The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-10

were now In rebellion, burning and kill
ing, Mr.. Knapp said, all before them, to
gain possession of these very weapons.
"If show you the others, you'll never
breathe it now, Kit?" he said at last.
There's danger Of"
Them rascally Ribbonmen. l know
Och, yeez wouldn't be afeard of poor Kit,
now, Master Toms"
So Tom pushed back the bed-curtains,
touched spring in the panel, and showed
a secret closet, in which hung about q
dozen guns, most of them finely mounted.
" NV father has better collection than
Lord Roscommon," he said proudly, clos
ing the door
" TrOth, it's fOine" But Kit turned
away with such dull, indifferent face,
that TOMS untasiness was dispelled. He
went down to supper That was very
different meal from the light dishes of
crackers and oysters and tea, which Tom
Waters calls suppers There was table
covered with fine linen, which Mrs. Kel-
soc and her maids had spun there were
great presses full of it up-stairs) and on
it were roasted wild ducks, and noun
tain of spiced beef, and dishes of game
and fish, and hare pasty, besides hot
cakes and tea, and an enormous bowl of
punch, and high jugs of smoking toddy,
with the roasted apples bobbing up and
down. Some of the neighbOrs were there,
as they were, indeed, for every meal
Tom slipped away after supper, and ran
out to the kitchen. There was as great a
crowd there, and as heavy eating, as in
the hall. There was no counting the
hangers-on about the KclsOe kitchen.
There were cooks, and maids, and grooms,
and the hen-wife, and the goose wife, and
the wife who made the BARN (yeast), and
a dozen more, who "just held by the fa-
mily" Yet Mr.. KelsOe was not q rich
man. He held large dairy-farms Ton pep
percOrn leases for ninety-nine years., and
the many mouths ate up more than the
profits from year to year.
Tom liked to go down to the kitchen to
be flattered and joked with, and to hear
stories of fairies or banshecs. But to-
night it was very dull down there; the
men, even Kit, hai all gone to wake,
and the women were silent. So he went
to bed early, leaving candle burning,
with frightened look out at the slope of
the hill and the woods beyond
1t was about midnight when Tom awoke
with the sudden feeling of terrible dan
ger. The room was still as death the
candle was gone, but the moonlight
lay in a square patch on the floor. He
got up and groped about Nothing.
He went to the window. What was
that dark, compact mass by the copse
yonder, where the fox found cover on
Monday What were those moving shad-
ows stealing slowly to the house, below
the trees? Suddenly a wild cry broke
ha oir L.; Il %
voice. Tom sprang to the door, dashed
it open, and found himself in the grasp of
vicclike hands, that, struggle as he might,
dealt with him as If he were nothing but
a weak kitten. In moment he was
gagged, his hands and feet tied together,
and thrown on the landing.
There were dozen figures in the hall
below, struggling in the moonlight. His
father fighting the robbers alone and un-
aided Tom kicked and writhed fran
ticly, but to no purpose. Mr. KelsOc was
not u strong man, but he fought like
an Irishman. 1t was in vain, though !;
the dark, silent figures swarmed out of
every door, OverpOwered him, left him
tied and helpless. Yet Tom, through all
his fury, could not but notice that they
were oddly gentle with his father; did
not return one of his desperate Olows.
The women they had locked, unharmcd,
into the diningroom. When Mr.. Kelsoe
was conquered, there was moments s
quiet then the masked men went out and
returned, carrying the store of weapons
which Tom had discovered to Kit One
man, who seemed to be the leader, paused
a moment at the door, and, coming back,
laid two of the most costly guns beside
Mr.. Kelsoe, breaking the absolute ST.
lence which they had observed, by n
Whisper" You must not miss the fox
hunts"
Then they disappeared; all but one
small, stealthy figure, that stole down,
a moment after, from Toms room, with
his fowling piece in hand.
Its that scoundrel, Kit Cassidy" Tom
could have cried with rage.
When his mother had succeeded in free
ing herself and her husband, and Tom
had found voice, his passion knew ne
bounds. lie shrieked out, Croppies, lie
dDwn!' from the door, after the rctreating
figures, as the most offensive word. he
could find. Gods creatures :" he stOrmcd
following his father. They are treacher
Gus thievesl" He wondered to find his
father and mother so quiet.
"They ihave not touched the plate,
said Mrs. Kelsoe and look at this, my
dear" pointing to heap of rings, "a watcl
and chain, which she had taken off the
night before. "They took nothing bu
the arms"
How can she say word for them p
muttered Tom. Goods creatures, in
deed~ ~ He went up to his room and looked
at the empty hooks, where his gun haC
hung. 1t was as much as he could do t.
keep the tears out of his eyes. 81 hop,
that Kit Cassidy my never come in my
way" he said, savagely. "I'll be revcnged
If it is thousand years from nowT
| CHAPTER III.
Kit Cassidy was seen no more in the
| Kelsoe kitchens. His father, and two OIL
three other men, who were employed OF
the farm, disappeared, and we c supposed
to have joined the Ribbonmen. Tom Wa!
quite hero among the other boys for 8
few weeks; joe Spencer and Phil Boyd
came over to see the marks of the ropes
on his wrists. AT the meeting on Satur
day, too, Captain Duncan, who otter
dined with Mr. Kelsoe, called To- Tom
"That foster-brother of yours played you
sharp trick, eh, Tommy"
| Dut mean I'd pay nlin lOT IL, SIT,
cried Tom, loudly.
"That's right my lad," said the Cap
tain, nodding and laughing. Tom wa
almost as proud as if he had his new
fowling piece to carry that morning.
He used after that to say every day u
the boys: "Pll pay Kit Cassidy yet
thinking how Captain Duncan would ap
plaud him if he heard it, Until, one day
| a. a;
not think you were the kind of boy t.
keep grudge. 1t seems mean and cat
tish to me-"
Now, George wore whiskers, and coul'
construe Euripides. Tom began to douh
whether his revenge were SO manly afte
all. Besides, he was not in half such
fury with Kit as ut first
81 never knew fellow who could trai
a setter like Kit Cassidy" he said to Phil
"and when had the aguc, that chap sleT
at my door like dog. There's no deny