The Washington times., 1917-11-02
PART oNE-CContInued)

~ RESENTLY the door opened,
- and mother looked in; seeing
by my moving that ] was not
asleep, came in, and sat by
me. She said to me even more sweet
ly and softly than her wont:
Il was uneasy about you, darling,
and came in to see that you were all
right"
/ feared she might catch cold sit
ting there. and asked her to come in
and sleep with me, so she came into
bed, ana lay down beside me; she did
not take of her dressing gown. for she
said she would only stay while and
then go back to her own bed. As sne
lay there in my arms. and / in hers,
the Tapping and sbuffeting came to
the window again. She was startled
and a little frightened. and cried out:
What is that7'
I tried to pacify her, and at last
succeeded, and she lay quiet: but I
could hear her poor dear heart still
beating terribly. After a while there
was the low howl again out In the
shrubbery. and shortly after there
was a crash at the window, and a lot
OF broken blass was hurled on the
floor.
GAUNT GRAY WOLF CRASHES
THROUGH THE WINDOW.
The window blind blew back with
the ,zind that rushed in, and in the
aperture Of the broken panes there
was the head OF a great, gaunt gray
wolf. Mother cried out in a fright.
and struggled up into a sitting pos
ture, and clutched wildly at anything
that would help her. Among other
things, she clutched the wreath OF
flowers that DR.. Van. Helsing insisted
on my wearing round my neck, and
L re it away from me.
For q second or two she sat up.
pointing at the wolf, and there was
strange and horrible gurgling In
her throat: then she fell over. as II
struck by lightning. and her head hit
my forehead and made me dizzy for
a moment or two. The room and all
round seemed 10 spin around.
kept my eyes fixed on the window,
but the wolf drew his head back. and
a whole myriad OF little specks seemed
to come blowing in through the bro
n window, and wheeling and cir
cling round like the pillar Of dust
that travellers describe when there Is
a simeon in the desert. / tried to
stir, but there was some spell upon
me, aad dear mothers poor body.
which seemed TO grow cold already
for her deart heart had ceased to beat
weighed me down: and 1 remem'
bered no more for while.
The time did not seem long, but very
very awful, till I recovered conscious
ness again. Somewhere near a passing
bell was tolling: the dogs all round
the neIghobrhood were bowling; and
in our shrubbery. seemingly just out
side, a nightingale was singing. i
was dazed and lpid with pain and
terror a-d weakness, but the sound
Of the nightingale seemed like the
voice of my dead mother come back
to comfort me.
The sounds seemed to have awaiS-
ened the maids. too, for could hear
their bare feet pattering outside my
door. l called to them. and they came
In, and when they saw what had hap
pened, and what 1t WAS that lay over
me on the bed. they screamed out.
The wind rushed in through the
broken window, and the door slammed
to. They lifted or the body OF .ly
dear mother. and laid her, covered up
with a sheet, on the bed after l had
got up. They were all SO frightened
and nervous that l directed them TO
go to the dining room and have each
a glass OF wine. The door few open
for an instant and closed again. The
maids shrIelIed, and then went in a