The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-08-17

tween me and the light--a snauUw
which showed that the cellar was no.
empty. The light, / judged, had been
placed on stool or table on the OPP
rosite side Of the cellar. From the way
1t varied. now bright, now dim, decid-
ed IT was a candle. and that the mo
tons of the person working near II
caused the flame to flicker. These
motions would continue for time with
considerable regularity; then they
would cease while the worker evidently
stopped to rest, and then begin again.
Who was this person and what was
this work which must be done at such
an hour? In vain l sought an answer.
l pressed my ear to the ventilator, but
could hear 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 mo-
ment, until the shadows grew confused
and blurred and my eyes ached under
the strain.
rose to rest myself. Then 1t sud-
denly occurred to me that the cellar
must have window. Skirting the
house cautiously, l at last came to it.
But 1t was closed and curtained SO eff
fectually that only faint glimmer
here ard there betrayed the light with
in. listened, but could hear no
sound.
Fairly nonplussed, I returned to the
hedge and sat down against 1t to cons
slider. The shadow had given me no
indication of whether the worker was
man or woman; yet to the first ques-
ton I had asked myself there could be
only one answer. IT was one or both
Of the Kingdom women who were
working in the cellar-both, / finally
decided, since II was improbable that
cnIIld n nj xxyifh
out the knowledge Of the other. But
what were they doing?
To this I could md no answer. II
was not merely an errand, because the
light remained. Minute after minute ]
sat there, until I heard clock some-
where strike two. and still the light
remained. I crept forward to the ven-
tilator and peered through again. The
shadows were moving backward and
forward. just as they had been an hour
before. There was something uncanny
about them, and shivered as I
watched. II seemed to me that they
were made by some person alternately
rising and STOPPING, but why should
anyone do that for hours at timeI
brought before my eyes the vision
which had confronted Jean Vatican on
that night when he had peered
through the grated window into the
convent of Little Picqus-the dim
light, the vast hall, the motionless
Was some such explanation to be
sought here? Were these long-con.
tinued risings and stoopings a series
Of genuflexicns before some shrine
a penance, perhaps, imposed for some
transgression? The thought seemed
absurd. But could think Of no other
explanation Of these singular mo.
tons.
At last, weary with long staring.
went back to my seat beside the hedge
and waited. Half an hour passed.
then 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 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.
NV resolution was taken. went
straight forward to the door at the
side of the house and knocked sharply
At the same instant, the light van
shed. I waited a moment then
Knocked again, more loudly.
who's there" called a voice, so
harsh, so nerce, tnat IL talfly startled
me.
open the door," saiG. II wish to
see Miss Lawrence"
"rhis is not Miss Lawrence's home"
cried the voice.
Il 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, asked
myself, and l stepped to one side to be
out of range of a possible bullet.
BE off" screamed the voice again.
'Ill fire. swear it! The law will
justify me-"
There could be no question Of that;
it would be worse than folly to attempt
to force an entrance with this fury OPP
posing me, SO retreated again to the
hedge and sat down to see what would
happen. But nothing happened, and
deciding at last that Miss Kingdom, or
whoever It was had answered me, had
gone to bed, / turned my steps toward
the hotel just as the dawn was tingeing
the east with grey.
And one thing / determined OIL
would purchase a revolver. Only fool
ventures unarmed into the tigers den.