The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-04-28

Soon afterwards they re-entered the
house. If they had desired TO speak witt
their father about their suspicious, they
had no chance, for the strangers sat clost
by him all the evening.
At length, however, the oil man signi
fed his intention of retiring, and lie arose
to go out of doors to see the state o.
affairs without The three men followed
him, but they did not take their weapons
The old lady was asleep in her chair.
"Now," whispered Philip, "let's take
two of fathers rifles up to our bed. We
may want 'em. We are are as good as
men with the rifle"
Daniel sprang to obey, and quickly as
possible the boys slipped two rifles from
their beckets behind the great stove chin
ney, and carried them up to their sleep
ing place, and then they fastened back
and emptied the printing from the stran-
GERS rifles and when their father 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 being the
old mans sleeping room, while the other
was the large living room in which the
company at present sat. Overhead there
was sort of scaffolding, reaching only
half way over the large room below it,
and in the opposite end of the building
from the little sleeping apartment of the
hunter. A rough ladder led up to the
scaffold, and ON it close to the gable end,
was the boys bed. There was no parti-
ton at the edge of this scaffolding, but it
was al open to the room below.
Spare bedding was spread upon the
floor of the kitchen for the three travellers,
and after all had been arranged for their
comfort the boys went up to their bed,
and the old man retired tc his little room.
The two boys thought not of sleep, OF
if they did, it was only to avoid it. Halt
an hour passed away, and they could
hear their father snore Then they heard
q movement from those below. Philip
crawled silently to where he could peep
down through 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 the moon, and moving towards the end
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 theil
attention, but when the man laid down,
the idea of poison flashed through Phil
ip's mind. He whispered his thoughts to
his brother. The first impulse of little
Daniel as he heard that his poor dogs
were to be poisoned, was to cry out, but
sudden pressure from the hand of his
brother kept him silent. n
AT the end of the boys bed there was
a dark Window small square door
and it was directly over the dog-house
Philip resolved to 60 down and save the
dogs. The undertaking was dangerous
one, for the least noise would arouse the
villians-the boys felt assured they were
villains-and then the conseq fences might
be fatal. But Philip Slater found himself
strong in heart, and he determined upon
the trial. His fathers life might be in
his hands! This thought was a tower Of
strength in itself.
Philip opened the window without
moving from his bed, and it swung upon
its leathern hinges without noise. Then
he drew off the sheet and tied one corner
of it to the staple by which the window
was hooked. The sheet was then lowered
on the outside, and carefully the brave
boy let himself out upon it. He enjoined
his brother not to move, and then he slid
noiselessly down. The hounds had Just
found the meat but they drew back al
their young masters beck, and Philip
gathered the flesh all up. He easily qui-
eted the faithful brltes, and then be
quickly tied the meat up in the sheet,
There was a light ladder near the dog
house, and setting this up against the
building, Philip made 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 thanked
God. He had performed an act, simple
as it might appear, at which many stout
hearts would have quailed. The dogs
growled as they wsnt back TO their ker-
mel, AMI if the strangers heard them, they
thought the poor animals were growing
over the repast they had found.