The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-07-08

CHAPTER ii.
A Link cuff.eutton.

unQef ner. without 3 sound she sank
down. leaving me staring at the win
dow In petrified amazement. Liddy
began to moan under her breath, and
in my excitement reached down and
shook her.
"Stop it." whispered. TITS only q
woman-maybe a maid Of the Arm
strongs'. Get up and help me find the
door," She groaned again. Every
vel" I~said, then I'll have to leave
you. here. I'm going"
She moved at that, and. holding to
my sleeve, we felt our way, with nu-
merous collisions, to the billiard-room,
and from there to the drawing-room.
The lights came on then, and, with
the long French windows unshuttered,
I had a creepy feeling that each one
sheltered peering face. In fact, in
the light Of what happened afterward,
I am pretty certain we were under
surveillance during the entire ghostly
evening. We hurried over tho rest of
the locking-up and got upstairs as
quickly as we could. left the lights
all on, and our footsteps echoed ca
vernously. Liddy had stiff neck the
next morning, from looking back over
her shoulder, and she refused to go
to bed.
LET me stay in your dressing room,
Miss Rachel" she begged. IF you
don't I'll sit in the hall outside the
door. I'm not going to be murdered
with my eyes shut"
It was II o'clock when finally pre-.
pared for bed. In spite of my assump
ton of Indifference, locked the door
into the nall. and finding the tran
som did not catch, put a chair eau.
tiously before the door-it was not
necessary to rouse Liddy-and climb.
ing up put on the ledge of the tran.
som a small dressing-mirror, so that
any movement of the frame would
send 1t crashing down. Then, secure
in my precautions went to bed.
did not go to sleep at once. Liddy
disturbed me just as 1 was growing
drowsy, by coming in and peering un.
der the bed. She was afraid to speak,
however, because of her previous
snubbing. and went back, stopping in
the doorway to sigh dismally.
Somewhere downstairs a clock
with chime sang away the hours
eleven-thirty, forty-fve twelve. And
then the lights went out to stay. The
Casanova Electric Company shuts up
shop and goes home to bed at mid
night: when one has party, I be.
lieve 1t is customary to fee the com.
pany, which will drink hot coffee and
keep awake couple of hours longer.
But the lights weres gone for good
that night. Liddy had gone to sleep,
as knew she would. She was very
unreliable person: always awake and
ready to talk when she wasn't wanted
and doing of to sleep when she was
I called her once or twice, the only re-
suit being an explosive snore that
threatened her very windpipe-then
got up and lighted a bedroom candle.
My bedroom and dressing room
were above the big living room on
the first floor. On the second floor. a
long corridor rem the length of the
house, with rooms opening from both
sides. In the wings were small cor:
ridors crossing the main one-the
plan was simplicity itself. And Just
as I got back into bed, 1 heard a
sound from the east wing, apparently,
that made me stop. frozen, with one
bedroom slipper half of, and listen. It
was a rafting metallic sound, and it
reverberated along the empty halls
like the crash of doom. It was for all
the world as If something heavy, per.
haps piece Of steel, had rolled clat.
tering and jangling down the hard.
wood stairs leading to the card-room.
In the silence that followed Liddy
stirred and snored again. was ex.
asperated; first she kept me awake
by silly alarms, then when she was
needed she slept like Joe Jefferson, or
i Rip-they are always the same to me.
I went in and aroused her, and give
her credit for being wide awake the
minute spoke.
Get up" said. If you don't want
to be murdered in your bed"
Where? How" she yelled vocifer.
ously, and jumped up.
There's somebody in the house."
said. Get up. Well have to 60 to
the telephone"
''Not out in the hall!" she gasped:
ooh. Miss Rachel. not out In the
half" trying to hold me back. But
am large woman and Liddy Is small.
We got to the door. somehow. and
Liddy held q brass andiron, which 1t
was all she could do to lift, let alone
brain anybody with. listened. and,
hearing nothing. opened the door q
little and peered into the hall. It was
q black void, full Of terrible sugges-
tion. and my candle only emphasized
the gloom. Liddy squealed and drew
me back again. and % the door
slammed, the mirror had put on the
Itransom came down and hit her on
tho head. That completed our de-
moralisatiOn. It vas some time before
IL could persuade her sheshad mot been
attacked from bshind ~ : burglar.