Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1856-07-11

tive, sHill yon letm ask you few cues
tions, and se free with you2'
BE free with me? With all my heart
love freedom above all things; I'm ready
to die for freedom; expect to. So be az
free as you please. What is ita'
sTheu, sir, permit me to ask what is your
occupation in life? in tine of peace,
mesu.'
sYou talk like tax gatherer,' replied
Allen, squinting diabolically at him. 'What
is my occupation in life? Why, in my
younger days. | studied divinity, but at
present am conjurer by profession
Hereupon everybody laughed, as well al
the manner as at the words, and the net
tied farmer retorted.
s0onjurer, eh? Well you conjurcd wrong
that time you were taken
sNot so wrong, though, as you British
did, that time l took Ticonderoga my
friend
At this juncture the servant came IN with
bowl of punch, which bis master badc him
give to tue captive.
NO, give it to me, sir, with your own
hands, and pledge me as gentleman to a
gentleman
Il cannot pledge state prisoner, Colonel
Allen, but l will hand you the punch with
my own hand, since you insist upon it.
Spoken and done like true gentleman;
am to you.'
Then receiving the punch into his mana
cled hands, the iron ringing against the
chain, he put the Row, to his lips, saying, i
hereby give the British nation credit for half
minutes good usage and at enc draught
emptied it to the bottom.
'The rebel gulps it down like swilling
bog at the trough here scoffed lusty pri-
yrte of the guard of duty.
Shame on you,' cried the giver of the
bowl.
sNay, sir, his red coat is blush to him,
as it is to the whole British army. Then
looking derisigelv at the private, you o5-
ject to my way of taking things, do you?--
| fear | shall never be able to please you.
You objected to the way, too, in which |
took Ticonderoga, and the way meant to
take Montreal. Selah but pray, now !
look at you, are you net the hero ! caught
dodgiug around ID his shirt, in the cattle
pen inside the fort? 1t was the break Of
day, remember
Come, Yankee, here swore the incensed
private, 'cease this, or I'll tan your old
fawn skin for ye with the fat of this sword
FOR specimen laying it lashwise but not
heavily across the captive's back.
Turning, like tiger, the giant, catching
the steel between his teeth, wrenehed it from
the priyatc's grasp, and striking it with his
manacles, sent it spinning like jugglcr's
dagger into the air, saying, 'lay your dirty
towards iron on tied gentleman agsin.
and these lifting bis handcufed fists, shall
be the beetle of mortality to you
The now furious soldier would have struck
him with all his force, but several men of
the town interposing, reminded him that it
was outrageous to attack chained cap
tive.
'Ah,' said Allen, 4 am accustomed 10
that, and therefore | am beforehand with
you; and the extremity of what / say
against Britain is not meant for you, kind
friends, but for my msulters present and to
Gomez
Then recognizing among the interposers
the givcr of the bowl, he turned with cor
teous bow. saying, THANK you again and
again, my good sir; you may not be the
worse for it; ours is an unstable world, SO
that one gentleman never knows when il
may be his turn to be helped of another
The soldier still making riot and the
commotion growing general, superior of
ficer stepped up, who determined the scene
by removing the prisoner to the cell, dis
missing the townspeoplc, with all strangers,
Israel among the rest, and closing the castle
after them.