Show I'llK 1’EiilP o' DAT— A LlTEKAltT MADaZJE —— - — r r ' —" depended a rusty gun or two a sword so verdl bags hanks of oni- -' A Stony 01' A ROADSIDE 1XN ons cooking utensils etc There were very feiv signs that the house The diligence from Paris to Chawas much visited though a pile of lons stopped one evening just af- empty wine bottles lay in a corner ter dark soiile miles beyond the The landlady sat at some distance set down to of little town ltouvray from the fireplace with her two axi English lady and her child at a sons who laid their heads together lonely roadside auberge Mrs Mar-- ’ and talked in whispeas find reaa carriage tin expected to Mrs Martin began to feel uneady to take Her to the Chateau do sy The idea entered her mind Senart a distance of some leagues that she had fallen into a resort of whither she was repairing on a robbers and the words “ (Test die ” visit but wag told that it had not ( it is she) — which was all she heard yet arrived The landlady a tall of the whispered conversation cong woman who showed tributed to alarm her The door her into the vast hall that served leading into the road was left ajar and kitchen at once as sitting-roofelt an inobserved that the roads were so! and for a moment she clination to start up and escape on difficult that and at night muddy foot But she was far from any there was little chance of her friend other habitation and if the peo“You the before morning arriving ple of the house really entertained had better therefore” she said any evil designs her attempt would “make up your mind to sleep here only precipitate a catastrophe So We have a good room to offer you she resolved on patience but lisand you will be much more com’fortable betweed a pair of clean’ tened attentively fo the approach of her friends All she heard howwarm sheets tlutn knocking about was the whistling of the wind ever in our rough country especially as and the dashing of the rain which seems child dear sickly” your to fall just after her arhad begun faMrs Martin though much rival ' hesitated her journey tigued by About two hours passed in this A good night’s rest was certainly uncomfortable wa’j' At length the hi tempting prospect but she felt door was thrust open and a man bo confident that her friends would dripping wet came in She breathhot neglect her that after a moed more freely for this ment she replied : “ I thank you might frustrate the evil designs of inadahie I will sit up for an' hour her hosts if they entertained any br so— it is not late and the carrid jovial-face- d He was a all Should after come age may and man her with inspired looking it not I shall be glad of your confidence by the frankness and loom which you may prepare for ease of his manners file at any rate’ anxi-bu“A fine night for walking!” s The hostess who seemed cried he 'shaking himself like a that her guest should not in? the great room suggested dog who has scrambled out of a pond “What have you to give that a fire might be made above but Mrs 'Martin found herself so me ? Sajut messieurs el mesdames I am wet to the skin Hope I disfcoriifortable where she was — a pile turb nobody Give me a bottle of bf faggots was blazing on the vast wine” hearth— that she declined at first ' The hostess in a surley sleepy ttf move Her daughter about five told her eldest son to serve tone in of went soon age years the gentleman and then addrefs-Mr- s her lap and she herself found that Martin said : whilst her ears were anxiously lis“You see your friends will no‘t tening for the roll of carriage and you are keeping us up wheel? her eyes occasionally clos- Come ed and slumber began to make its to no purpose You had better go to bed” insidious approaches In order tti prevent herself from “I will wait a little longer” was the reply which elicited a kind of giving way’ she endeavored to direct her attention to the objects shrug of contempt d man finished off around her- - The apartment was The his bottle of wine and the said : vast and lighted more by the glare “ Show me a robin good woman of the fire than by the dirty can— I shall sleep here dle stuck into a dirty tin candleMrs Martin: thought that as he stick that stood on one of the long tables Two or three Inigo beamy pronounced "these words ho cast stretched across half way up the a protecting glance towards hei and she felt less repugnance at the walls leaving a space filled with idea of passing the night in that fitting shadows above Prom these A TRAVELER’S ' TALE ' coarse-lookin- new-com- ' red-haire- When therefore tho rodhaired man after a polite how went up stairs she said that as hor friends had not arrived they might house as well show her to a “ I thought it would come to that at last said the landlady “ Pierre take the lady’s trunks np stairs” In a few minutes Mrs Martin' found herself alone in a spacious room with a large fire burning on the hearth Her first care after putting the child' to bed was to ex- ' amine the door It closed only by There was no bolt insidcl a latch She looked round for something to barricade it with and perceived a Fear heavy chest of drawers bed-roo- m She half lifted' gave her strength half pushed it against tlie door Not content with this she seized a table to increase her defence The leg was broken and1 when 'ah touched it it fell with a crash the ground A long echo went sounding through tho house and heart sink within her died away‘ and no one came so she piled the fragments of the table upon the’ chest she felt her But the' echo of drawers Tolerably satisfied in this direction she proceeded to ex amine the windows They verc all well protected with iron bars The walls were papered andi after careful examination sefemed to Jonr j' tain no signs of a secret door inAirs Martin' now sank down to a chair to reflect on hor position As was natural after having taken all these precautions the ide suggested itself that they might be superflous and she smiled at tho thought of what her friends' 'Voidd say when she related to terrors of the night Tier child was sleeping tranquilly Ins rosy cheeks The firo half buried in the pillow had blazed up into a bright flame whilst the unsnuffed candle burned" dimly The room was full of palo trembling shadows but she had no superstitious feaVs Something positive could alone liaise her She listened attentively alarms hut could hear nothing save tho howling of the wind over the roof and the pattering of the ravii against As her excitethe window-panement diminished the fatigue — which had been for a time forgotten— began again to make itself felt and she resolved to undress and go to bed Her heart leaped into her throat For a moment she seemed perfectly paralysed She Tad undressed and put out the candle when she accidentally drojped her watch Stooping to pick it up her eyes in- -' vohmtarilvv glanced towards the s' t f |