Year: 1866




| 1 eOmbatted the faint feeling which


Chalie could not understand, by pinch


ing my arms and sticking pins into them


and after a little judiciOus torture Of
this sort, the sick feeling went off, and
could think again :. / will take of my


boots, thought I, after a moment. ''They


make such a noise, and I may have tC


move, for already q glimmering plan
| had rushed across my brain Of how /
/ might warn johnson. So I rose a little
from my crOuching position, unlaeed
them and slipped them of. l had bare
| ly done this when I heard the sound OF
voices, and the sick trembling feeling
| came on so strongly that the pin torture
/ had to be again applied. In another min
/ ute three men came out Of the back door.
| and l could distinctly hear every word of
! their conversation.


" He's late, think, said one If
/ he doesn't come soon, we must go that
| girl will soon be home. [ heard the old
/ woman tell her not to stop"
What's it signify 2 said another.


We can soon stop her mouth.
$ It isn't worth so much blood, Dick, )"
| said the third. We've only got fifty
/ pounds by this, and the farmer'Is not
have more.


He ought to be coming by now, said
the first, anxiously coming a step or two
nearer the kennel Halo What's
that p


The tone made me turn sick again.
Had Charlie found help already No.
The three men were standing close to the
kennel, and during the moments silence
that followed the mans exclamation, I
remembered that [ had dropped my
muH. | tried to stop the hard quick
humping Of my heart, which l felt GER
tain they must hear, and as it faclnated
l raised my head from my knees-for till
that moment I had been crouching at the
furtherest end of the homeland saw
hairy, fierce looking face glaring in at
the entrance of my hiding place. I tried
hard not to scream, and I succeeded; but
IN another mOmentI should have tainted
If the face had not been taken away To
my utter establishment, as the face disap-
peared the owner said


Il thought some one might be hiding
That's lady's trumpery. What can
it mean ?''


Evidently I had not been seen, thanks
to my dark dress and the gathering tWi-
light. I breathed freely now ; unless
something very unforeseen occurred I was
safe.


Some one has been here, and has drop
pedit, a voice said quickly. "That's all on
account of your cursed fOolery, Dick" it
y
stop at the door as I told you p


" Well, let's, do something now, she
third said anXlOusly, or we shall be
having some one here.


The three men then went back into the
house again, and I could hear them
speak IN low tones presently the voices
grew louder, and they were evidently
quarreling. In another minute they
came out again, and from what I could
6.oo-, hrru.,, -,
building and out houses for the owner of
the muff.


& There's no one here" at last one
called out. They must have gone away |
again. Go to the gate, Bill, and see if /
anybody IS coming that way"


After moment, Bill returned to the |
other two, who were now standing talk |
ing in low whispers at the back of the |
kennel, and said


No, there's no one coming


And my heart sunk as L thought how |
long it would be before suecor could ar
rive.


The fellows late, one of the others
said, after a moment or two but we
had better be on the watch now Mind, |
both of you, that he's down from his gig
before he sees US.


They walked away along the line of the |
house toward the other entrance, by |
which Mr.. johnson would come and I, |
thinking they had gone to take up their /
hiding places, put my head cautiously |
out of the kennel, and looked round.


Surely could reach the house with
out being seen, l thought, and if l could |
but reach the big, ruinous drawing room,
which commanded a view of the fields
through which the farmer would pass, ]
might be able to warn him back from the
fate which awaited him. I must warn
him if I could-it was too horrible that
another murder should be done.


I was out Of the kennel and IN the
kitchen before I recollected that I
should have to pass close to the muir
dered woman before [ could gain the
door leading into the hall, which I must
cross to gain the drawing room. I shud-
dered as passed the table and drew near
to the horrible scene but to my utter
surprise and no little terror, Mrs. John
son had vanished The dark cleaning
pool of blood and the dead dog were still
there, but the huddled up bundle of
clothes were gone.


What had they done with it In spite
of the urgent necessity there was for i'm
mediate action, stood motionless for
minute, hesitating to cross the dimly
lighted hall. Suppose it should be therel
I had never seen death before, and the
thought of again seeing the dead woman,
looking so CHASTITY and horrible with that
great gaping wound across her throat,
was at that moment more terrible to me
than the thought of her murderers' re-
turn.


While l stood hesitating, 3 shadow
passed across the first window, and, look
ing up quickly, to smy horror [ saw the
three men in another moment pass the
second window.


had no time for thought. In another
minute they would be In the kitchen. [
turned and fed down the passage and
across the hall, rushing into the first
open door, which happened to be the
drawing room door, and instinctively
half closed it behind me as I had found
it. Then I glanced wildly around the
bare empty room in search of shelter.


There was not particle Of furniture
in the room, and 1t was quite empty ex-
cept for some apples on the floor, and a
few empty hampers and sacks at the fur
ther end. How could l hide


l heard the footsteps crossing the hall, /
and then, as they came nearer, with the /
feeling of desperation, I sped noislessly |
across the room, laid down fat behind /
the hampers, and as the door opened, /
threw an empty sack over me. l felt / |
must be discovered, for my head was to-
tally uncovered, and | watched them fas- |
cinated breathless with intense terror.


They walked to the window, saying, /
" We shall see better here, and looked |
out, presently all exclaiming together, !
" He's coming now that black spot over |
there - and, without glanoing in my di- |
rection, they left the room again. [ was |
safe, but what could do to save the far
mer +? Surely Charlie must be coming |
with help now, but would he be in time |
l must try and save him, was the cOnvic- |