Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-04-15

SOlHe one III tue mouse UT OUTSIDE.
So again lit the lamp, but we search
ed in vain
Nightmare said Ben, when I told
him my story.
Ben said I, what is there at the
cross roods.'
"A house. said Ben. He had lived in
the neighborhood long while, and I not
long.
'One little house beside two oak trees
and a fence. An old man lives there-a
rich man, and bit of miser, they say.
His granddaughter keeps house for him.
Ben, that fellow may have meant
harm to them. I may be wanted at the
cross roads So
Brother said Ben, go to sleep. You
had nightmare and Ben plunged in
between the blankets, and was snoring
again.
| also, in ten minutes, slept as soundly
as before, but the awakening soon came
again.
Iopened my eyes to see girl standing
at the foot of my bed. A girl in white
robes, with golden hair all about her
shoulders, who wrung her hands and
cried: oh wake up, you are wanted at
the cross roads
This time I started out of bed, bathed
in a cold perspiration. I trembled like a
leaf. I had no doubt that l had received
supernatural warning.
Ben I cried, Ben, for the third time
| have been told that | am wanted at the
cross roads, and I am going"
And I began to dress myself as speed
lily as possible, listening the while to the
storm raging wilder than at any other pc
Rod since its commencement
Ben demonstrated with me in vain. =
At last he began to huddle on his clothes.
If you have gone mad I must go along
and take care of you,' he said.
But fancy another man going out in a
storm like this to the cross roads, because
a nightmare caused him to do so, and
what would you think of him?'
| said nothing All | could have an
swered would have been:
I am compelled to go; 1 must 60. I
dare not refuse, whatever may be thought
of me-
In ten minutes We were splashing
through the mud and rain along the road
1t was perfectly dark; now and then a
blazed red star in the distance told us
that lamp was beaming through the rain
in some cottage window, but otherwise we
would not have been conscious of our prox-
unity to any habitation whatever. At
last, nearing the spot where the road
from s. crosses the road to P,
we were indeed in as solitarya place as
can 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 quiet as the grave. We stood
quite still. In a moment Ben broke out
in one of his loudest laughs
WELL he said how now? VIII you
60 home now, and have another night
mare?
But hardly had the words escaped his
lips, when shrek broke on the air, and
woman's voice, plainly coming from the
interior Of the cottage, cried:
Help help help!
'Ben,' said I, we're wanted at the cross
roads, and then, understanding each 9TH
err, without more words we made our way
to window through which light shone
A muslin curtain draped the panes, but
through it we saw an awful sight.
An old man lay on the floor. and over
him bent rufian, clutching his throat
and holding pistol to his car, while an
other man grasped the shrieking girl by
the arm-a girl in flowing night dress
with such long golden hair as belonged
to the girl Of my vision. Not moment
was to be wasted. Ben flung his weight
against the slender lattice and crushed it
in, and we had grappled the rufians be-
fore they knew where the attack came from
or how many foes were upon them
[ do not intend to describe the strug-
gle indeed, I could not, if I would But
we were strong men, and inspired by the
cries of the helpless old man, the villains
were soon bound and lay PROSTATE on the
floor
Then Ben started for assistance, and be-
fore morning both were lodged in jail
Ben admitted as we shook each other by
the hand, that we were wanted at the
cross roads.
The old man was not miser, but
he had saved few thousand dollars for