Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-14
Within the House.

GrimbleshaW. who was not little flat
tered that old John Altenburg. rich and
eccentric, should call him from among
the several physicians in Lanceboro. tried
to deceive himself by grumbling at hav-
ing to leave his coy fireside on such a
night The wind had risen and was
driving the sleety rain against the win
dows in a most uncomfortably suggestive
manner. 1t swept with unbroken force
across the plains. and the sleet stung like
needle points wherever it found the skim
The house doomed large across the night
before they reached it. blacker patch
upon the general blackness 1t stood
some distance from the road. in the midst
of rough fields. and the driver was au-
thority that the rutted way was villain
Gus. It's jest leetle wuss'n the bare
fields would be-"
At the turning in from the highway "a
smoky lantern was set upon the wall to
prevent their missing the way
He's afeared we might tromp on the
grass. said young Barber, the driver
The doctor leaned from the buggy as
they crept toward the house seized with
q sense of the weird loneliness that hung
over it. The boy, speaking in a low and
somewhat awed tone. told him that AL
tenburg, since his wife ran away and
left him, lived almost alone deaf old
housekeeper. who did all the indoor work
and French Canadian who slept in the
barn and attended to out-of door affairs
making up the household. II was evil
dence of the care with which the village
looked after everybody's business that so
much information could be had of such
household. Still. it was conceivable
that If SO fearful an accident had hap
pened. there would be some unusual s.ir
about the place. which. in fact. was gill
and dark. as if deserted. The boy felt
the oppression and ceased his chatter
They We're almost on to the house be-
fore they caught a tiny spark of light
from candle in an uncurtained window
The boy whispered that it was window
of the kitchen.
Find a shelter for the horse and then
come to the kitchen" said the doctor.
as he stepped gingerly on to the slippery
doorstep. Il can't tell how long iii be
here
He gave rap with the old iron
knocker merely to signal his presence.
for. without waiting an answer, he pushed
open the door and stepped into the
kitchen. The door had not been closely
shut, for a narrow wedge of s,eet lay
along the floor and gistened in the light
of the feeble candle, which f1ared and
threatened to go out before the sudden
blast from the opening door.
Closing the door Grimbleshaw turned to
study the situation, holding the candle
high above his head for that purpose
The room was dim and cavernous with
great gaping fireplace filling half the
opposite side The furnishings We're of
the PLANES. and SO few as to give a still
more empty look to the vast space The
carefully heaped up ashes of the fire.
place showed that the fire had been COW
cred for the night.
Under an instinct for warmth and dry
ness the doctor crossed the room and
raked open the ashes. Then. from a
meager pile by the chimney side he
drew some pieces of pitch pine and a
stick or two of hickory, and in a moment
or two had blaze that lighted the room
and dispelled no inconsiderable part of
the gloom.
Young Barber came stamping in and
reported the barn locked. He had tied
the horse in the shed and blanketed him.
Thar hain't another light nowhar."