Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-12

read because Of her misSivings. star
ing 1t the fire. starting VI harsher
gust OF wind or any unaocustomed
sound. And for long time there
beat against her brain the shuffiing.
searching tread OF her uncle It's
cessation about II o'clock Increased
her uneasiness. He had been SO
afraid! Suppose already the thing
he had feared had overtakon himT
She listened intently. Even then she
seemed to sense the sounoless FOOT
steps OF disaster strayiny In the de-
cayed house. and searching, too.
A morbid desire to satisfy herself
that her uncle's silence meant moth
| ing evil drove her upstairs. She
stood In the square main hall at the
head OF the stairs, listening. Her
uncle's bedroom door lay straight
ahead. To her right and left narrow
corridors LED to the wings. Her
room and Bobby's and IA spare room
were In the right-hiind wing. The
opposite corridor was seldom used,
| Tor the left-hand wing was the old
est portion OF the house, and in the
march OF years too many legends
had gathered about It, The large bed
room was there with its private hall
beyond, and a narrow, enclosed STAR
case. descending to the library. Or
iginally 1t had been the custom FOR
the head of the family to use that
room. Its ancient furniture still'fad-
ed within stained walls. For many
years no one had slept in 1t, because
IT had sheltered too much suffering.
because II had witnessed the reluc-
tant spiritual departure OF too many
Blackburns.
Katherine shrank little from the
black entrance of the corridor, but
her anxiety conferred on the door
ahead. She was about to call when
n stirring beyond it momentarily re-
Assured her.
The door opened and her uncle
stepped out. He wore an untidy
dressing gown. His hair was dis
ordered. His face appeared grayer
and more haggard than 1t had down.
stairs. A lighted candle shook in his
right hand.
| What are you doing up here,
Katy?" he quavered.
She broke down before the pic
ture of his increased fear. He shut
fled closer.
what you crying for, Katy?"
She controlled herself. She begged
him for an answer to her doubts.
you make me afraid"
He laughed scornfully.
You! What you got to be afraid
Off"
I'm afraid because you are" she
urged. you've got to tell me. I'm
all alone. I~can't stand 1t. What
are you afraid of?"
He didn't answer. He shuffled on
toward the dsused wing. Her hand
frightened on the banister.
where arc you soing?" she whis-
pered.
He turned at the entrance to the
corridor.
II am going to the old bedroom"
| "Why? Why?" she asked hyster-
ically. you can't sleep there. The
bed isn't even made"
He lowered his voice to a hoarse
whisper:
Don't you mention I've gone there.
If you want to know, I am afraid.
I'm afraid to sleep in my own room
any longer"
She nodded.
"And you don't think they'd look
for you there. What is it? Tell me
what it Is. Why don't you send for
some one-a MANI
Leave me alone" he mumbled.
Nothing for you to be worried
about, except Bobby"
Eyes there u.s." she cried. Eyes
there isl
He paid no attention to her fright.
He entered the corridor. She heard
him shuffling between its narrow
walls. She saw his candle disappear
in it's gloomy reaches.
She ran to her own room and
locked the door. She hurried to the
window and leaned out, her body
shaking, her teeth chattering as if
from a sudden chill. The quiet, as
sured tread of disaster came nearer.
The two wings, stretching at right
angles from the main building, form
Gu Il udIIO" cur l. SlOuuS I'LL ilS
the moon failed quite to destroy it's
power, so that she could see, across
the court, the facade of the old wing
and the two windows OF the large
room thru whose curtains a spectral
glow was diffused. She heard one of
the windows opened with a grating
noise. The court was a sounding
board. 1t carried to her even the
shuffling of the old mans feet as he
must have approached the bed. The
glow OF his candle vanished. She
heard a rustling as if he had stretch
ed himself on the bed, a sound like
q long drawn sigh.
She tried to tell herself there was
no danger-that these peculiar ac-
tons sprang from the old mans
fancy-but the house, her surround
ings, her loneliness, contradicted her.
To her over-acute senses the thought
of Blackburn in that room, so often
consecrated to the formula of death,
suggested q special and unaccount-
able menace. Under such strain
the supernatural assumed vague and
singular shapes.
She slept for only a little while.
Then she lay awake, listening with a
growing expectancy for some mes
sage to slip across the court. The
moon had ceased struggling. The
| wind cried. The baying of dog
| echoed mourn fully from q great dis