An Oregon Girl: A Tale of American Life in the New WestRice, Alfred Ernest
General
An Oregon Girl: A Tale of American Life in the New West
Rice, Alfred Ernest
Oregon -- Fiction; Western stories; Women pioneers -- Fiction
Arriving at a considerable elevation, to where a clump of brush
concealed him from the view of those below, he paused and took a hasty
glance around. The sweep of the slope was too clear and unobstructed
for any possibility of escape to the woods that covered the hill a
couple of hundred yards distant, without him being seen. His
determination was daring and instant.
He would enter "Rosemont house," seek a hiding place, secure some sort
of disguise, and in the night effect his escape.
Following the depression he soon appeared on a level with the house.
Taking advantage of such cover as was afforded by shrubbery and
hedges, and cowering close to earth, he quickly traversed the space
that had separated him from the house. Throwing himself prostrate
among some ivy that grew in thick profusion along the basement of the
south side as a protection from the Winter rain, he lay there
effectually concealed and listened with tense nerves for sounds of
pursuit.
The silence was unbroken save for the spasmodic whirr of a lawn mower
on a distant part of the grounds. Having recovered his wind, he looked
up. Above him was an open window, but screened. If he could enter by
that window he might gain the loft without discovery, and once there
he felt satisfied that a good hiding place could be found. The front
entrance would be easier, but the risk of being seen crossing the
piazza was too great. He decided to try the window. Arising from his
concealment, and refreshed by his short rest, enthusiasm bounded
through his veins.
"I will get away yet," he muttered between his clenched teeth. "I saw
the women following Harris down to the shore and the house must be
deserted by all save the servants, and they are likely in the
kitchen."
Another swift glance at the window, and mentally estimating its height
from the ground, he felt certain that an entrance through it was
practicable. There was no time to be lost.
The "water table" afforded a footing, and by the aid of an iron
trellis erected to support a climbing vine, he reached the window.
There an obstacle was encountered. He tried to raise the screen, but
it would not budge. In his exasperation he nearly tore his finger
nails off trying to raise it from the bottom. Realizing that he was
becoming excited he at once forced a calmness which he deemed highly
essential, if he was to succeed. Every moment, too, was fraught with
danger of discovery.
Pushing his hand against one side of the screen edgewise in an attempt
to loosen it, the thing suddenly fell in. The thick carpet smothered
the noise. He had unwittingly pressed against the edge that inclosed
the springs, and in so doing released the other edge of the screen
from the groove. Noiselessly he sprang inside. It was the library. He
turned and cautiously scanned the hillside. No persons were in sight.
Then he quietly replaced the screen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account