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Midnight in Beauchampbreau by Anna Catherine Green. It was the last house in Beauchampbreau,

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and it stood several rods away from
its nearest neighbor. It was a

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pretty house in the daytime, but
owing to its deep sloping roof and small

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be diamond windows, it had a
lonesome nook at night, nonwithstanding the crimson

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hall light which shone through the leaves
of its vine covered doorway. Ned Chivers

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lived in it with his six months
married bride, and as he was both

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a busy fellow and a gay one, there were many evenings when pretty Lady

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Shiver sat alone until near midnight.
She was of an uncomplaining spirit, however,

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and said little, though there were
times when both the day and evening

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seemed very long, and married life
not altogether the paradise she had expected.

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On this evening a memorable evening for
her, the twenty fourth of December eighteen

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ninety four, she had expected her
husband to remain with her, for it

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was not only Christmas Eve, but
the night when, as manager of a

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large manufacturing concern, he brought up
from New York the money with which to

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pay off the men. On the
next working day, and he never left

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her when there was any unusual amount
of money in the house. But from

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the first glimpse she had of him
coming up the road, she knew she

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was to be disappointed in this hope
and indignant. Alarmed almost at the prospect

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of a lonesome evening under these circumstances, She ran hastily down to the gate

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to meet him, crying, oh
Nette, you look so troubled. I

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know you have only come home for
hurried supper, but you cannot leave me

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to night. Kenny, their only
maid has gone for a holiday, and

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I never can stay in this house
alone with all that. She pointed to

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the small bag he carried, which, as she knew, was filled to

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bursting with banknotes. He certainly looked
troubled. It is hard to resist the

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entreaty in a young bright's uplifted face. But this time he could not help

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himself, and he said, I
am dreadful sorry, but I must ride

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over to Fairbanks to night. Mister
Pearson has given me an imperative order to

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conclude a matter of business there,
and it is very important that it should

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be done. I should lose my
position if I neglect this matter, and

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no one but housebroken soft for knows
that we keep the money in the house.

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I have always given hour that I
entrusted to Hale's safe overnight. But

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I cannot stand it, she persisted, you have never left me on these

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nights. That is why I let
Tenny go. I will spend the evening

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at the larches, or Petter still
call in. Mister and missus talkin to

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keep me company. But her husband
did not approve of her going out or

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of her having company. The largest
was too far away, and as for

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mister and Missus Talcott, they were
meddlesome people whom he had never liked.

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Besides, Missus Talcott was delicate,
and the night threatened storm. It seemed

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hard to subject her to this ordeal, and he showed that he thought so

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by his manner. But as circumstances
were, she would have to stay alone,

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and he only hoped she would be
brave and go to bed like a

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good girl and think nothing about the
money, which she would take care to

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put away in a very safe place, or said he kissing her downcast face.

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Perhaps you would rather hide it yourself. Women always have curious ideas about

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such things. Yes, let me
hide it she murmured, the money,

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I mean, not the bag.
Everyone knows the bag. I should never

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dare to leave it in that,
and begging him to unlock it, she

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began to empty it with a feverish
haste that rather alarmed him, for he

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surveyed her anxiously and shook his head
as if he dreaded the effects of dis

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excitement upon her. But as he
saw no way of averting it, he

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confined himself to using such soothing words
as were at his command, and then,

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humoring her weakness, helped her to
arrange the bills in the place she

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had chosen, and restuffing the bag
with old receipts till it acquired its former

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dimensions, he put a few bills
on top to make the whole look natural,

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and, laughing at her white face, relocked the bag and put the

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key back in his pocket. There
dear a notable scheme, and one nutured.

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Relieve your mind entirely, he cried. If anyone should attend burglary in

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my absence and should succeed in getting
into a as safely locked as this will

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be when I leave it, then
trust to their being satisfied when they see

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this booty which I shall hide.
Weear always hide it in the cupboard above

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my desk. And when will you
be back, she murmured, trembling in

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spite of herself at these preparations.
By one o'clock, if possible, certainly

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by two, and our neighbors go
to bitter tend, she murmured. But

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the words were low, and she
was glad he did not hear them,

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for if it was his duty to
obey the orders he had received, then

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it was her duty to meet the
position in which it left her as bravely

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as she could. At supper,
she was so natural that his face rapidly

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brightened, and it was with quite
an air of cheerfulness that he rose at

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last to lock up the house and
make such preparations as were necessary for his

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dismal ride over the mountains to Fairbanks. She had the supper dishes to wash

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up in Tinny's absence, and as
she was a busy little housewife, she

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found herself singing a snatch of a
song as she passed back and forth from

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dining room to kitchen. He heard
it, too, and smiled to himself

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as he bolted the windows on the
ground floor and examined the locks of the

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three lower doors, and when he
finally came into the kitchen with his great

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coat on to give her his final
kiss, he had but one parting injunction

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to urge, and that was that
she should lock the front door after him,

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and then forget the whole matter till
she heard his double knock at midnight.

