The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-09-18

mill door to ease her overexcited spirit
and she wept, as she sat, at the thought c
her happy deiiverance.
. "Thank God - she calculated than
: God for this escape. Oh, the deadly vii
4 liam land | SO fond of him, too y
) A shrll whistle from the grated windoy
, of the chamber in which she had shut tn
ruffian Heinrich. caught her ear, and mad
her start at once TO her feet.
; "Diether! Diether p she heard hin
t shout. "catch the child aud come hither
am fast. Bring the boy here, and Kill
the girl !"
She glanced hastily up at the casemen,
from which the imprisoned villains hand
beckoned to some one in the distance, and
then looked anxiously after her infant ennis.
sary. The little messenger held on his
way unbarmed, however; and she thought
to herself that the alarm was false one,
raised to excite her fear. and overcome her
resolution.
just, however, as the child reached a
hollow spot in the next 6eld-the channel
of a natural drain. then dry with the heats
of summer--she another ruffian starting
from the bed of the drain, and, catching
the child in his arms, hasten toward the
mill, in accordance with the directions of
his accomplice. In moment she perceiv-
ed her danger, and in moment more she
formed her future plan Of proceeding. Re-
treating into the mill, she puble locked and
bolted the door--the only apparent entrance
o the edifice, every other means of obvious
access to the interior being barred by means
of strong iron gratings fixed at all the win
1ows-and then took her post at an upper
easement, determined to await patiently
,ither her masters return and her conse.
luent delivery from that dangerous position
,r her own death, if it were inevitable
Never she said to herself, "never
shall l leave my masters house prey to
such villains, or permit his property to be
carried off before my eyes. by them, while
have life and strength to defend it,
She had barely time to secure herself
within when the ruffian without. holding
the hapless child in one hand, and long,
sharp knife in the other, ,assailed the door
with kicks and curses, and imprecations of
the most dreadful character.
"Confound thee" he cried, applying the
foulest epithets of which the free-speaking
reutonic languages are SO copious. "open
the door. or I'll break it in on thee ~
IL you can, you may" was all the no
ble girl replied. &c ID is greater than you,
and in Him | put my trust"
'.Cut the brat's throat!'' roared the i'm
prisoned ruffisn above; "that will bring
her to reason
Stout hearted poor Hannchen was, she
qualed At this cruel suggestion. For mo-
ment her resolution wavered but it was
only for moment She saw her own death /
was certain if she admitted the assailant.
and she knew that her master would be
robbed. She had no reason to hope that
the life of the infant would be spared by
her compliance. 1t was to risk all against
nothing. Like determined girl, she conse
quently held fast to her resolve to abide as
she was while life remained, or until assis-
tance should reach her.
"An' We open not the door," shouted the
villain from without, accompanying his
words with the vilest abuse and the fiercest
iimprecations, I'll hack this whelp's limbs
to pieces with my knife. and then burn the
mill over your bead: Twill be a merry
blaze. l trow."
Il put my trust in God.'' replied the
daun,less girl. "Never shall ye set your
foot within these walls while have life to
prevent We I"
The ruffian laid the infant for moment
on the sward. as he sought for combustibles
| wherewith to execute his latter threat, In
this search he espied perhaps the only en-
!; trance to the building 1t was large ap-
erture communicating with the great wheel
and the machinery of the mill, and was
point entirely unprotected, for the reason
that the simple occupants had never suppo-
sed it feasible for any one to see admission
through such a dangerous inlet.
Elated with his discovery, the ruffian re-
turned to the infant, and, tying the hands
and feet Of the child, threw it on the ground
even as butcher will fling a lamb destined
for slaughter, to avail. his time for Staying.
He then stole back to the aperture, bv which |
he hoped to effect an entrance. All this
was unseen by the dauntless girl within
In the meanwhile her mind was busted with |
a thousand cogitations. She clearly per-
ceived that no means would be left untried
to effect an entrance, and she knew tina. on
the exclusion OF her foe depended her own
existence. A thought struck her.
"It was Sunday" she said to herself !;
" the mill never works on the Sabbath !;
suppose sc, the mill agoing now? 1t can
be seen afar off; and hsply my master, or
some Of his neighbors, wondering at the
sight, may haste hilher TO know the cause
A lucky thought" she exclamimed i; :. It's
God sent it to me y
No sooner said than done. Being all her
life accustomed to mill gear, it was but the /
work of moment for her to set the ma
Chluery IN motion. "A OllSk OfeeZc Wntcn /
sprang up. as it were by special interposi |
tion of Providence, at once set the sails fly- /
ing. The arms of the huge esgine whirl- !
ed round with great rapidity the great i
wheel slowly revolved on its axle; the !
sma aler gear turned. and creaked. and groan-
cd. according as they came into action-ths |
mill was in full operation.
/, was at that very instant that the ruff |
fan Dleiher had succeeded 10 squeezing
, himself through the aperture in the wall, /
and getting safely lodged in the interior of
the great drum wheel. His dismay. how
ever, was indescribable when he began to
be whirled about with its rotation, and found /
that his efforts TO put stop to the power
full machinery which was set in motion, or
to extricste himself from his perilous situa- /
ton, were fruitless. His cries were most /
appalling; his shrieks were truly fearful !; /
his curses and imprecatious were horrible TO
hesr. Hsnnchen hassened to the spot. and