Year: 1875

tween us on the subject. J. was too
we'll acquainted with the captain s
sudden whims to attach much i'm
portance to this one.


Tho captain remained at homo this
timo barely two weeks. On the morn.
ing that he loft to take his vessel
for another trip, just after he had
taken up hisha to 60, he called me
into the chamber and shut the door.


"Hore is something, Fanny" he
said, "that I want you to keep safe
ly for mo till I como back" And
he took papor package from his
breast pocket as he spoke. "Thcre
aro ten fifty-pound notes in it-fvc
hundred pounds in all. I will lock
it up hero in this bureau-drawer,
and give you the key" And he did
SO. "No ono would think of coming
here for money"


do you think you had better
leave it here, Elijah?" I asked
"Why not put it in the banll?"


81 meant to, but I shall not have
time. The money was only paid
me last night. But no matter, the
money will be safe where it is, and
there will be no danger about it ; or
if you don't think so, you may de-
post it yourself"


My uneasiness increased as tho
day woro on; and about three
o'clock the same afternoon, took
the money and went to the bank,
determined to deposit it. The bank
was closed; all the banks were
closed, for it was Saturday.


I took the package home again,
replaced it in the bureau-drawcr,
locked it, placed the key in my
pocket, and resolved that I would
not worry any more about it. Emily
called me to tea in little while,
and though not hungry, went in
to the dining-room and sat with her
while she drank her tea and laugh
cd and chatted in her vivacious
way.


The evenings were rather long,
and Emily and I sat together in
the dining room after the table Was
cleared, she reading aloud, and I
listening, as WAS our custom. When
the clock struck ten she Ibid down
her book; and I took my lamp, and
bidding her goodnight, went up to
my room.


My chamber occupied the whole
front of the second story, and Emi-
ly had back room upon the samo
floor. A bell wire ran from my room
to hers, so that I could summon her
ut pleasure.


| L placed the lamp upon the bu-
reau, shaded it, and returned and
locked the door. Then I drew my
easy chair to the middle of tho
room, put on my slippers, and sat
down for few minutes before re-
tiring. And Immediately I became
vexed at myself to find that T was
looking ut the drawer that held the
money, and that L was feeling in
my pocket to SEQ that the key was
safe. Tho shade that I placed over
the lamp confined it's rays within q
small circle, beyond which tho bed,
the furniture, the carpet, and the
wall paper were obscure. In the
cornor, to the right of the door,
was an antique, high-backed chair,
q favorite piece of furniture. AS
turned my own chair from the bu-
reau, my eyes rested on this object;
and I saw by tho samo glance that
q human figure was sitting in it!


I could not at first mako out
whether it WAS man or woman
only became conscious, as + sat in
bewildering, dumb terror, that I
was confronted by stranger there
in that semi -darknoss-by some one
who had hidden in the room fol
somo object. There T was, locked
up in room alono with a ruffian,
waiting, trembling, and expecting
to hear him speak, or to become
the object of somo violence. Fol
although, as I have said, I could
not distinguish whether it was man
or woman, I did not doubt that it
WAS tho former, and ono of the most
desperate of his kind. And pres
emily, as my eyes fell to the floor,
saw great pair of boots thrust out
upon the carpet within tho radius o1
tho light.


I do not know how long wo sal
there in the semi darkness of tho
room, facing each other, but mo
tionless and silent; it might have
been three minutes or thirty. The
thought of alarming Emily sudden
ly occurred to me, and reached
out for the bell-cord. It should have
been within easy reach of tho spot