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She smiled and held up her ingenious
face. Be careful of yourself,

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she murmured, I hate this dark
right for you, and on such a

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night too, and she ran with
him to the door to look out.

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It is certainly very dark, he
responded, but I am to have one

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of Brown's safest horses. Do not
worry about me. I shall do well

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enough, and so will you too, Or you are not the plucky little

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woman I have always thought you.
She laughed, but there was a choking

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sound in her voice that made him
look at her again. But at sight

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of his anxiety, she recovered herself, and, pointing to the clouds,

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said earnestly, it's going to snow. Be careful as you ride by the

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gorge. Ned it's very deceptive there
in a snow storm. But he vowed

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that it would not snow before morning, and given her one final embrace,

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he dashed down the path towards Brown's
livery stable. Oh what is the matter

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with me? She murmured to herself, as his steps died out in the

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distance. I never knew I was
such a coward, And she paused for

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a moment, looking up and down
the road, as if in spite of

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her husband's command. She had the
desperate idea of running away to some neighbor,

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but she was too loyal for that, and smothering as sight, she

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retreated into the house. As she
did so, the first flakes fell off

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the storm that was not to have
come till morning. It took her an

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hour to get to her kitchen in
order, and nine o'clock struck before she

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was ready to sit down. She
had been so busy she had not noticed

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how the wind had increased, or
how rapidly the snow was falling. But

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when she went to the front door
for another glance up and down the road,

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she started back, appalled at the
fierceness of the gale and at the

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great pile of snow that had already
accumulated on the doorstep. Too delicate to

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breast such a wind, She saw
herself robbed of her last hope of any

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companionship, and sighing heavily, she
she locked and bolted the door for the

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night and went back into her little
sitting room, where a great fire was

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burning. Here she sat down and
determined now that she must pass the evening

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alone, to do it as cheerfully
as possible, and so began to sew.

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Oh what a Christmas Eve, she
thought, and a picture of other

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homes rose before her eyes, homes
in which husband sat by wives, and

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brothers by sisters, And a great
wave of regret poured over her, and

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a longing for something she hardly dared
say it, what lest her unhappiness should

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acquire a sting that would leave traces
beyond the passing moment. The room in

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which she sat was the only one
on the ground floor except the dining room

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and kitchen. It was therefore used
both as parlor and sitting room, and

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held not only her peace but her
husband's desk. Communicating with it was the

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tiny dining room. Between the two, however, was an entry leading to

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a side entrance. A lamp was
in this entry, and she had left

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it burning, as well as the
one in the kitchen, that the house

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might look cheerful and as if all
the family were at home. She was

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looking toward this entry and wondering whether
it was the mist made by her tears

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that made it look so dismally dark
to her, when there came a faint

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sound from the door at its furthest
end. But no further sound came from

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that direction, and after a few
minutes of silent terror, she was allowing

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herself to believe that she had been
deceived by her fears, when she suddenly

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heard the same sound at the kitchen
door, followed by a muffled knock.

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Frightened, now in good earnest by
still alive to the fact that the intruder

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was as likely to be a friend
as a foe, she stepped to the

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door, and, with her hand
on the lock, stooped and asked boldly

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enough who was there. But she
received no answer, and, more affected

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by this unexpected silence than by the
knock she had heard, she recoiled father

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and father till not only the width
of the kitchen but the dining room also

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lay between her and the scene of
her alarm, When, to her utter

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confusion, the noise shifted again to
the side of the house, and the

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door, she thought so securely fastened, flung violently open, as if blown

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in by a fierce gust, and
she saw precipitated into the entry the burly

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figure of a man, covered with
snow and shaking with the violence of the

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storm that seemed at once to fill
the house. Her first thought was that

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it was her husband, come back. But before she could clear her eyes

