Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-08-09
The Secluded
House
By MILDRED WHITE

1900 ~5@
head. From an adjacent apartment
came the hum of a phonograph.
ITO try to do any brain work in
this hubbub would be impossible"
muttered Mariana, then her eyes fell
upon a printed paragraph:
Cynthia Woodruff" she read, twill
accommodate in her country home.
man or woman desiring uninterrupted
quiet. Location suitable for student
or artist"
"The very thing" said Mariana to
herself, and taking up the telephone,
she called Miss Woodruf's number.
A thin voice came back yer the
wire. Yes, this was Miss Woodruff.
She would have to have reference, OF
course.
Mariana felt like a child starting
upon some joyous adventure, as she
hurried about, selecting frocks suita-
BILE for country wear. And when at
shutdown she reached the pretty viii
lage of the advertisement she felt that
her quest had been a wise one.
High at the top of a peaceful hill.
half hidden behind It's grand old
trees, was the house of her destina-
ton. Mariana's eyes, accustomed to
orderly city gardens, opened wide In
admiration at this tangle of prodlgal
bloom, the paths grown over in places
with fragrant bushes and vines. And
at once she selected her secret writ
ing place-an iron-railed balcony
twisting about a tower room upon the
second floor.
Miss March would be welcome to
that ROOM" her hostess agreed. Full
of enthusiasm and sure of inspiration,
Mariana started to work upon her
serial.
So days passed in successful accom-
plishment, but her nights were tor
ments of fear. Lying there in dark
isolation, she could fancy ghostly
footsteps passing down the corridor.
Nearer they would come-then cease.
Often Mariana would waken suddenly
trembling. at the sound of the same
measured tread overhead.
Once Mariana had dared to mention
her fears to the woman.
'Nothin' to be scared Of around
here" Miss Cynthia assured her;
"never had a robbery or nothin' like
1t in these parts. Sometimes the
house goes creaking of ITSELF" And
then came the real night of terror.
Miss Cynthia had gone out upon n
of her neighboring visits.
In the tower room, with its electric
light shining far across the garden
Mariana had written until the runs
bling of a coming storm attracted hef
attention. Then she had gone to close
a window. when suddenly she was left
in darkness. Not a glimmer of light
came from below, while the sky was
inky black. There had been n sharp
flash of lightning, the girl remembered.
1t was this, probably, which had put
the electricity out of order. But she
could not wait here, her heart thump-
ing painfully in its strange, nameless
fear. To grope her way around the
unfamiliar corridor seemed difficult
the stairway branched off so unex'
pectedly if she should miss her foot.
ing!
Mariana found the door opening into
the hall. and moved carefully along
beside the wall. Near by she fancied
she heard that same stealthy sound,
then a pair of hands caught hers
Before she could protest or cry out
two arms closed about her, snatchina
her up in the darkness. Mariana had
time to realize that the arms were a
mans strong arms-then she tainted
When she opened her eyes again,
peering vainly for light, close to heI
face a deep voice muttered an impre.
cation.
"Who are your she murmured
trembling. "What does all this
mean?"
The intruder loosened his hold
'oThat is what I would like to knows
he said. II was writing up there on
the third floor, when the light went
out. Coming downstairs to invest,
gate, 1 caught at you-whoever You
may be-just as you were about to
slip headlong over the stair. If you
hand had not met mine feeling along
the wall, you would have gone. Their
your dead weight told me that you
had tainted; and in the COMPOUNDED
darkness of this eerie place"
But who are your Mariana in
sisted, suddenly courageous.
81 am staying out here" the maj
answered, grudgingly, while I write
a book. I come every year; the Sc
clusion is perfect Miss Cynthia as
sured me there would be no other
occupants; and your"
Mariana laughed, in reaction. "Ohi
1 am just a small writer" she told
him. Miss Cynthia's advertisement
suggesting uninterrupted quiet tempt
ed me and I accepted. Probably she
thought that two so absorbed might
not discover each other, and so hoped
to earn extra dollars. I forgive the
deception, for If you had not beer
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