Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-02-17

dAntl&)1S fs#
AsKe came down the stairs with the
empty cup, he saw dark figure standing
in the dimly lighted hall. He stopped,
with . thrill Of terror: the man was
masked. He had heard of cases where,
desperate from hunger, the rebels had left
their hiding places, and gone into farm
houses, both to rob and murder. Whether
these stories were true or not, it is no
wonder that Tom drew back as the man
came close to him. But he only held out
a letter; and when Tom took it, disap.
peared. 1t was square, dirty paper, sealed,
with the mark Of q thumb upon the wax
Inside were these words:
"Let no one leauc this house tonight. On
pain Of death.
(Signed) "By order Of
"THE SHAN VAN VoGHT."
And underneath were scrawled these lines:
"For ould Ireland shall be ffee,
From the centre to the sea,
Says the Shan Van VOght."
What the Shan Van Voght might be,
Tom did not clearly know. A mysterious
power which the rebels obeyed, he had
heard, no matter what deed of wickedness
1t dictated to them. He sat down on the
stairs. They wilfcarry off all the stock,
and leave us tc starve,' he said desperate
". "They viii burn the house, and us,
like rats in Gr,'.' If it comes to that,
I'll tell mo = ebut not otherwise"
and he we VAthe great hall stove,
II crackle burn. "Tll not tell
mother" he,UG again: She has so
much to bearN Vie would take all this
terrible weig himself But his heart
thumped har ..,,;,h the sickness of fear,
under his lit sllHbuttony jacket, and his
knees shook. .He knew that only some
desperate urC ertaking would bring the
croppies her within mile of the village,
where a regiment of royal troops were
quartered; and for the same reason they
would come, if at all, in great numbers.
There was no resistance to be made.
What he could do, he did; locked and
barred the doors--the first time they had
ever been so maltreated in the memory of
man. The house was nearly vacant. The
crowd of retainers had dropped away, un-
til only two or three of the maids were
left, who were busted with his mother.
But lest some accident might occur to
tempt them from the house, Tom set
himself to kesO watch, patrolling the
long halls, do liinto the kitchen, then to
the parlor, a Jback again, the night long.
When Tod was man he kept guard
many night on the battle field, and felt
it was child'splfy compared to those slow,
creeping hours. which he tramped to
s sna hrs heart ns to p san sirr hs
tween his fail. ay1 mother and their
horde Of enemisrS: eils moonlight fell in
level beams her, and there across the long
stone hall; at ,aki end the fire smouldered
low in the stoAhe overhead he heard at
intervals his mo, ier's soft step in the sick
owls hoot, or ~ baying of the watch
dog at the moon That ceased presently.
Had they poison Liong
At that Toms se grew hot, and, taking
sudden heart, II hnrried boldly to the
front door andfLLsit open. The moon
was behind a tSnl Z, The court yard was
dark /; but close ffs ,e him he heard the
clang Of musb IN the stones, and, the
moment aftdg. >Nuick, sharp click. He
drew back afslit the door; but, climb
ing up, LOO ed through the transom.
When theT tie, chilly moonlight shone
out again .cr the fields, he saw that the
dark and masked figures which he had
seen oncS before stood sentries around
the house, vile large bodies of armed
men passes noiselessly as ghosts across
the slope Htween him and the woods.
The Shan Van Voght did their work
of murder (ifl, rider II was) in silence.
All nightf1h ing! He did not look out
again but he aever rested for moment.
Now he fancidl he heard stealthy steps
above or bekso,; now he was sure it was
the cracking 4 a fire kindled in one Of
the cellars unN erneath relieved OF one
fear, another "a greater followed con-
tinuaiiy. Ths deep Of the night had pass.
ed. The moe, had set, and the fire gone
out Tom creT up and down, TO and fro, his
limbs stiff with cold and damp, through the
pitchy darkness. A sickly light began to
struggle through the windows far off he
heard the cocks crow. The sound reached
HIM, poor Tom as in dream. He drag
ged himself to the door of his mothers
room, and heard her voice within, and his
fathers.
Morning had come, and they were safe!
He turned to go down and resume his
weary march but, on the way, the poor
little head reeled, the brave heart stopped
beating, and Tom lay stretched on the
cold stone floor, over which he had kept
his long vigils 30 well.
He was reused by warm cordial at his
lips, and the doctors breezy voice calling
him. 49,"
, "Go 2. new tom, boy' Good news !
SomebodyThad him in their arms. 1t
was Captain Duncan his mother, half
sobbing and half laughing, was kneellng
before him, cha6ng his icy feet, and hold
ing them TO her breast. But when Tom
tried feebly to rise, there was his father
Sitting up in the bed, his eyes bright, and
his cheeks full Of rudy color, as they had
not been for months.
you're safe, father T. Tom chung to his
hand.
'6afe, my boy r cried the doctor /; "The
crisis IL past, thanks TO God"
But Toms brain went back to the old
thought: "Whom did they murder?
Father, father, to call them Gods crea
tures!'' noll9.
No one spoke. But the captain led Tom
to the window, and threw 1t open. The
red flush Of the early day lay soft and
bright on the green slopes, and the dewy
woods, and glancing river; and there, as
far AZ the eye could zee, was the cut grain,
in long, even, golden heaps, shining in
the sun
Tom tried TO speak. but great lump in
4 = A. L. III u he.