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from the cloud of snow which had
entered with him, he had thrown off

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his outer covering, and she found
herself face to face with a man in

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whose powerful frame and cynical visage she
saw little to comfort her, and much

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to surprise and alarm. Boog was
his coarse and rather familiar greeting, A

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hard night, missus enough to drive
any man indoors. Pardon the liberty,

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but I couldn't wait for you to
lift the latch. The wind drove me

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right in. Was was not the
door locked, she feebly asked, thinking

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he must have staved it in with
his foot that looked only too well fitted

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for such a task. Not much, he chuckled. I suppose you to

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hospital for that, and his eyes
passed from her face to the comfortable fire

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light shining through the sea is it
refuge you want, she demanded, suppressing

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as much as possible all signs of
fear. Sure, missus, what else?

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A man can't live in a gale
like that, specially after a tramp

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of twenty miles or more? Shall
I shut the door for you? He

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asked, with a mixture of pravado
and good nature that frightened her more and

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more. I will shudder, she
replied, with half a notion of escaping

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the sinister stranger by a flight through
the night, But one glance into the

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swirling snowstorm deterred her, and,
making the best of the alarming situation,

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she closed the door, but did
not lock it, being more afraid now

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of what was inside the house than
of anything left to threaten her from without.

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The man, whose clothes were dripping
with water, watched her with a

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cynical smile, and then, without
any invitation, entered the dining room,

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crossed it, and moved toward the
kitchen fire. Uugh, uugh, but

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it's warm here, he cried,
his nostrils dilating with an animal like enjoyment

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that in itself was repugnant to her
womanly delicacies. Do you know, missus,

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I shall have to stay here all
night. Can't go out in that

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gale again. Not such a fool. Then, with a sly look at

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her trembling form and white face,
he insinulatingly added, all alone, missus.

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The sudden ness with which this was
put together, with the lead that

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accompanied it, made her start alone. Yes, but should she acknowledge it?

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Would it not be better to say
that her husband was upstairs? The

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man, evidently thought a struggle going
on in her mind for each other,

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buckle to himself and called out,
quite boldly, never mind, missus,

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it's all right. Just give me
a bit of cold meat and a cup

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of tea or something, and we'll
be very comfortable together. You're a slender

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slip of a woman to be minding
a house like this. I'll keep you

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company if you don't mind less twise
than til the storm lets up a bit,

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which ain't likely for some hours to
come. Rough night, missus,

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Rough night, I expect my husband
at home any time, she hastened to

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say, and, thinking she saw
a change in the man's countenance at this,

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she put on quite an air of
sudden satisfaction and bounded towards the front

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of the house. There, I
think I hear him now, she cried.

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Her motive was to gain time and, if possible, to obtain the

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opportunity of shifting the money from the
place where she had first put it into

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another and safer one. I want
to be able, she thought of,

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swearing, that I have no money
with me in this house. If I

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can only get it into my apron, I will drop it outside the door

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into the snow bank. It will
be as safe there as in the bank

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it came from. And dashing into
the sitting room, she made a feign

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of dragging down a shawl from a
screen while she secretly filled her skirt with

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the bills, which had been put
between some old pamphlets on the bookshelves.

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She could hear the man grumbling in
the kitchen, but he did not follow

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her front, and taken advantage of
the moment's respite from his non to encouraging

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presence, she unbarred the door and
cheerfully called out her husband's name. The

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ruse was successful. She was able
to fling the notes where the falling flakes

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would soon cover them from sight,
and, feeling more courageous now that the

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money was out of the house,
she went slowly back saying she had made

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a mistake and that it was the
wind she had heard. The man gave

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a gruff but knowing guff all,
and then resumed his watch over her,

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following her steps as she proceeded to
set him out a meal with a persistency

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that reminded her of a tiger just
on the point of springing. But the

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inviting looks of deviance with which she
was rapidly setting the table soon distracted his

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attention, and, allowing himself one
grunt of satisfaction, he drew up a

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chair and set himself down to what
to him was evidently a most savory repast.

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No beer, no ale, not
not a soliday. Don't keep a

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bar, he growled, as his
teeth closed on a huge hunk of bread.

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She shook her head, wishing she
had a little cold poison bottled up

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in a tight looking jog. Nothing
but tea, she smiled, astonished at

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her own ease of manner in the
presence of this alarming guest. Then let's

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have that, he grumbled, taking
the bow she handed him with an odd

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look that made her glad to retreat
to the other side of the room.

