Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-12-28

stove chimney, and carried them up to
their sleeping place, and then they has
tened back and emptied the printing from
the strangers rifles, and when their IA
ther and the strangers returned they had
resumed their seats.
The hunters cabin was divided into
two apartments on the ground floor, one
of them. in the end of the building. be-
ing the old mans sleeping room. while
the other was the large living room, in
which the company at present sat
Overhead there was a sort of scafolding
reaching only half way over the large
room below it. and in the opposite end of
the building from the little sleeping apart
ment ofthe hunter. A rough ladder led
up to the scaffold. and on it, close up to
the gable end, was the boys bed
There was no partition at the edge of
this scaffolding. but it was all open to the
room below.
Spare bedding was spread upon the
floor of the kitchen for the three travellers.
and after everything had been arranged
for their comfort. the boys went up to
their bed. and the old man retired to his
little room.
The two boys thought not Of sleep. or
if they did. il was only to avoid it. Half
an hour passed away. and they could hear
their father snore. Then they heard a
movement from those below. Philip
crawled silently to where he could peep
down through a crack, and he saw one of
the men opening his pack. from which he
took several large pieces of raw meat
The man examined the meat by the rays
Of ba moon opH tn,var,ls Tho a,,1
window. he showed the. sash back, and
threw the pieces of flesh out to the dogs
Then he went back to his bed and laid
down.
At first the boy thought this might be
thrown to the dogs only to attract their
attention. but when the man laid down.
the idea of poison flashed through Philips
mind. He whispered his thons shts to his
brother. The first impulse of little Dan
iel. as he heard that his poor dogs were
to be poisoned was to cry out. but sud
den pressure from the hand of his brother
kept him silent.
At the head of the boys bed there
was dark winIow-a small square door
and it was directly over the dog house
Philip resolved to so down and save the
dogs. The undertaking was danger
GUS one; for the least noise would arouse
the viiltin<-the boy felt assured they
were villains the Consequences then
mi ;h; he f;ttti. BIt Pi:h,p Slater found
himself stron, in heart, ami he determin-
ed upon the trial His fathers life might
De in his hands. THIS thou ;ht was tow
er of strength in itself.
Philip opened the win low withOu! mo-
I'M fro 1, It, I So,
leatheTn i.inSrS Kith,st noise. Then he
dr"S oil the sheet and tied one corner of
1t u the staple in which the window was
hooked, The sheet was then lowered on
the outside. and carefully the brave boy
let himself out upon It. He enjoned his
brother not 10 move. and then he slid
npiselessly down. The hounds had Just
found the meat. but they drew back at
their young ms>tcr's beck. and Philip ga
thered the tlesh all up. He easily quoted
the faithful brutes. and then he quickly
tied the meat up in the sheet. There WAS
u light ladder standing near the dog house.
AMI setting this up against the building.
Pnlp male his way back to his little loft
and when once safely there he pulled the
Sheet in after him.
The strangers had not been aroused.
and with beating heart the boy thank
ed God. He haG performed an act, sim
pie AS it might appear, at which many
stout hearts would have quailed. The
dogs growled as they went back to their
kennel, and ii the strangers heard them
they thought the poor animals, were
growing over the repaSt they had found.
Al length the hounds ceased their noise
and all was quiet. An hour rpassed away
and SO did another. 1t must have been
nearly midnight when The men moved
again. Philip saw the rays OF candle
flash up through the cracks of the floor
on which stood his bed. lie would have
moved to the crack where he could peep
down, but at that mo.nent he heard a
man upon the ladder. He uttered quick
whisper to his brother, and then lay per-
factly still The man came to the top OF
the ladder and held his light up 50 that
he could look upon the boys. The iei-
low seemed To be satisfied that they were
asleep, for be- soon returned to the ground
floor, and then Philip crept To his crack.
He saw the men takinf knives from their
packs; and he heard them whispering:
"We'n kill the old man an woman
first" said one of them. and then we'll
hunt up the money. If those little bra1s
up there. he pointed to the scatfolding.)
wake up. we can easily take care of
them
But we must kill 'em ALL" said ano-
ther OF the villains.
.Yes," returned the first speaker. "but
the old ones first. five touch the young
ones first they make noise and start the
old ones.
"Down the ladder-outstde quick /"
he whispered, to his brother Down,
and start up the dogs. Run for the front
door and throw it open-it isn't fastened.
n I.,Lo dor- 49,, tba t,,nss. ,,S ,,uicL.