Year: 1862

TOO free rein to my imagination. L tried
to think calmly, and decided that my i'm
agination was not unwarrantably active.


l could swear that / had heard some
person go down stairs, light lamp, de-
cend to the cellar, return and 60 out of
doors l was absolutely positive that 1
had heard steps in the yard. I knew
that l could not fail to hear the person
come back into the house, for the door
rubbed against its casing, and opened
hard. Finally, I was mortally certain
that l was wide awal1e-that l had not
been dreaming, and as my friend $
was the only occupant of the third story,
| had every reason to believe that she it
was who had passed my door as the clock
was striking three. Where was she now ?
/ decided that she must be in a somnam-
bulistic state, and feared some dreadful
accident had befallen her. There was
deep pond only few steps from the
the house what if she had unconscious
ly gone there and had been drowned ?
| forgot my pain in my intense anxiety,
and sprang from my bed again, fully de-
termined to dress myself and 60 in pur-
suit of her. Hardly had | touched the
floor, when | heard the footsteps in the
| yard again, and exhausted both by the
the excitement and reaction, l had just
strength enough left to throw myself on
the bed, supposing that should hear the
door open and the wanderer come in at
once Again | was disappointed, and in
stantly new and more terrible fear took
possession of me. By the back doorstep
large hogshead was sunk in the ground
for q cistern. heard the cover of this
cistern open-a splash, as of some one
falling ina sort of bubbling groan-a
violent struggle in the water. My heart
stood still for a moment, and then began
beating with sufocating violence. could
but Just breathe, and trembled so that |
had no control over my limbs. Once
more I sprang off the bed, snatched a
heavy cloak from chair, and wrapped it
about me- and had reached the top of the
stairway, when at that moment the clock
struck four, the back door opened, and
some one came in. With thrill of the
most exquisite relief, halted and listen
ed, and distinctly heard my host making
preparations for building fire!


l felt inclined to laugh aloud. The
truth-or, at least enough of it to salts.
fly mc-fashed upon my mind at once
and l crept back to my bed for the last
time, thanking all my good angels most
heartily that there had been no witnesses
to my genuine terror and excitement.


My charming friend, S., appeared
at the breakfast table next morning fresh
and rosy, and | waited impatiently fol-
the explanation which was sure would
come, as it did, so soon as the morning
salutations were over.


My genial host is passionately fond Of
gardening, and awaking at three o'clock
on this particular morning, he decided to
go out to work. He happenend to be
engaged in fixing little plat of ground,
just around the corner of the house, where
every sound he made could be easily heard,
but where he was invisible from my win
dow. The footsteps were his, and the in
tervals between them were while he was
bending down at work with his towel.
On inquiry, found Chat, just before com.
ing into the house, he had dropped a
large wooded dipper into the cistern!


The whole of this long hour Of torture
was the result of one little error in hear
ing awoke just as my host was step.
ping over the threshold of his apartment
which adjoined mine, into the entry
That step was naturally longer and hca.
vier than the others, and it was by nc
means strange that it should seem to be
step from the stairs across the hall al
any rate, SO it did seem to me. Ayp
[ l am not fond Of being made the laugh.
ing stock Of such a jolly company as my
friends in B, and | had not courage
enough to tell my story to them, but con-
cluded to reserve it for future use, mean
|