venture
down the stairs. The door closed she
breathed freer. This time she would
barricade it. Quickly fastening the
latch with another fork, as if to guard
against surprise. she whirled the bed
and heavy bedstead into the center of
the room, and, by few minutes ac-
tive exertion, succeeded in placing
the foot of the bedstead firmly against
the door. This done, half exhausted
by her nervous haste, she flung her.
self upon the bed to wait, with sleep
less eyes, the issue Of further events.
Her terror now gradually gave place
to loneliness and anxiety. Hark
was that her husband ? She held
her breath to listen. The low MUIR
mur of the wind as it sighed mourn
fully through the tall pines without
was all that greeted her ears. How
long the seconds Tick, tick, tick
still went the clock. Not a sound
escaped her ear. She sat up in her
bed, but not to sleep. She still kept
the light burning in chair near at
hand. Haunted or not she resolved
not to close her eyes again in this
| fearful house till her husbands re-
turn. She sat thus for more than an
hour and nothing new had occurred
save low patter against the window
panes, indicating a drizzling rain
without. The fire still shed gen.
eral warmth throughout the room.
Disposed in comfortable posture,
still weary and tired of watching, her
nerves stilled and fears mostly allay-
ed in spite of her resolution to the
contrary, our heroine began, slowly
and imperceptibly to herself, to re-
lapse into state of somrolence. In
Short time, had nothing happened,
she would doubtless have been fast
asleep. But such was not her des.
tiny. Unnoticed by her the last rays
of the candle had expired in the
socket, and the FIRE, also, having
gone out while she was doing, the
room was in midnight darkness. Sud
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