The Human Vampire; Or, The Elixir of Life — page 16: what you’re looking at

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16 THE LOG CABIN LIBRARY. Vacs No 81. ‘THANK GOD, SHE IS FREE.’’—Chap., viil. “Why, Lillian, yon are really too silly; excuse me for saying so. The woman is allright, you heard her say she hed plenty of friends. You have no sympathy with me, and I om sure I need it more,” Lillian opened her eyes. ‘“What do your troubles consist of?” she asked, with an amused smile. : ‘“There, you take no interest in any one except servants, and such people. Here I have an engagement to go out sailing with Doctor Salter’s. party this afternoon, and I shall have to stay home with the child who is so tiresome,” “Take hina with you.” “Now, Lillian, I really wonder at you. It is such bad form to drag achild around withone. No, I must give up the sail, and Iam so fond of yachting. Then to-morrow I intended to go out riding with that delightful Spaniard. Oh, dear, no one was ever so worried as I am,” Lillian smiled, she did not offer to take care of the boy, for he was a spoiled child, and selfish as his mother. She looked at her watch, and said quietly: ‘¢T am sorry you should be disappointed, but that is a small penalty to pay for the pleasure of having a child.” ‘‘Oh, of course you can preach a sermon,” said Mrs, Derwent spitefully, She played nurse that day, and to Master Clifford's surprise and indignation, he got a good whipping before night fell. That night something happened that aroused the interest of all Newport. Mr, and Mrs. Decker’s beautiful twin daughters were stolen from their home, , The nurses were nearly wild, the mother was ill from grief, the father hod gone to ee York to engage detectives and offer rewards for the return of his children, This was the news that startled all the fashionable throng as- sembled at the hotels and cottages, Several intimate. friends hastened to the villa at Bleak Point to offer advice and glean particulars. Mrs. Decker was only able to see one or two, but tho con- science stricken nurse, Mrs, Gordon, received the Indies and an: swered all their questions. ‘Last night,” said the nurse, ‘‘I was ill with sick headache and I went to my own room at ten o’clock. Mr. and Mrs. Decker were at the ball at the Grand Hotel. I left Prissy, the elder of the two assistant nurses, in the day nursery, with strict orders to remain there till I returned. “T intended to lie down for a couple of hours, and then go back to the day nursery, where I have been sleeping every night since we arrived here. I felt very ill and extremely drowsy —in fact, unnaturally so, which is accounted for to-day by the doctor, who says I was drugged. I did not awake till two o’clock this morning; my head was aching more violently than ever, in fact, I was really ill. I felt angry because Prissy had nof called me, IT knew it must be after midnight because the house was so still and the moon so high. : ‘'T hastened across the hall to the nursery and found to my surprise it was in total darkness. We always burned a light there all night. After searching about in the dark I found the match-safe. Ilooked at my watch before I even lit the lamp. It was ten minutes after two. There was no one in the nursery, and before I went to scold Prissy for her carelessness, I went to take a look at the children, They were both gone!” “And the girl Prissy?” ‘(Oh, Prissy says she came to my bedside and tried to rouse me, but could not do so. She then went out for half an hour, with some of the other servants, to look through the windows at the ball. When she came in there wag a light in the. nursery windows, and she took it for granted that [had awakened during her absence and gone to take charge as usual. To save herself the tronble of coming to see whether everything was right or not, and also, I suppose, to postpone the scolding she knew she deserved for leaving the nursery, she went to bed. ‘The servants’ rooms are in the back of the house and she went with the others up the back stairs to her room.” “ And the light she fancicd she saw in the nursery window?” “That was no faney; all the othar servants saw it, too," ‘Well, then, the thieves who stole the babies must have been in tho nursery at that very time.”’ “Yes, and if that girl had come up even then, we might have eaught them.” Tt was Lillian Vivian to whom the nurse was telling her story, ‘““Then this girl Prissy is the cause of the loss of the chil- dren?” ‘Yes: she is going to leave the house before Mr. Decker re- turns, for she says she is afraid he will shoot her.” “One could scarcely blame him, but I do not supposo sho thought the children were in any danger in their own home.” “No, I do not think she ever thought of anything worse than that one of them might wake aud feel frightened on account of the darkness.” “Why did she leave them in the dark?” ‘She has never handled lamps, and she was afraid to meddle with them. When I left her she was sitting by the open win- dow in the moonlight. My head ached so that I did not think of the lamp. “Well, it is very sad, What motive could any one have for stealing the little ones?” “The hope of a reward, I suppose, I should not like to be in their places if Mr. Decker catches them. He looked terrible when he went away.” “No wonder; it is frightful to think of those little children in the hands of any wretch who was wicked enough to steal them,” “T believe Mr. Decker suspects some one. Oh, how he talked when I told him they were gone!” “The robbers left no clew behind them, I suppose?” ‘Nothing of any consequence, I fear. When Mr. Decker left the house I found this.” «This ” was a curiously shaped match-box in the form of a clam shell. It was made of silver, and on one side it had a monogram engraved upon it—‘‘ Y. X. H.” ‘(This may be of great importance,” said Mrs, Vivian. ‘‘ But one thing more I should Jike toask. Do you suppose there is any possibility that the girl Prissy was an accomplice?” ‘WELL, MADGE, WE MEET AGAIN, AFTER ALU THESE YRARS, ”"—Ohap, xii. Eomicbooks.co