Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-02-08

"Well, master, as he had me still by the
scruff O the neck, couldn't do no other ways
but open my mouth and drink it. And as soon
as | took a swallow my breath came back and
my speech;
money or your life you mean, l hain't it about
me! Deed clare to the Lord o-mighty l
haint it's wrapped up in an old cotton glove
in hole in the pastering in the chimney cor
ner at home, and ef you'll spare my life, you
can go there and get it, says |. )"
"'YOu old blockhead,' says they, we want
neither one nor t'other Come along quietly,
and you shall receive no harm. But at the
first cry or attempt to escape this shall stop
you! And with that the villain held the miz.
zle of pistol so nigh to my nose that smelt
birthstone, while t'other one bound a silk hand
kerchief round my eyes, and then took poor
Molly's bride and led her along. couldn't
see, in course, and dissint breathe for fear O.
the pistol. But said my prayers to myself
all the time.
"Well, master, they led the mule on down
the path, until we coined to place wide enough
to turn, when they turned us round and led
us back outen the wood, and then round and
round, and up and down, and cross ways and
length ways, as eff they didn't want me to find
where they were taking me-"
swell, sir, when they'd walk about in this
fused way, leadin' of the mule about mile,
l knew we was in the woods again-the very
same woods and the very same path-I know
ed by the feel of the place and the sound of
the bushes, as we hit up against them each
side, and also by the rumbling of the Spout as
it tumbled along towards the Punch Bowl
We went down and down, and down, lower,
and lower, and lower, until we got down in the
bottom of that hollow"
H'Tben w ct0DDnd A 10 woe onaoad
Iput up my hand to raise the handkerchief
and see where | was but, just at that minute,
felt the mizzle O. the pistle like a ring of ice
right again my right temple, and the villain
growled into my ear
"1f you do-r"
"But didn't dropped my hand down as
if had been shot, and afore l had seen any,
thing, either. So we went through the gate,
and up a gravelly walk-I knew it by the
cracking of the gravel under Molly's feet-and
stopped at horseback, where one o. them
williams lifted me off. 1put up my hand again.
edo, if you dare, says t'other one, with the
mizzle O the pistol at my head.
81 dropped my hand like lead. So they led
me on little way, and then up some steps 1
counted them to myself as went along. They
were six. You see, master, l took all this
pains to know the house again. Then they
opened door that opened in the middle.
Ihey then went along passage and up more
stalrs-there was ten and a turn, and then ten
more. Then along another passage, and up
another fight of stairs, just like the first. Then
along another passage, and up a third flight of
stairs. They was alike.
swell, sir, here we was at the top o. the
house. One O. them villains opened door on
the left side, and t'other said
There! go in and do your dutyp and
pushed me through the door, and shut and
locked it on me. Good gracious, sir! how
scared was l slipped off the silk handker-
cher, and, feared as | was, l didn't forget to
put it in my bosom.
'"Then looked about me. Right afore me
on the hearth was little weny taper burning,
that showed l was in great big garnet, with
sloping walls. At one end two deep dormer
windows, and a black walnut bureau standing
between them. AT t'other end a great tester
bedstead, with dark curtains. There was a
dark carpet on the floor And, with all, there
were so many dark objects, and so many shad-
ows, and the little taper burned SO dimly that
l could hardly tell tother from which, or keep
from breaking my nose against things as l
CROPPED about.
And what was | in this room for to do? /
couldn't even form an idee But presently my
blood ran cold to hear groan from behind the
curtains-then another-and another-then a
cry as of child in mortal agony saying:
For the love of Heaven, save mel
i ran to the bed and dropped the curtains,
and liked to have tainted at what l saw
And what did you see?" asked the magis-