The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-25

murderer, perhaps; perhaps I. r.vine
maniac; and Walter (he called him
Walter in his agitation) to think of
leaving! No! he would not allow it:
decidedly he would not. And Walter
did not need the prohibition to be
repeated. Then, seeing that Mr..
Butler was getting really i'll with fear
and nervousness, he offered, if it
would be any satisfaction to him, to
SIT up this coming night, and watch
for the intruder quietly-in his own
mind, unspoken to any one, he sus-
pected poor Banks, and made very
sure he should catch him-which
offer Smith Butler accepted unre-
servedly, adding half-surly COM
piment Oh his ''pluck, which
sounded more like Il sneer than a.
compliment. And so another day
passed with the former, in the lovers
almost unalloyed happiness, in
George Grey's unalloyed misery, and
in Smith Buffers as we'll, to bear his
company. The night came on. Still
the same heavy pelting rain, falling,
falling, like the endless pattering Of
beads; but there was no wind with
1T; 1t was a straight incessant down.
pour; the kind Of rain which dulls all
sound, both because OF the humidity
of the air, and the hard unending
patter of the drops. When they had
all gone up to their respective rooms
Walter went quietly down stairs
again taking loaded revolver with
him, to satisfy Smith Butler, though
he laughed heartily at the precaution.
For some time he sat by the dying
embers of the fire, till the last spark
of that too disappeared; and he was
Id the dead unlighted dark. But all
was still; not sound, not whisper,
save the FLASHING of the remorseless
ram and the loud ticking Of the
clocks. Gullystone vas large, old
fashioned house; and the servants
offices were quite distinct from the
dwelling part Of the family; and as
Walter was Watching to catch the
thief at the cellaret, he did not
watch for burglars, let noiselesslv in
at the kitchen door by barefooted
confederate concealed in the house.
No one sitting where lie was now, in
the dlnlng-room, with the door shut,
could possibly have heard the slight
rustic that was made as the three
men passed in, then crcpt up the
kitchen stairs i'll their listed Shoes,
noiselessly, stealthily, one by one.
Suddenly was heard Smith Buffers
volce-frst one wild piercing shrek,
waking the dead echoes of the night
with horrible force; then rough
voice as Ii muttering an oath, and
the muideG sound of mans strug-
gle. Walter dashed up the stairs,
the revolver in his hand; and in less
time than it takes to write stood in
Smith Buffers room, face to face
with. four armed men. Two were
ransacking the already boxes
were broken open, wardrobes, and
safes, and drawers, all rifed, while |
many valuables were flung in a heap
on the floor; q third held the poor
old man by the throat; while the
fourth was just slipping across the
passage to where Walters room door
stood a little ajar. What followed
was the deadly struggle of men for
life. -Four against one were heavy
odds; but Walter was brave, with
the bravery of blood and training.
which always go further than the bad
courage Of desperate crime He shot
down one man levelling a pistol at
his head-it was but the turn Of a
hair whose shot was first; another he
stunned with the life-prcserver he
wrcnched from his own hand, but
the remaining two were pressing
hard upon him, and one had already
wounded him severely with his
knife, when Banks appeared, in the
scared way of footmen rudely awak-
ened. and snatching up Walters re-
volvcr, which had been knocked out
of his hand by one of the men now
upon him, fired. 1t might have been
in the air; it might have becleat Mr..
Butler, or at Walter, or at himself,
for all he knew; he fired blindly, in
stinctivcly. and by chance; but, by
good providence, lie happened to hit
one OF the two remaining burglars,
and brought him to the ground with
broken leg. And now the other,
seeing that the game WAS up, lcapcd
down the stairs and dashed out into
the darkness of the night, leaving
bis three companions wounded and
bleeding on the floor BY this time,
too, Walter had tainted; and by this
time Carry, reused by tie shots, had
rl;shed into the room, calling her