Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-07-20
Selected MEiscelsany.
TIE sHARPER'S PERIL.

to have a Bible, the way l came by it i
stranger. I have had it for three years;
sha1l Keep it as long as / live, I'd
Three years ago | was living on my wit
in the city of st. Paul Perhaps I gam
bled some; perhaps you viii call it swind
ling. a.lea--
At all events there was a chap out there
rich young scapegraee, who loved TO b.
feeced, and no one loved to fleece him
ter than Dick, and one day ho came to m'
looking very miserable. a Jg5s
'tDicl, +" said he .'I've lost my watch-a
pooe old turnip the old woman gave
it to gne Just before she died, and wouldn'
lose it for q farm.
Imade some inquiries, and soon found
that the watch had gone into the Virginia
backwood settlement
How 7 found 1t out is nothing to you.
told Tom about it.
.'Well," he said, as tickled as child
''all we have got to do is 80 put an office
on the track"
sYou must make sweet baby" inter
rupted. t'Whyt up there they shoot ar
officer on sight"
II would give five hundred dollars" said
Tom, passionately, 'rather than l would
ose that watch
"Done, I said, and the next morning ]
started for Lake Howard, forty-seyen miles
in the dreary woods, dressed Ike a back
woodsman. with couple of Derringers in
my pockets, and mounted on an anima
shat was once horse, which we bought
or S28. A dreary woods il was. To say
nothing OF the awful roads, the backbone
OF lay noble steed was q source OF misery,
for had no saddle, that would have ex-
cited suspicion at once. So was glad al
he end Of the second day, when five miles
rom the lake, to stop at log hcvel by the
roadside.
The family were preparing their evening
meai-n making it into mush when enter
ed. and I was about to take my place al
he table, when the old man looked at me
adly.
Young man." said he, fE see by your
looks that you don't know TIE Lord
t.You are right there, old man., said,
ssHes stranger to me-"
And then the old fellow groaued and i'm
mediately produced the identical Bible you
see before you.
ssHear the words of wrath, ;" he said, be-
ginning to read, and queer work he made
of it, kicking his mental shins against all
the big words.
T paid little attention to him, but got
somehow vague impression that his mind
was not on bis reading. Still l did not set
him down as q hypocrite, as [ should in
stantly had ne been anywhere else but
here, where hypocrisy seemed so super
iuous.
Wicked as / was, I was rather pleased
than otherwise to find symptoms of piety
IN that God forsaken place. Tie reading
and the supper over the old man said in
quirinaly:
..Mebbe yer going into Virginia settle
ment?"
That's just where am going, re-
piled.
eThen if you take that ring with you,
violence viii be done you. Them people
don't know the Lord
Sure enough, like a confounded fool, as
the wisest ofus may be at times, had worn
my emerald ring all the way.
young man." said the old feller again,
aswhat air you driving at? Never be hypo-
crite; you are deceiving people; you are
no laborin' man. The Lord be mercifll to
you,
s'Right again, old stick-in-the. mud, |
said, Il am no laboring man! Inever did
work for living, and never WILL I don't
"a telling you, on account OF your re-
snarka5le piety, that I'm up here on little
business for friend. Perhaps you can
help, in which case you can earn dollar
or two. Perhaps you don't know such a
rgelIow as MerriInan-Austin Merriman?"
"a desperate man," says the old fellow
with a shudder, ''Who knows not the
Lord."
e.Perhaps, I said, ''he's a sport, q gay
and festive sort of a wood chopper. May
be trades a little once in while IN jewell
ry"
"He's been trying to trade watch fer a
mir of steers and as this, of course was
what wanted to know, l pulled out my
wallet, and gave the old man two dollars
How sharp he looked at the other bills,
-, 7,se Lord does provide, he said, turn
snr n III. wife, ''why, sir, would you be-
iieye it, We leven't morsel ofpork IN the
little did thiik sA9w that old boy with
his piety. had pumped me. ! am ashamed
90 this day to thi lk how be caii4e over me
sI hope the Lord will bless you, he ssld
as started next morning. BE sure ana
stop here when YOU came back.
told him / would rather Liked his
,,aush and mill, for change. l had hard
/, ct ont of sight of the hovel when deer
Stated a cross the. road. Tired one otmy
pistols at it, and neglected 10 of'a It. very
foolish, but / WAS lAttlo "a,
/ suppose was about I've mites 'r9ih tpe
old mans place, when all at once ; c'iIIo ne
in siobt of the very man [ was after. lie
was Splitting rails by the side OF the road.
l,nev he WAS the man l vas after, be-
cause, dangling from the pocket OF his old
pJush vest was Tom Vincent's watch chain.
What was my astonishment to ind, on
encoad look, that / knew him. why SIR,
he's one If the cussedest horse thieves that
infestea the 'sbig woods.
Rim Strah The name l knew him by. lie
knew me at once,
s.Hallor' said he, fwhat do yCn do here
And as he said this. he picked up his rlile;
he and [ were never friends.
s.What do you think?" said 1, putting
my hand IN my pocket.
mo good. said he, You internal beat, .
and witA that he made motion to level
his rifle.
In aa instant | whipped ont my Derring-
er. and gave him an excellent opportunity
to look down the muzzle.
s.Eon are covered! drop your gun" |
shouted.
ELe dropped it. apd began to tremble-
Tfbe had known how | trembled inside, he
-ropld,, t have been scared. The sense OF
,Iea3Iv main is not an easy thing to getused
70 / dismouGte ted, fired his gun into the
,srennd. ~, and thlew it to the bushes, and
tied nv horse TO eiHmp.
Now NV friend, said to Merriman,
s.ha kind enough to marcn.
..Where 10?
.9s9 .Ro@ been 5es Eo ogoin to kill foller2" ask.
ed he. .-4. ,-o,, 5.zorps
it; | am Il goin to tie you to q tree gag ano
That win be ten times wnssI' he sai'
5piteoasly. r.z
temptation that few men, one way OF Shf
other can resist.
As my victim and myself penetrated tht
wood begged him sarcastically to seleol
the tree he would like; and when l secured
aapd gagged him marched him off ten yards
of so, AMI aia..2a my Derringer at him. L
was jolly sight TO sec LIN writhe ant
Eqairm.
w {4pga :. 1