The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-05-21
EBENsBURG, Pa, THURSDAY, MAY 2l, 1855.

Ahu DeSan TO dress myself as speed
lily as possible, listening the while to the
storm raging madder and wilder than at
any other period since its commencement.
Ben demonstrated with me in vain
AT last he also began to huddIe on his
clothes. eff you have gone mad must
go with you and take care of you," he
said.
"But fancy another man going in
storm like this to the cross roads because
nightmare advised him to do SO, and
what would think of him p
said nothing. Al! could have an
swered would have been:
''I am compelled to go-I must go. I
dare not refuse, whatever may be thought
of me-"
In ten minutes we were splashing thro
the mud and rain along the road. 1t was
perfectly dark now and then a blazing
| red star in the distance told US that lamp
was cleaning through the rain in some
cottage window, but otherwise we would
not have been conscious of our proximity
to any habitation whatever. At last
nearing the spot where the road from
s. crosses the road from P, we
were indeed in as solitary place as could
be imagined.
The house which abutted on the very
angle of the roads, called in familiar par
lance the Cross Roads, was the only one
for some distance in either direction, and
| certainly on such night we were not
| likely to meet many travellers.
All was silent as the grave. We stood
ct In
in one of his widest laughs.
"Well," he said, show now? Will
| you 60 home and have another night
/ mare 20
But hardly had the words escaped his
lips when a shrek broke on the air, and a
woman's voice, plainly coming from the
interior of the cottage, cried:
Help! help! heIp!"
''Ber," said I, GIVE are wanted at the
cross roads, and then, understanding each
! other, without more words we made our
way to a window, through which light
/ shone, A muslin curtain. draped the
1 panes, but through it we saw an awful
/ sight.
An old man lay upon the floor, and
( over him bent a ruffian, clutching his
/ throat, and holding a pistol to his ear,
while another man grasped shrieking
( girl by the arm-a girl in flowing night
/ dress-with such long golden hair as be-
! longed to the woman of my vision
Not a moment was to be wasted
Ben flung his weight against the slender
lattice and crushed it in, and we had Crap
pied the ruffians before they knew whence
the attack came, or hsw many foes were
! upon them,
do not intend to describe the struggle:
| indeed could not, if | would. But we
were strong men, and inspired by the cries
of the helpless old man and the terrified
/ girl, we soon had one of the Williams
bound, and the other lying PROSTATE on
the floor.
Then Ben started for assistance, and
before morning both were in Jail, Ben adj
mlttiDg, as we shook each other by the
hand that we were Ewanted at the cross
| roads,
The old man was not a miser, but ht
had saved some few thousands for his old
age, and living more plainly than he neet
have done, had given rise to the rumor
and SO brought the burglars to the cross
roads in the hope of booty.
The girl, beautiful creature of seven
teen, was his granddaughter, and as nj
story is acceptable TO the lady reader with
out flavor of romance, l will tell then
that she became in after years, not my
wife, but the wife of my darling brothe,
Ben.