Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-11-04

first thought was to feel for the bag Of gold
which was still safely suspended from my
neck. crawled out of the pit, and pushed
forward on chance more slowly this time,
though, and cautiously, for the terror of those
vile holes was strong upon me now. But
grew weaker every moment, and vague and
siekly alarm seized me. Suppose / should
swoon upon that moor-my head was giddy
and my limbs unsteady already what dread
ful death under the fast-falling snow awaited
me?
At this horrible thought, cold sweat
suffused my whole body and my parched
tongue Glove to my palate; to my last hour
shall not forget the horror of that picture of
death which rose before my minds eve that
night. The pain of my arm grew more excess
sive every moments it hung by my side like
leaden weight. But, strange to say, even
with the grim terror of death before me, a
wild desire began to creep over me to lie
down upon the snow and rest. Had | done
50, no doubt, the last sleep would have fol-
lowed. But luckily just then a faint glimmcr
of light caught my eye, and with the eager
ness OF awakened hope / hurried toward 1t.
In few minutes found myself at the open
door of a wretched cabin, on the hearth of
which a wood fire was burning.
"'Halloo was the greeting / received
from a rough yoice-'who the - are YOU,
and what dye want here such a night as
this :"
''The wood which burned on the hearth
was fresh and damp, and filed the cabin with
smoke as well as with a pungent odor. 1t
took some little time to discover, in the far
corner from which the voice proceeded the
figure of man large, gaunt and broad shout
dered, raggedly clad, with dark seowling
face, and bullet-head, covered with coarse,
black, matted hair.
g l hurriedly explained to this person my
mis-adventure. He rose and pushed towards
me the stool on which ne had been seated.
80 Sit you down, man, he said some what
less roughly YOU look weak, and broken
arm is no trihe. Though what do for
you, hang me if | know. But what errand
took you out upon the moor such a night as
thIs?'
81 was going from Longley on important
business, 10 Farmer Carston's.'
80 From Longley to old Carstonsl' he ex-
claimed. Whew Why, man, you chose a
very roundabout way to get to your journeys
end
- Roundabout What do you mean?' 1
asked
81 mean that Carston's is nearly in the
opposite direction vas his answer. And
you have been steadily walking away from it
for the last half hour at least"
land how far am | from it now p
60 Some four good miles at least
. Here was a discovery; but what was to
to be done | asked the man to guide me to
Carston's, and offered to pay him we'll
80 Not for all the money they say old Cars
ton has in the bank he answered, would
attempt TO so over the moor tonight. Why,
man, the snow is falling so thick you couldn't
see yard be fore you 1t would be as much
upon that moor outside, before now on such a
night as this
"AIl this time the pain OF my arm was
growing more intolerable, and help of any
kind was impossible there. What was | to
do Stay in this wretched place till morning
and endure my agony till daylight should
bring chance Of aid ? There was no alterna-
tive.
''AI you can do said the man, is to keep
whore YOU tonight: and be thankful that
you have the shelter of even these miserable
walls on such a night os this. 1t will be well,
even if this Internal snow storm does not
bury the cabin itself before morning. If you
want anything TO eat, you can have crust of
bread-that's all we have-and in that room
inside YOU may lie down on the straw till
morning comes. But you DO look horribly
beaten up; here Sally, up with you, lass, and
get Us the black one
Z" turned TO the other corner, beside the
fire to which these words were addressed
and now beheld, for the first time, a young
woman sitting beside a child that lay asleep
upon the ground. | turned, and found her
eyes fixed upon me with a strange, eager
glare. She was miserabIy clad, and looked
sickly and thin, yet her face showed the trace
Of much personal beauty. She was delicate
fair every feature was beautifully moulded
and her long, dsheveled hair, of a golden
tingc, actually glistcned in the blaze Of FIRE.
But what struck me most about her was the
hungry, wolfish glare of her eyes, so unnatu-
rally iarge-fastened as it was upon me, that
wild, eager look made my heart sick with
vague feeling of dread and dislike.
" The woman did not speak but she went
to a large chest At the other end of the room
almost the only article of furniture in the
place, cNccpta riCketv deal table and Il couple
Of stools, and took frcm il large black bot
tie and broken cup.
F." Come said the man, taking the cup and
the bottle, and pouring some of the contents
of the one into the other, you did not expect
perhaps, to see anything like this in a shep-
herds hut the moor. No matter; it came
to Us some way. Try 1.-THE brandy is good
and you could not take better physic tonight
. Most gratefully did | seize the cup and
drink Oft the contents and never was cordial
more welcome. The blood came coursing
warmly through my shivering frame again,
and for while | even forgot the excessive
pam OF my broken arm. Declining the bread
which the man offered, | drew nearer TO the
TIRE. I took the pistol from my breast pocket
and laid 1t on the ground beside me; and as
| stopped to do this, the bag of gold struck
against the stool with musical clink of the
coins within.
a" The next moment, when raised my head,
| found the terrible eyes OF the woman fas-
tened upon me with glare more hungry and
wolhsh than before. | was startled, and (aI-
most mechanically thrust the bag into my
breast. She turned away, nuttering some
thing about my bed, and went into the other
room of the cabin. In the meantime the man
sat down at the other side o. the fire where
the child was sleeping, and Che had taken
some OF the brandy, and was less rough and
more communicative now) began TO talk about
the snow storm, the probable loss of sheep it
would cause, and the similar visitation of for
mer years.
In about quarter of an hour, the woman
came to the door of the other room and called
him 10 her He went: and, for several min
utcs after, | heard them couyersing in low
eager tones. Their words | could not catch
but the woman seemed to be vehementiv
urging something upon her companion, while
his answers were brief and hcsitating-
Gradually the voices grew confused drow-
Sy feeling crept over me-and I remembered
no more. Whether one minute or an hour
had r14S-p1 | know M IVf