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Just listen to the howling wind,
he went on between the huge mouthfuls of

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bread and cheese with which he was
gorging himself. But we are very comfortable,

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00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:44,039
we two. We don't mind the
storm doom. We shocked by his

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00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:49,039
familiarity, and still more moved by
the look of mingled inquiry and curiosity with

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00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:55,359
which his eyes now began to wander
over the walls and cupboards. She took

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00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:59,400
an anxious step towards the side of
the house, looking toward her neighbors,

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00:18:59,759 --> 00:19:03,279
and lifting one of the shades,
which had all been religiously pulled down,

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She looked out a swirl of snowflakes
alone confronted her. She could neither see

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her neighbors, nor could she be
seen by them. A shout from her

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to them would not be heard.
She was as completely isolated as if the

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house stood in the center of a
desolated western plain. I have no trust

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00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:32,440
but in God, she murmured as
she came from the window, and nerved

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to meet her fate. She crossed
through the kitchen. It was now half

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past ten, two hours and a
half must elapse before her husband could possibly

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00:19:42,519 --> 00:19:49,720
arrive. She set her teeth at
the thought and walked resolutely into the room.

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Are you done, she asked,
I am, ma'am he do you

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00:20:00,319 --> 00:20:06,160
want me to wash the dishes?
I can, and I will, And

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he actually carried his plate and cup
to the sink, where he turned the

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water upon them with another loud guffaw. If only his fancy would take him

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into the pantry, she thought,
I could shut and lock the door upon

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him and hold him prisoner till ned
gets back. But his fancy ended its

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flight at the sink, and before
her hopes had fully subsided, he was

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00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:38,079
standing on the threshold of the sitting
room door. It's pretty here, he

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exclaimed, allowing his eye to rove
again over every hiding place within sight.

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I wonder now, he stopped.
His glance had fallen on the cupboard over

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her husband's desk. Well, she
asked, anxious to break the thread of

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his thought, which was only too
plainly mirrored in his eager countenance. He

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00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:11,440
started, dropped his eyes and turning, looked at her with a momentary fierceness.

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But as she did not let her
own glance well, but continued to

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look at him with what she meant
for a smile on her pale lips,

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he subdued this outward manifestation of passion, and chuckling to hide his embarrassment,

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began backing into the entry, leering
an evident enjoyment of the fears he caused

245
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:37,000
with what she felt was a most
horrible smile. Once in the hall,

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00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:44,920
he hesitated, however, for a
long time. Then he slowly went toward

247
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,039
the garment he had dropped on entering, and stooping, drew from underneath its

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fold a wicked looking stick, giving
a kick to the coat, which sent

249
00:21:56,079 --> 00:22:00,039
it into a remote corner. He
bestowed upon her another smile, and still

250
00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:08,119
carrying the stick, went slowly and
reluctantly away into the kitchen. Oh God,

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00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:15,599
Almighty help me, was her prayer. There was nothing for her to

252
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,720
do now but endure, so,
throwing herself into a chair, she tried

253
00:22:19,759 --> 00:22:26,000
to calm the beating of her heart
and summon up courage for the struggle which

254
00:22:26,039 --> 00:22:30,640
she felt was before her. That
he had come to rob and only waited

255
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,480
to take her off her guard.
She now felt, certain and rapidly running

256
00:22:34,519 --> 00:22:40,319
over in her mind all the expedients
of self defense possible to one in her

257
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situation. She suddenly remembered the pistol
which Ned kept in his desk. Oh,

258
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:51,599
Why had she not thought of it
before? Why had she let herself

259
00:22:51,599 --> 00:22:55,960
grow mad with terror, when here
within reach of her hand lay such a

260
00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,000
means of self defense? With a
feeling of joy. She had always hated

261
00:23:00,039 --> 00:23:06,079
pistols before, and scolded Ned when
he bought this one. She started to

262
00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:11,119
her feet and slid her hand into
the drawer, but it came back empty.

263
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Ned had taken the weapon away with
him for a moment, as search

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00:23:18,839 --> 00:23:22,559
of the bitterest feeling she had ever
experienced passed over her. Then she called

265
00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:26,519
reason to her aid, and was
obliged to acknowledge that the act was but

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00:23:26,759 --> 00:23:30,640
natural, and that from his standpoint, he was much more likely to need

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it than herself. But the disappointment
coming so soon after hope unnerved her,

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and she sank back in her chair, giving herself up for lust. How

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long she sat there with her eyes
on the door, through which she momentarily

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00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:55,559
expected her assailant to reappear, she
never knew. She was conscious only of

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a sort of apathy that made movement
difficult, and even breathing a task.

