Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1852-01-15

Ir.rt
: The little 6ends keen pinchino me with tonr.
.God help us, am no angel at ALL" said N
gir, rs she let the Priest out Of the sack; 81 on
look aSrer the Squire's geese, and like enouQl
! they are the little fsnds which have pinche
| your reverence a.fI
'sOh!p groaned the Priest, sthis is all tba
(. Master Thief's doing, Ahl my gold and m,
silver, and my fine clothes.'
, And he beat his sbreast, and hebbled home AZ
such a rate that the girl thought he had lost hi 5
wits all at once.
, Now when the Squire came to bear how Il ha,
gone with the Priest, and how he had been along
The narrow way, and into purgatory, he laughed
tIll he had well nigh split his sides. But wher
the Master Thief came and asked for his dal0h.
ter, ashe had promised, the Squire put him of
again, and sud-- ..r,
! you must do one masterpiece better still
that may see plainly what you are fit For, Now
| have twelve horses in my stable, and on them
viii put twelve grooms, one ON each. If YOU
are so good thief as 10 steal the horses from
under them III see what can do for you."
VERY well, dare say | can do it," said the
Master Thief; "but shall really have yonr
daughter if | can?''
"Yes, il YOU can, I'll do my best for you,"
said the Squire.
ID, Z N
bought brandy enough TO ill two pocket TASKS,
and into one Of them he put sleepy drink, but
into the other only brandy After thai he
hired eleven men TO lie in wait at night, behind
the SqnireS stable yard; and last of all, for fair
words and a good bit OF money he borrowed
ragged gown and cloak from an old woman; and
so with staff in his hand and bun lie al his
back he limped oil, as evening drew on, towards
the Squires stable. Just as he got there they
were watering the horses for the night, and had
their hands full of work.
'What the devil do you vantP" said,one of the
groons 10 the old woman.
"Oh, OIL hutetul it is bitter cold" said she,
and shivered and shook, and made wry faces.
"IIuteiu! il is so cold, poor wretch may easily
freeze 10 de,h;" and with that she fell to shiv-
ering and shaking again.
''Oh! for TIE love of Heaven, can get leave
to stay here awhile, and sit inside of the stable
doorY''
To tile devil with your ioase,'' said ONE.
Pack yourself off this minute, for il the Squire
sets his eye on You he'll lead us pretty
dance" -,
"Oh! the poor old of-bones, . said another,
who seemed 10 take pity on her, ''the old hag
may SIT inside and welcome; such one as she
can do no harm"
anu lIle rest Salu, some Sle SnOulu stay, anu n
some she shouldn't; but while they were quar- (
reling and minding the horses, she crept further |
and further into the stable, till, at last she sat (
he,c-lf down behind the door. when she had got |
50 t"' .'o "o ni.1glye any more heed TO her.
as t"I "S ~, scap, the men foundit rather
back. nj, .oIl ".
beat his arms crosswise. NN
hot 4 II 1lag
my teeth chatter"
"If only had quid to chew" said a
third
Well. there was one who had an ounce or two;
so they shared it between them, though it wasn't
much, after all, that each got and so they chewed
and spat, and spat and chewed. This helped
them somewhat but in little while they were
Just as bud ever.
"Hutetul said one, and shivered and shook.
"Huletu! said the old woman, and shivered
so, that every tooth in her head shattered. Then
she pulled out the flask with brandy in it, and
her hand shook so that the spirits spashed a.
bout in the flask, and then she took such gulf
that il went "pop" in her throat.
"What is that you've got in your flask, old
girl?" said one of the grooms.
"oh! it's only drop of brandy, old man."
said she.
"Brandy! Well, never Do let me havoa
drop" screamed the whole twelve, one after an
other
'Oh! but il is such little drop, numb ed the
old woman, lit will not even wei your mouths
round" Butthey must and would have il;
there wos no help for it; and so she pulled out
the flask with the sleeping drink in it; and put
il TO the first mans lips; then she shook no more,
but gudilel the flask so that each Of them got
,b,t h, faI o,,l fbo hoI
drinking before the first sat and snored. Then
the NJ ster Thief threw of his beggars rags,
AMI took one groom after the other softly off
their horses, AMI set them aslride on the beams
bet yeea the stalls; and so he called his elven
men, ami rode OF with the Squire's twelve
horses.
But when the Squire got mp In the morning
and went TO lock after his gr6oms, they had just
begun to come 10; and some of them fell to
spurring the beams with their spurs, till the
splin,ers flew again, and some fell off, and some
still hung on and sat there looking like Tools.
"Hu. hol" said the Squire; II see very well
who has been herei but as for you, pretty set
of bockheads you must be TO sit here and let the
Masler Thief steal the horses from between your
legs,
So they all got good leathering because they
had not kept sharper lookout.
Further on in the day came the Master Thief
again, AMI told how he hid m,uaged the m,tter,
and asked foe the Squires daughter, as he had
promised; but the Squire gave him one hundred
dollars down, anl said he must do something
lbetterstill
do you think now, said he, 'you can steal
the horse from under me while am out riding
on his back
II "oh yesi dare sgy | could" replied The
Mister Thief, "ir were really sure Of getting
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