The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1911-08-17

stliSi SlcWGQ lnaI the cetlNr was hex
empty. The light, I judged, had been
placed on a stool or table on the op-
posite side OF the cellar. From the way
1t varied, now bright. now dim, I decid-
cd It was q candle, mi that the mo-
lions of the person working near "
caused the flame to flicker. These
mot1ofls would continue for a5tifNe with
considerable regularity; then they
would cease while the worker evidently
stopped to rest, n then begin again.
VINO WIS trlfs person ana what was
this work which must be done at such
an hour? Inayain ! sought an answer.
I pressed my ear to the ventilator, but
could Fear nothing; nothing, at least,
beyond the faintest of faint sounds,
which gave me no clue to what was
happening within. I peered through
the little orifice moment after mos
ment. until the shadows grew confused
and blurred and my eyes ached under
the strain.
rose to rest myself. The it sud
denly occurred to me that the cellar
must have a window. Skirting the
house cautiously, / at last came to it
But it was closed and curtained sc eff
f~ectually that only a faint glimrnef
here and there betrayed the light with
in. 1 listened, but could hear no
sound.
Fairly nonplussed, I returned to the
hedge and sat down against 1t to con-
slider. The shadow had given me nd
indication Of whether the worker was
man or woman; yet to the first guess
ton / had asked myself there could be
Of the Kingdom women who were
working in the cellar-both, ! finally
decided. since 1t was improbable that
one could spend the night there With
out the knowledge of the other. But
what We're they doing?
To this I could md no answer. It
was not merely an GRAND, d tho
light remained. Minute after minute j
sat there, until / heard a clock some
where strike two, and still the light
remained. / crept forward to the ven-
~tilator and peered through again. This
shadows We're moving backward and
forward, Just as they had been an hour
about them, and I shivered as
watched. 1t seemed to me that they
were made by some person alternately
rising and STOPPING, but why should
anyone do that for hours at q time:
Some subtle association of ideas
which a confronted Jean Vatican on
that night when he a peered
through the grated window into the
convent OF Little Pfcqus-the dim
light. the vast hall, the motionless
| us SAlA oaSA ~ ~
sought here? Were these long-con.
tinued risings and stoopings a series
of genufexions before some shrine
a penance, perhaps, imposed for SONG
transgression? The thought seemed
absurd. But I could think of no other
tons.
AT last. weary with long staring, ]
went back to my seat beside the hedge
and waited. Half an hour passed.
then I saw the glimmer at the ventila-
tor suddenly disappear, and a moment
later, a light cleaned through the
kitchen window. I went on toward
the front of the house, and I saw the
shadow of a woman's figure on the
blind as it passed the window in front
of me. Only one shadow-there was
only one woman in the house, or, at
least. only one awake and moving
about. There had been only one in the
cellar.
Ny resolution was taken. 1 went
straight forward to the door at the
side OF the house and knocked sharply.
At the same instant. the light am
ished. I waited a moment, then
knocked again, more loudly.
who's here" called a voice. SO
harsh, SO fierce, that it fairly startled
me.
open the door" I said. Il wish to
see Miss Lawrence"
This is not Miss Lawrence's home"
cried the voice.
II know it; but she's there
She's not here!' and the voice rose
to a scream. BE off, or I'll fire through
the door!"
What sort of fury was this, I asked
myself, and l stepped to one side to be
out of range of a possible bullet.
"Be off, screamed the voice again.
I'm fire. I swear it! The Law will
justify me-"