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00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,440
In vain, she tried to change
her thoughts. In vain, she tried

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to follow her husband in fancy over
the snow covered roads and into the gorge

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of the mountains. Imagination felt her, at this point do what she would.

275
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All was misty in her mind's eye, and she could not see that

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00:24:19,759 --> 00:24:26,240
wandering image. There was blankness between
his form and her, and no life

277
00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:33,240
or movement anywhere but here in the
scene of her terror. Her eyes were

278
00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:37,440
on a strip of rug that covered
the entry floor, and so strange was

279
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,880
the condition of her mind that she
found herself mechanically counting the tassels that finished

280
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:47,640
its edge, growing wroth over one
that was worn till she hated that sixth

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00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,400
tassel, and mentally determined that if
she ever outlived this night, she would

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strip them all off and be done
with them. The wind had lessened,

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00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,039
but the air had grow cooler,
and the snow made a sharp sound where

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00:25:03,079 --> 00:25:07,440
it struck the panes. She felt
it falling, though she had cut off

285
00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,680
all view of it. It seemed
to her that a paul was setting over

286
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:17,640
the world, and that she would
soon be smothered under its folds. Meanwhile,

287
00:25:17,759 --> 00:25:21,599
no sound came from the kitchen,
only the dreadful sense of a doom

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00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:26,720
creeping upon her, a sense that
grew in intensity till she found herself watching

289
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:30,000
for the shadow of that lifted stick
on the wall of the entry, and

290
00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:34,680
almost imagined she saw the tip of
it appearing, when without any premonition,

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00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:40,720
that fatal side door again blew in
and admitted another man of so threatening an

292
00:25:40,759 --> 00:25:45,359
aspect that she scumped instantly before him
and forgot all her former fears in this

293
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:53,200
new terror. The second intruder was
a Negro of powerful frame and glowering aspect,

294
00:25:53,599 --> 00:25:57,759
and as he came forward and stood
in the doorway, there was observable

295
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,079
in his fears and deustpered countenance now
attempt at the insinuation of the other,

296
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:08,759
only a fearful resolution that made her
feel like a puppet before him, and

297
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:18,160
drove her almost without violition to her
niece. Money is it money you want?

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00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,440
Was a desperate greeting. If so, here's my purse, and here

299
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:30,119
are my rings, and watch take
them and go. But the stolid wretch

300
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,680
did not even stretch out his hands. His eyes went behind her, and

301
00:26:34,759 --> 00:26:40,559
the mingled anxiety and resolve which he
displayed would have cowed a stouter heart and

302
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:48,119
that of this poor woman. Keep
the trash, he growled, I want

303
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:53,359
the company's money. You've got it
two thousand dollars. Show me where it

304
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,680
is, that's all, and I
want trouble you long after I close on

305
00:26:56,759 --> 00:27:03,400
it. But it's not in the
house, she cried, I swear it

306
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,759
is not in the house. Do
you think mister Shivers would leave me here

307
00:27:07,799 --> 00:27:15,839
alone with two thousand dollars to guard? But the negro, swearing that she

308
00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,680
light, leaped into the room,
and, tearing open the cupboard above her

309
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:23,079
husband's desk, seized the bag from
the corner where they had put it.

310
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,039
He brought it in this he muttered, and tried to force the bag open,

311
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,319
but finding this impossible, he took
out a heavy knife and cut a

312
00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:38,920
big hole in its side. Instantly, they fell out the pile of old

313
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,400
receipts with which they had stuffed it, And seeing these he stamped with rage

314
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,599
and flinging them in one great handful
at her rush to the drawers below,

315
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:57,160
empty at them, and finding nothing, attacked the bookcase. The money somewhere

316
00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:03,359
here. Fool me, he yelled. I saw the spot your eyes lit

317
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:07,759
on when I first came into the
room. Is it behind these books?

318
00:28:07,799 --> 00:28:12,039
He growled, pulling them out and
throwing them helter skelter over the floor.

