Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-04-21

At that moment, however, dull, grating
sound seemed suddenly to extinguish the rum
bling, and then all was perfectly still, and he
experienced the oppressive suffocating sensa
ton produced by total darkness uadisturbed |
by the slightest sound. He stepped more
slowly and cautiously, and, in spite of him
self and his strong common sense, felt vague |
and ridiculous fears creeping over him.
sound as of breathing seemed close to him,
though unseen, and in another instant some |
thing like an arm flung itself across Thomp- |
sons throat.
"Garrote, garrote ~ cried the strong min
ded man of business, for a moment taken off
his guard.
"What, sir Z"
"Whar, cabman. %
"Wel. I'm glad you've come up, sir :;
was beginning to get frightened like
"And where's your cab p
20, it's all right now-it's in the ditch ;
one wheel locked in the ice and mud; heard
it grind in.'
(Which ditch p
"Ah, that's what want to come at. I've
been propipg about on t'other side and now
I'm going to try this.
(which side is this side 2" asked Thomp-
son, and, as he spoke, he heard, by the brea-
thing, that cabby was moving off. He en-
deavored to catch hold of him, but he was
gone, and there was silence and stiffness
for some seconds, when the voice of eabby
was again calling out triumphantly,
..All right, oil right, sir here you are
all right -
mot quite" cried Thompson, struggling
to get out of the ditch into which he had wal
ked in his hasty endeavors to follow up the
| track of cabby-''not quite" he said. But
where are you:"
Here, s1r.''
where's that? 90
"Here."
II can't tell where .here' is"
"Well, sir, I'll drive towards you, and you
follow the sound of the wheels +"
But as Thompson advanced accordingly,
he thought the sound of the wheels, and cab
bv's voice too, grew fainter and fainter He
must have walked the wrong way after he
rot out of the ditch so, like a skilful tacti-
c;an he turned in the opposite direction i'm
mediately F.; and feeling that he was on the
crisp frozen turf by the side of the road,
where it was less slippery, he began to run
again. rejoicing that he was not encumbered
with his ereat-coat, and quite proud in the
midst ~ all drawbacks. IF the powers of nat
ural locomotiou which the stimulus of passing
events had shown him to be so unexpectedly
m.star of
He was maxine was famouslv in recovery
of lost ground, when suddenly what seemed
billock. rose into the air beneath his feet,
carving him with it, and projecting him
through the fog to considerable distance
, As he again reached the earth-giddy, be.
wildcred and stunned-he had an indistinc
: idea of hearing dull, rushing sound, as ht
afterwards said, in his forcible way, like &
charge of cavalry and then his senses anc
: consciousness abandoned him altogether, anc
e the great Thompson lay senseless and spraw
ling on the snow covered turf, where he re
: mained for term ofwhich. though not very
\ long, he never knew the exact duration.
t The explanation of the mystery is yer,
simple. He had trodden on an old cart
e horse that had been turned out to pick = lit
t tie of the long winter grass at the road-sid
: during the day, and to find a bed under shell
ter-of the hedge at night, The poor crea
It ture, in its fright at icing jumped upon du
:, ring its peaceful slumbers, had suddeni