Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1864-12-07

"So you shall shoot, old fellow, erie
Tom Needham, $50 you shall and yOr
needn't cool your fingers either. Yol
leave this old rat-trap tomorrow, don
youT"
eyes"
Very good. Then wen give you
landlady proof Of our solid regard
Here he took piece ofcoal from
the hearth as he spoke" I'll chalk ou
the old lady on this closet door. Loac
the pistols-it's about twelve PAGES from
the other side of the room-and we'll pu
more balls into the old feminine, thar
she puts pepper corns into her mock tur
tle-sOup" .-E vTEE 81
A general yell ofapproval greeted thi'
novel proposition, amid which Tom pro
ceeded to sketch what he called remark
ably correct portrait of the mistress oi
the house and Harry Pierce set to work
to load the pistols. When Harry had
finished, he claimed the first shot for his
pains; which Tom claimed for the same
reason, insisting that as he had set up the
windmill he ought to tilt at it. A mock
alteration followed, which was finally
settled by a-toss up, which Harry won.
He grasped the pistols accordingly, and
fred.
A noise of something followed. The
conclusion had disturbed the body, which
in falling had struck side shelf, and
overturned some books. We all started.
Needham however, did not notice it, and
presented his pistol fred again, but en-
tirely too low, exclaiming when he saw
the result-"There's a ball in her lady
ships calf, by Jupiter !''
Harry turned to me as white as ashes,
and said: "Did you hear anything 2"
a did" replied, the ball from your
pistol, and be hanged to you, has upset
some Of my books, I suppose"
"Oh, my God exclaimed Harry, I
have a terrible presentment. Suppose
my brother should have hid himself in
the closet" Aud he sank down on the
chair as he spoke. We gathered round
him; and Tom Needham burst into fit
of laughter.
Upon my soul, said he, "you are
worse than the bakers daughter" Here
he cried in asqueakiDg tone. "IfIwere
to be married, and were to have little
baby, and it we're to come in here and
get into the oven and be burned to death
Then resuming his na
turaI tone he exclaimed: "You are the
most ridiculous fools, the whole of you, 1
ever saw. Have you any brandy in your
den q? I must have little to revive me,
after this scene. You'd better give Har-
ry some. Lord knows he needs it p
My heart throbbed with strange de-
light. The web of my difficulties was
being rapidly unraveled-my escape was
almost certain but what if they discover
the fracture? walked boldly forward
to the closet, and placing my hands on
the catch knob said: In order to dis
your doubts, I'll open the mystery"
As I spoke 1 threw the doer wide open.
Mine was an affected shout, but not SO
that of the rest. 1 shall never forget the
wild shrek of dispair which left the bo-
som of Harry Pierce, as ha knelt forward
and raised the body Of his brother, nor
the terrible tones of that hoarse whisper,
in which he said-"Tm a Cain-God
forgive my folly and then he sank into
the arms of Tom Needham.
My companions examined the body
The ball of Harry had evidently gone
through his heart. The absence of blood
was at once accounted for by inward
bleeding; and as we were examining the
body, we heard the shrill voice of our
hostess lady outside, scolding because we
we're firing pistols and shrieeing in our
room.
A debate now ensued in regard to the
disposal Of the dead body. knew that
the blow on the head would be discover
ed, if the things was divulged and at
once suggested that we had better bury
the body secretly. told them that it
could be packed in the long box which
lay there; and that one of us could meet
the conveyance out of town and take it
to some out of the way spot, where I
would assist to bury the body. In the
Needham could purchase a
coffin, and other necessary materials as
though to send it off to the country and
at night we could bury it. ... =
Harry Pierce made no opposition, he
was incapable of anything. The plan
was carried out as 1 suggested; and each
parted. The rest were convinced, and
are still, that brother had been the un-
willing murderer of a brother. Harry
Pierce died last year in madhouse, and
I am here, twenty years after, with grey
hairs on my head, and an unclouded
to tell you the tale.
THE URBANA UNION, $500 a year.