Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-07-24


But hark Aha-there was before one
lingering fear in my mind that might
snoot the wrong man but il was gone
now. AS the fellow stopped the motion
OF the paddle, : distinctly heard him NUT
ter: aeS e' .s54i' ssifl
:" Ohio. my dear sheeps you little dream.
ed that Gus Karl was your companion:
But he'll do. you good turn. If 1your
friend Is dead you shall follow him, and
In take youF:trsaps 81 pay for fSSl. your pas
i think these wTefs The very words
AT any rate they are the idtfft. AS he
thus spoke noisele lessly drew Dire ID ID the paddle.
and then rose to his feet. T saw him
rech'oYer' hiseIe shoul r. atid When he
brought his, thand ebSek ne s:haasd d huge
bowie kKifsi init. .sdi eould Seq etffe blade
CLEAN nin the pals mo6nli gh [, and 4 saw
Karl run his thumb along the edg ge,s and
then feel Che pointW Ny heart Beat fear!
fully and my brea athing was hard. II
was the utmost exsftion' that.I could con!
tinue my snoring, but I Enanaged to do
it 'withoutinterruptibn.: Slowly and noise.
lessly the foul wretch approached me
Oh! his step would not have awakened
hound--and his long cleaning knife
was raised. could hear his breathing
plainly. and l could hear the grating Of
his teeth as he neryed himself for the
stroke.
The villain was by my side, and he
measured the distance from his hand to
my heart with his eye. In his left hand
he held thick handkerchief all wadded
up. That was to stop my mouth with.
Every nerve in my body was now strung,
and my heart stood still as death. OF
course my snoring ceased and at that
instant huge knife was raised above my
bosom Quick as thought-I brought my
pistol up-the muzzle was within foot
of the robbers heart-he uttered quick
cry-1 saw the bright blade quiver in the
moonlight but it came not upon me.
pulled the trigger, and the last fear was
past. had thought that tho weapon
might miss fire, but it did not. There
was sharp report. and as sprang up
and back heard fierce yell. and at the
same moment the robber fell forward, his
head striking my knee as it came down.
Weak and faint 1 sank back, but sud-
den tippling of the canoe brought me to
my senses, and went aft and took the
paddle. AS soon as the boats head was
once more right. turned my eyes upon
the form in the bottom of the canoe, saw
it quiver-only spasmodic movement
and then all was still. -
All that night sat there at my watch
and steered my little bark, had my Sc
cond pistol for knew not surely that the
wretch was dead. He might be waiting
to catch me off my guard and then shoot
me. But the night passed slowly and
drearily away, and when the morning
broke the form had not moved. Then |
stepped forward and found that Gustus
Karl was dead He had fallen with his
knife true to its aim. for it struck very
near to the spot where my heart must
have been, and the point was driven SO
80 far into the solid wood that had hard
work to pull it out, and harder to unclasp
the marble fingers that there were closed
with the dying madness about the han
die.
Swiftly flowed the tide, and ere The sun
again sunk to rest had reached Logans.
port. The authorities know the face OF
Gustus Karl at once, and when I told
them my story, they poured out thou.
sand thanks upon my head. A purse
was raised, and the offered reward put
with it and rendered to me. took the
simple reward from the generous citi.
zens, while the remainder I directed
should be distributed among those who
suffered most from the Wabash robbers
depredations.
found poor Kemp sick and miserable.
He was burning with fever, and the doc.
tors had shut him up in room where a
well man must have soon sutfocated.
"Water Water In Gods name
give me water !" -, -,
Haven't you had any ?" asked, -, ~
he told me no. Threw open the, YIp,
dows, sent for pail of water and was "a
on the point of administering It, when Tie
old doctor came. 10. - He held up. bis
hands in horror, and told me Il would kin
the man, But l forced him back. and
Kemp drunk the graceful beverage he
drunk deeply and then Slept. I TIE, per- y
siptatton poured frJn him like Rain. and
when Tie awoke again his Skin was moist,
and his fever turned. In eight days from
that time he sat in his saddle by my side,
and together we started for. Little River.
Al Walton Settlement I I'f0uhd my horse
fully recovered, and whed I offered to pay
for his keeping the Eost would take no.
thing. The story Of my adventure on the
river had reached there ahead Of me, and
this was the landlords gratitude.
LOOKING Gu1ITT.-Nothing can be more
absurd than the idea of "looktDg guilty