319
00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:18,599
Women is smart in the hiding business? Is it behind these books? I

320
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:26,119
say they had been, or rather
had been placed between the books, But

321
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,000
she had taken them away, as
we know, And he soon began to

322
00:28:30,039 --> 00:28:33,160
realize that his search was bringing him
nothing. For leaving the bookcase, he

323
00:28:33,279 --> 00:28:37,599
gave the books one kick, and, seizing her by the arm, shook

324
00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:45,799
her with a murderous glare on his
strange and distorted features. Where's the money,

325
00:28:45,839 --> 00:28:52,680
he hissed, Tell me, or
you're a goner. He raised his

326
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,799
heavy fist. She crouched, and
all seemed over. Then with a rush

327
00:28:56,839 --> 00:29:00,880
and a cry, a figure dashed
between them, and he fell, struck

328
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,839
down by the very stick she had
so long been expecting to see fall upon

329
00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:10,599
her own head. The man who
had been her terror for hours had,

330
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:17,359
at the moment of need, acted
as her protector. She must have fainted,

331
00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,759
but if so, her unconscious was
but momentary, for when she again

332
00:29:21,839 --> 00:29:29,839
recognized her surroundings, she found the
tramp still standing over her adversary. I

333
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:33,440
hope you don't mind, ma'am,
he said, with an air of umbleness.

334
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:37,480
She certainly had not seen in him
before. But I think the man's

335
00:29:37,519 --> 00:29:45,799
dead, and he stirred with his
foot the heavy figure before him. Oh

336
00:29:45,839 --> 00:29:49,480
no, no, no, she
cried, that would be too fearful.

337
00:29:51,759 --> 00:29:57,799
He's shocked, stunned. You cannot
have killed him. But the tramp was

338
00:29:57,839 --> 00:30:03,640
persistent. I'm fraid I have,
he said. I'd done it before,

339
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,440
and it's been the same every time. But I couldn't see a man of

340
00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:14,119
that color frightening a lady like you. My supper was too warm in me,

341
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:21,680
ma'am. Shall I throw him outside
the house, yes, she said,

342
00:30:21,799 --> 00:30:25,720
and then no, let us first
be sure there is no life in

343
00:30:25,799 --> 00:30:30,960
him. And, hardly knowing what
she did, she stooped down and peered

344
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:37,640
into the glassy eyes of the prostrate
man. Suddenly she turned pale, No,

345
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:42,839
not pale, but ghastly, and
cowering back, shook so that the

346
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:48,839
tramp, into whose feature a certain
refinement had passed since he had acted as

347
00:30:48,839 --> 00:30:53,039
her protector, sought she had discovered
life in those set orbs, and was

348
00:30:53,079 --> 00:30:59,240
stooping down to make sure that this
was so when he saw her suddenly lean

349
00:30:59,359 --> 00:31:04,799
forward and impetuously plunging her hand into
the negro's throat, tear open the shirt

350
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:14,920
and give one look at his bare
breast. It was white. Oh God,

351
00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:18,920
oh God, she moaned, and
lifting the head in her two hands,

352
00:31:19,319 --> 00:31:25,759
she gave the motionless features a long
and searching look. Water. She

353
00:31:25,799 --> 00:31:32,880
cried, bring water, But before
the now obedient tramp could respond, she

354
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,720
had torn off the wooly wig,
disfiguring the dead man's head, and seeing

355
00:31:37,759 --> 00:31:41,319
the blonde curls beneath, had uttered
such a shriek that it rose above the

356
00:31:41,359 --> 00:31:48,519
gale and was heard by her distant
neighbors. It was the head and hair

357
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:56,319
of her husband. They found out
afterwards that he had contemplated this stuff for

358
00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:01,359
months, that each at every precaution
possibly to a successful issue, to this

359
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:07,960
most daring undertaking had been made use
of, and that but for the unexpected

360
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:12,279
presence in the house of the tramp, he would doubtless have not only extorted

361
00:32:12,279 --> 00:32:15,920
the money from his wife, but
have so covered up the deed by a

362
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:23,799
plausible alibi as to have retained her
confidence and that of his employers. Whether

363
00:32:23,839 --> 00:32:29,519
the tramp killed him out of sympathy
for the defenseless woman or enrage at being

364
00:32:29,559 --> 00:32:36,200
disappointed in his own plans has never
been determined. Missus Shivers herself thinks he

365
00:32:36,359 --> 00:32:43,759
was actuated by a rude sort of
gratitude, end of midnight in Beauchampbreaux