HELEN’S ADVENTURE.

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 8, 25 September 1906, Page 7

HELEN’S ADVENTURE.

BY LYDIA E. WEBB.

"I am sorry, Helen," said Mrs. Atworthy to her daughter, "that you are going out this evening. Your father is away, and my head aches so badly that I feel I cannot sit up and wait your return." "I wouldn't go, mamma, but it is

Cousin Tom's last evening in the city ; then I am so anxious to see Julia Arthur in ‘More than Queen’." "I will sit up for you, sister," said her brother, a manly boy of about fifteen.

‘‘No, dear," replied his sister, "please do not wait for me, anyone. Just let the gas burn in the hali and if mamma will let Gracie sleep with her, while Burt takes my room. I will go up to brother's room without disturbing anyone." Helen went to the theatre, but when there it started to snow. After the play was over she and her cousin hurried to the cars, hastening home as quickly as possible. Then, bidding Cousin Tom a hasty goodbye, she stole quietly into the house, turned out the light, and. without the least disturbance, went upstair to the third floor.

She noticed several coats and hat* on the hall rack in passing, but intent on other things, did not give them a thought, congratulating herself on reaching her room so noiselessly.

Helen had to fumble about for some time for a match.

"Burt certainly is a careless boy, why can’t he leave the matches where they belong ?" she exclaimed.

Finally she found one, and lit the gas. To her surprise and consternation she was in a strange room, while a man rose up in bed calling : "Who's there ! Murder ! Thieves ! My revolver !"

Quick as a flash Helen turned ou the light and rushed from the room. Frightened nearly to death, the girl ran behind the first thing that presented itself—the pertieres hanging before a door in the hall. Clinging close to them, more dead than alive she heard footsteps passing tc and fro and people talking in an excited way.

"I saw a figure in a long clcak, standing in froat of tho dressingcase. I believe, too, it was a woman ; anyhow, it sounded like the swish of a woman's dress. Hero, now, is tho handkerchief ; rather a dainty affair for a housebreaker." Helen felt tempted to show hersel but tho thought that they might fire before she could explain, deterred. She wondered why they had not looked behind the curtains, but the space was so narrow that they had not thought cf looking there. It seemed hours before they gave up searching, and went to their rooms. Womanlike, tho poor girl suffered everything, ncr life, as it were, seemed to pass in review ; all her misdeeds, things long forgotten stared at her, making her tremble from head to foot. Oh, if she were only safo at heme ! She felt as if she could not hold out much longer, but at last the house grew quiet. Helen peeped from her biding place, and feeling indeed liko a i!iief ; crept silently down the hall to the door, and finally gained tho street, not knowing the direction to take alon in tho middle of the night. Running to tho corner, she discovered by the Rign on the lamp-post she was one block from home. By some mistake they had come uptown on the wrong car line, a line that took her farther from her home. «t»d they had turned up tho wrong street. She was never able to tell exactly how she ran thAt block in the blinding snow nor how she made her mother hear her at the door. All she could remember, was hor mother holding her in her arras, while she sobbed out hor adventure.

Next day she was too weak ewd exhausted to leave her roctn. And it was many a day before cho got over tho fright of her nocturnal visit.

That afternoon her brother brought home the evening "Sister, listen to this," be said, cud read : " 'Last night Mr. C of Paul-street, in his room cn the th?rj floor, was awakened by a stranirc noise. He saw someone in tho net f .f lighting the gas, and imrac-diAre'y gave the alarm, but in the Jaiknes i the burglar escaped. Mr. C and his brothers searched the he use They found the kitchen and pantry ransacked. The pantry window w*s open, while in the dining-room th? silver had been packed, ready to be carried off. One of the number is supposed to have been a woman. The supposition is, the thieves thought no one was in the heuse. The woman had started to plunder the rooms when the discovery was made.' "Well, sister, what do you think of that ?" he asked.

"Oh, Burt !" she cried, as she raised herself upon her elbow in bed. "It is too dreadful. To think there really were thieves in that house, and I to be classed among them !" And she lay there musing there for a while. Finally she exclaimed : "Those people, if they but knew it, may ewe all to mo for saving their silver ; but I shall not be the one to tell them. It is a very good thing I was not discovered last night."-