Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-07-20
VOL. K.

find him before night, and made the bes
of my way back TO the horse. What was
my astonishnent to find my horse gone.
'Nhowi this is moral neighboYhood,
/ soliloquized.
What was my further astonishment Il
find my cartridges gone! So much fol
carelessness.
There I was in fl,e midst of q township
of notorious thieves, without o weapon OF
a horse, and having over two hundred dol
lars OF money ard property IN my posses
sion. II die 'ook little dubious.
''Thank my stars" Thought to myself
''there's one highly conscientious Chris
tian in these woods referring to the ole
man, Of course-and at his house little
after sunrise arrived, pretty well tree
out The old fellow was on the look ou
for me. fli
',Ah, said he. as I entered. ri knew the
LORD would bless you. [ have been pray
ing for you all day"
Thanks, / said, s'but never mind about
the blessing. All [ want is some mush and
blankets and your horse in the morning tc
take me to Watertown."
"You shall have them" he said, sbut
shan't | read you chapter?"
ssNo." r-
s.The Lord has blessed your" he said, in
quiringiy.
"Yes," ] said, che has-T have done
what I wanted, and got rid of my horse be-
sides, y and these were the last words | said
to the old man till about o'clock in the
morning.
About that time, sir, as was dreaming
Of having gay old time, 7 was awakened
by sharp pain in my cheek, and loud
''thug" on the floor beside me. clapped
my hand to my cheek and felt blood; be-
tween me and the window was the old
mans form. Why, sir, streak of light
ming is nothing to mans nerves at such a
timei -
Before yon could say ssJack Robinson
before there was time to form q sing gle
coherent thought found myself doing
the very best thing [ could clutching the
old man by tie empty throat, and pressing
the muzzle of my empty pistol TO his tenn
ple-he shaking like an aspen leaf
ooh, don't shoot" he screamed, 'Jesus
was always mercifdl."
.'Was hep said I, giving his throat an aw-
full squeeze.
ooh, don't kill him. walled the old
woman, ''the Lord will bless you if you
don't" a-Ee-
NOG up, you oCHSDel, anu Str1k6 llRnt,
or [ viii send him and you, too, to the
Prince of Darkness, growled L
The light was struck.
What did [ see? On, nothing in parti-
cular-oniy the floor torn up, and grave
dug to put me in, where the wolves would
not disturb me. [ had noticed that The
boards were loose when I first came in. As
| saw this [ couldn't help knocking the old
man down with the barrel of my pistol and
pitching him into the hole, put mis- Bible
into my pocket as ,nemento; and in three
minutes was on his horse and on The road
to Watertown.
Not quite nnmolested, though, for as [
turned the corner OF the fence bullet whiz-
zed spitefully by me, turned round. The
old she devil was standing in the doorway
with rife smoking in her hands.
"You daresn't come back" she scream
ed
you're right, old gal, l daresn't," thot
[, plunging into the darkness.
A weary midnight ride that was to Wa
ertown, Not that the pain of my wound
was much, for the axe Rad but scraped the
skin. But the unutterable melancholy Cf
night in the almost virgin forest, the inde-
serlbable sounds, the coyotes yell, the sad
wailings and the mournful rustling of the
leaves, filed me With blueness that was
awful blue-set me to thinking Of things
almost forgotten, and things that were sad
10 think OF then-of days that were differ
ant from these days-gell-
When Tom Vincent, like man, paid me
the five hundred dollars, [ went into the
picture agency business, and have not
touched card since.