Year: 1875

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oak closet, Annie. 1t has a spring
lock, and if by chance any burglar
should get into the house he never
would think of finding anything of
value in little stihed up closet at the
head of the garret stairs"


And with a light heart the Judge
went off to deposit the treasure.


Margaret was sitting in the room,
darning the Judges stockings, when
this conversation took place, and of
course she heard where the money was
to be placed, though at the time she
gave little heed to it.


The next day, John and Sarah, the
two servants, had . holiday to visit a
married daughter of theirs, who re-
sided fifteen or twenty miles away,
and as it was in November, and the
days were short, they could not return
until Monday night.


And some time after they set out
there came an imperative message to
the Judge from his only slster-say.
ing that she was very i'll, and desired
to see him without delay. Her home
was in Shelby-eight or ten miles off,
and Of course the Judge lost no time
in obeying the summons. He took
his wife with him, leaving Margaret
alone in the house.


After they were seated in the car
riagc, the Judge stopped to say.


sit is barely possible, Margaret,
that we may remain all night 1t
looks very much like storm, and in
that case, we shall certainly stay.
And if so, YOU had better get Salie
Turner to come over and stay with
you toncompany."


But though Margaret would have
liked Sallies company we'll enough,
she at once decided not to ask for it,
because ii she did so, she knew that
Sallics brother, Willis, would be sure
to come along, and the less she saw of
Willis Turner, why the better she
was pleased Willis was an honest,
industrious sort of fellow, and he was
Margaret's most devoted admirer, but
with the usual inconsistency of her
sex, she utterly refused to see what
was best for her.


The long afternoon wore slowly
away. Margaret read a little, and
drummed a few tunes listlessly on the
piano, played with the black and
white kitten, and held the old cat
curled up in her lap like a sleepy cat
erpiller, and at last it was sunset


Time to milk the COWS and shut the
barn door for the night.


1t was evident enough that there
was going to be a storm, for the north
and west were dark and gloomy with
ominous black clouds, and the east
wind sighed drearily in the pine woods
back of the house. And indeed, be-
fore Margaret had done up the odd
jobs at the barn, the great drops of
the frozen rain began to fall, and by
the time she had eaten her supper and
strained the milk, the storm had set
in in deadly earnest.


She closed and.barred the door
windows were already fastened-d'ew
the shutters, and piled the kitchen
fireplace full Of dry hickory.


The kitten had gone to sleep in the
cushioned chair in the corner, and the
old black cat sat on the hearth blink
ing her eyes sleepily at the cheerful
blaze.


Margaret read a little. and dreamed
a great deal, as girls of her age are
prone to do at times. She made
very pretty picture if only there bad
been some one to see her.


Her soft brown hair was unbound,
and fell rippling to her waist her
fair round face was tinted as delicatelv
pink as the inside OF "a sea shell her
brown eyes were dreamy and full of
lauguof, and her red lips were sweet
and womanly enough for any true low
er to find his rarest happiness in kiss
ing.


Slowly at length, the old coffin
shaped clock in the corner struck ten.
Margaret started up. She had not
thought it was so late. The evening
had gone off much more quickly than
she expected 1t would. 1t was not so
dreadful to stay alone after all, she
SAID to herself


She opened shutter and peered |
out into the darkness. 1t was as dark |
as Erebus, and the wind and rain