The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-08-25

40 one cOuiQ nave enCereu aIter lai
down, as 1 am light sleeper. and th
door was too we'll secured to be opene
without noise. I therefore felt SUI
that they had been under the bed befor
l commenced working, and, having fal
en- asleep, been awakened by the bolster
Gus laughter which had dispelled my ow
dream.
What was to do? 1 feared the me
ment | set foot on the floor should
siezed, and what could Ia little fellow
almost naked, o+a=nasd-do against onr
for perhaps more, duubtfess prepares
for struggle?
| Oddly enough, the remembrance o
my dream gave me courage. 1 had load
ed pistols in the room, and once out o
bed, should be able to seize them iu
moment. I resolved to leap out and Sc
cure the weapons before lighting the ga
since I, being. as I presumed, better ac
quainted with the arrangement of tn
furniture, might manage in the dark t,
elude my antagonist. These thoughfi
occupied but lew seconds. In as many
more, the pistols were in my hand anc
the gas lighted. The intruder did MOI
venture to appear, and the delay gave
me courage. L boldly commanded thai
individual to advance and take the
chance of bullet. Something imme-
diately began to move, and | soon saw
the cause of my alarm. What was it,
think you? You cannot guess. I will
tell you it was woman see you
are all beginning to laugh; and sup
pose you think there is some long story
in the case; and that damsel, beauti
| full as a Houri, or .heroine-which is
all the same-whom had wooed only
to betray, bad concealed herself tn re
to reproach me with broken vows, etc.
All wrong. The deuce bit of ro
nance is there in the whole aff,ir Had
you seen the course, sulien, ill-favored
dingy plaid shawl, you would not sus-
pect such a thing, especially as you have
seen specimen of my taste il theshape-
of lady.who bears my name.
After all, the scene;was droll enough.
There stood l, shivering in my night.
habiIiments, pistol in hand, ready to in.
terrogate my visitor. She looked cary.
ing knives in return but not seeming
iu the least shocked at my scaDty gar
meu;s, though evidently desirous of turn
ing her back both on them aud on the
wearer. On lnnking, | thought her fea-
lures seemed familiar, and recoileeted
she had lived as servant in the house
but my landlady suspecting her or dis
honesty, discharged her shortly after my
arrival.
was aboutTo question her, but thitfks
ing it advisable TO have a witness,
commanded her to remain where she was,
aud insured her obedience by locking the
door. 1 reused the family, and as-l
was returning to my prisoner, heard
my bed room window hastily closed
"Ah !" thought L, "you are all right:
there for staying where you are; for he
wipdow is strongly barred" On being
idsee4r ogated, she said my Iandlady had
for hidden her coming into the house,
but being friendly with the other ser
want, she venturcd to visit ber.
Whilst talking in the kitchen, she-1
heard the mistress reproacbing, and fear
ing discovery, stole up stairs, crept in
to my room, and hid herself below the
bed. intending t. lelve the house when
all was quiet. My early entrance cut
off her escape, and she supposed she had
fallen asleep, as she remembered nothing
more till aroused by a loud fit of laugh
ter This emed plausible enough, aid
bu. for the sequel would have passed off
very we'll As-we were about to dismiss
her, with a caution not to repeat her
visit, the door bell rang, aud we found a
policeman waiting for admittaDce. He
stated that passing a short time before,
he observed one of the front windows
hastily opened Something was thrown
ont, and then it was as quickly shut
After short search, be found q very
large and sharp Spanish knife, which, be
was the article thrown from
the window He also observed two tel
lows of suspicious appearance, lettering
about the place, and discovered thcm TO
be father aud son-meu of bad character,
who got a good living-uobody knew
how. lie had warned them away, and re-
turned to see if anything were amiss III
the house.
On being informed of my visitor and
her tale, be expressed wish to see her,
and at once recognized her as the daugh-
ter of the elder, and sister to the young
er man he had dismissed.
Instead of liberating the woman, as
we thought OF doing, We deemed it
prudent to give her into custody. No
one present at her examination enter
tanned doubt that, during the short
time she was in Mrs. Wingate's house, /
after become an inmate of it, she had !
embarked the materials | had used, and |
that regular plan had been organized
to rob, aud perhaps murder me.
The other servant also deposed, on
oath, that her hiding in my room was
needless, as she had abundant time to
leave the house uuperceived, had she |
chosen aud that the visit to her PAID |
agaiust her will-she having no desire
to continue any acquaintance with per-
son more than suspected of dishonesty.
Still, We could charge her with nothing |
but the concealmeDt, and after being
against placing berself again
in such a situation, she was discharged.
The story was much talked about, aud
got well quizzed by many ladies of my
acquaintance hut after all, the thing
might have proved no joke to me. l
remained some months longer il. the
place, AMI before left heard many
accounts of threats which the woman's
male relatives had uttered against me,
for casting suspicion OH Innocent (?) peo-
pie. l had probably Injured their busi
ness for fancy after what had occur
red, few parties would be willing to em
ploy any noctural visitor iu their houses.
Three years elapsed from the date of
my adventure, aud had almost forgot
ten it, when business again called me to
the same town. At first only thought
of remaining few days; but finding I