Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-02-11
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE SHAN VAN VOGHT.-A TRUE
81. STORY.
BY REBEccA HARDING DAVIS.
CHAPTER l.

CHAPTER 1.
IT was just outside of Mr.. Kelsoe's own
farm gate that he and Tom met Mr.
Knapp. The clergyman had been riding
hard, Tom noticed, and looked scared and
excited; so Tom promptly pushed his
shaggy pony between his fathers horse
and the hedge to hear all that was going
on.
"The rebels are here, and in force, Mr.
Kelsoe; there can be no doubt about it.
Jarvey saw with his own eyes last night
large bodies of men, masked, crossing the
road yonder. They are secreted in your
woods. Your own servants are no doub!
in league with them"
"That can't be, father" cried Tom, an.
grily
Mr.. Kelsoe put his hand gently on
Toms shoulder.
"There is no trusting any of them"
Mr.. Knapp went on excitedly. "The Sc
cret league includes every Milesian Irish.
man. Your foster BROTHER, or the old
nurse in your chimney corner, may be
pledged to poison you, or to stab you in
your bed"
Mr.. Kelsoe shook his head. al think j
know these people better than you," he
said mildly.
"What did they do last week in Done
gal? In. Sligo? Plundered every loyal
lists house Of arms-then burned and
killed as they went. And our district is
unprotected by single soldier | tell
you, Mr.. Kelsoe, there's murder in the
air Look to your house tonight"
He rode away hurriedly, and Mr.. Kelsoe
and Tom logged on leisurely. Tom
looked down uneasily through the dark
ening evening, at the stretch of black
l,1 1Nn1r lNs1l Il s.
rious shadows of masked men passing to
and fro.
Father, is it true that the rebels have
dane as he says in Sligoi"
"I am afraid il is, Tom"
"The hounds I'd like to see them
come after our arms! 1t would give me
satisfaction, father, to have a crack at one
of that rabble, with my fowling- piece |"
"There is something to be said on their
side" Mr.. Kelsoe said, as if talking tC
himself; there is something always to be
said on the other side" Toms father had
always been member Of the Church ol
England, but Nature meant him for q
Quaker. .....f
"They are thieves and murderers
"They are Gods creatures, my SON."
AS soon as they reached the house, Ton
rushed up stairs to clean his fowling- piece
lie nau only owned IL week.
Tom Kelsoe was 10 years old; just the
ageof Tom Waters here beside mo. HI
wasa big, broad-chested fellow, too, ant
could throw any boy of his size, just like
this other Tom They had the same hon
est, freckled faces, and shock of black
hair, and chapped, red hands; and there
was a lot of string, and nails, and top, anC
wormy apple, in Tom Kelsoe's pocket
precisely as there is in Tom Waters now
But this Tom wears a cheviot sack, dul
and decorous; that Tom was to be seeI
afar of, in his blue roundabout, gay with gil
buttons; this one shoves his way through
great public school, and ehatters glibly
of chemistry, geology, and steam engines
the other pored over heavy Latin books
with an humble, awkward tutor, VIII,
"taught sons of the gentry the humani
ties" "or he cut high pigeon wings in th'
air with-his legs, before his dancing mas
ter, practicing contra dances, jigs, ant
strathspeyG Our Tom whistles "Le
sabre de man PEREZ" and plays base ball
the other Tom trotted after the whipper
in, before day, tosee the hounds throw off
shouting,
"a southerly wind and a cloudy sky
Proclaim 1t hunting morning,
With hey no, tivy tantivy hoi'
or he coursed for hares over the snow
covered turf One hurrahs for Grant tn
other prayed every night for King Georg
and Queen Charlotte. Tom Waters is
jolly, wide-awake boy yet, and means t
be Presidents the other Tom was lonj
ago laid to rest, an old, white-heade(
man. For our story is of nearly centur
ago and the rebels whom Tom Kelso
feared belonged to little island, wher
the fields are green, and the people hot
tempered all the year round.
Tom polished his gun vigorously. Ki
Cassidy held the oil and bits of leather
Kit was Toms foster brother .-.,-
HPd like 2 chance at one of the rebel
with this, Kit"
SITS yerself as wud be the shure sho
Masther Tom T. -
"What can those wretches do wit
armsI". (boastingly). '"They never owne
a.qln,n s, Ast-t 49, '-+ s.r 90
"They wur'n't allowed any,-no NOR
than the bastes. You're in the right {
it, Masther Tom," fawned Kit
"Why, you belong to their church Kit
you ought TO be one of them," (carelessl
peering in the barrel as he spoke). ,ia
"Och, Wirasthruel wud yees say to m
that wuz Ribbonman" with sudde
howl of horror.
"Don't bother, Kit. Pick up that clotl
ana SJOp winning, KNOW you IO OIahS
to the backbone. Like me"
Kit stood by in silence while, his ful
tive blue eyes steadily watching Ton
under the light lashes.
suppose yeez couldn't lift one of tn
mastbeFsguns, now :" euAt
can lift any one of them. Come an
see" .al
Tom hung his pretty silYer-mountG
gun over his bed carefully, and then ra
down the steps leading TO his father
chamber, closely followed by Kit. II Wi
large room, with windows opening {
the ground lOVer the fireplace hung
couple of crossed swords, and hne GU
which Mr.. Kelsoe used in the chas
From under the pillow Tom drew pa
ofpistoIs; the bed was high posted, vii
heavy woolen curtains; from the teste
or top, he took down a couple of ligl
guns. iifHaup faa l..1 go f"N ~
as that all ~ said Kit, with touch
contempt Tenn hesitated. An Irish gel
tleman took as much pride in his weapol
as ,hls horses, and Tom had no, mind
hear his father sneered at f; still he +