Year: 1876




twice his fingers were caught in the
opening. Then, finding our combined
weight too much for his strength, il
would become evident that he was en-
deavoring to- force out an end of the
chest. But he could not work to ad-
vantage. Cramped within such limits,
his giant power of muscle was not
wholly available; he could neither kick
nor strike with full force; aud hence
/ is chief hope rested upon his ability 10
lift us up. lid and all.


Even then, in the absolute terror that
might have been supposed TO possess
her, queer feeling ofexultation sprang
up in Julia's heart.


Il was right, Mary" she cried.
'They won't think me fool now, will
they? i shan't be ashamed 10 see Harry
Irving-'


Poor julia under the circumstance
the idea was really ludicrous: but na-
tnre will everywhere assert itself, and
Julia hated coward. Thump! thump.
trump? Lid. and side, and end, alter
nately felt the cramped, powerful blows.
Then came the lift-the steady. strain
ing lift, and Julia cheered me when the
cover shook, and rose, and trembled.


''He can't get out, Mary! We are
safe; only just keep your full weight
on the lid, and don't be nervous, either !;
it is almost morning."


She knew it was not one o'clock.


But one o'clock came. How wished
it was five! And two o'clock came,
and three and four; and we hoped that
our prisoner had yielded TO his fate,
which must now appear to him inevita-
bic. .f.


small aperture at one end of the
chest, where there was fracture in the
wood, supplied him with air, and hence
We could not hope that he would become
weak through suffocatiOn. He was evi-
IDENTIFY resting from the very necessity
of the case, for his eXertions had been
prodigiOus. There was a faint streak
of morning in the sky; and there, upon
the chest, we sat, and watched for the
CLEAN to broaden.


Suddenly there was Il tremendous
struggle beneath us, as if the ruffian
had concentrated all his energies in a
final effort. At my end of the chest
there was a crash-and Immediately the
Germans feet protruded through the
aperture that they had forced in the
board. So horrible now appeared our
position that | uttered a scream, such
as do not thiuk l ever at any other
time could have had the power to im-
itate.


To get off the lid in order to defeat
the movement through the chest end
would have instantly been our destrIIc-
ton therefore, still bearing our weight
on the chest we caught AT the projecting
feet. In doing this, however, we par
tally lost our balance, and sudden
bracing up of the muscular shape below
so forced open the lid that the head,
arms and shoulders of Hans Schmidt
were thrust forth, and with a fearful
clutch he seized Julia by the throat.


Just then a heavy crash was heard at
the door below, the foot tramps spring
ing toward us as if some person were
tearing up the staircase with the full
conviction that this was an hour of need.
The dim daybreak hardly revealed his
identity, bur | had faint perception
that young Harry Irving had come TO
us in our hour of peril.


Some time during the morning l
found myself in bed with Julia, and
several of the neighbors standing about
me. Julia elaspcd me in her arms and
cried,-


''We are safe, Mary. Harry Irving
was near the house all night. He re-
turned after seeming TO go home. The
least scream he would have heard a he
at last heard yours: but | am glad you
did not scream before. for now we have
had an experience and know what we
can do"


Hans Schmidt had decided upon the
chest as safer hiding-place than that
in which Julia had first discovered him.


Upon the very morning ON which
Harry Irving stunned and secured the
rufiian in our room, the officers of jus
tice were searching for the old Hessian
scoundrel rs the supposed murderer,
and he was soon convicted and hung.


Julia became the wife of Harry Irving
and most excellent wife she was.
Magnanimous and unrevengeful. she
was perhaps the only person who felt
no qualification at the fate of old Hans
schmidt, but rather pity for the ig-
norance which had so led him into
crime.