The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-02-25
AlisGeIIaneOns Selections.
THE SHAN VAN V0GHT
A True Story.
CHAPTER ].
BIZ REBEccA HARDING DAVIS.

IT was Just outside of Mr.. Kelsoe'
own farm gate that he and Tom met
Mr.. Knapp. The clergyman had
been riding hard, Tom noticed, and
looken 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 doubt
in league with them"
"That can't be, father" cried Tom,
angrily.
Mr.. Kelsoe put his hand gently on
Toms shoulder.
There is no trusting any of
them," Mr.. Knapp went on excited
lly. "The secret league includes ev-
cry Milesian Irishman, 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. L
think l know these people better
than you," he said mildly.
"What did they do last week in
Donegal? In Sligo? Plundered ev-
cry loyalist's house of arms-theh
burned and killed as they went. And
our district is unprotected by sin
gle soldier. 1 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 darkening evening, at the stretch
of black woods below the hill. He
fancied mysterious shadows of
masked men passing to and fro.
Father, is it true that the rebels
have done as he says in Sligo?"
81 am afraid it is, Tom"
The hounds! rdlike to see them
come after our arms! 1t would give
me satisfaction, father, to have q
crack at one Of that rabble, with my
fowling-piece!"
There is something to be said on
their side" Mr.. Kelsoe said, as if tai
king to himself; there is something
always to be said on the other side" :"
Toms father had always been a
member Of the Church of England,
but Nature meant him for Quaker.
"They are thieves and murder
ers!"
They are Gods creatures, my
son."
As soon as they reached the house,
Tom rushed up stairs to clean his
fowling piece. He had only owned
| it a week.
Tom Kelsoe was 10 years old; just
the age of Tom Waters here beside
me. He was a big, .broad-chested
fellow, too, and could throw any boy
of his size, just ike this other Tom.
They had the same honest, freckled
faces, and shocks of black hair, and
chapped, red hands; and there was a
lot of string, and nails, and top,
and a wormy apple, in Tom Keisoe's
pocket, precisely as there is in Tom
Waters now. But this Tom wears
a cheviot sack, dull and decorous;
that Tom was to be seen afar eff in
his blue roundabout, gay with gilt
buttons; this one shoves his way
through a great public school, and
chatters glibly of chemistry, geology
and steam engines; the other pored
over heavy Latin books, with an
humble, awkward tutor, who taught
sons of the gentry the humanities, "
or he cut high pigeon wings in the
air with his legs, before his dancing
master, practicing contra dances, jigs
and strathspeys: Our Tom whistles
Lesabre de man PEREZ" and plays
base ball; the other Tom trotted af-
ter the whipperin, before day, to see
the hounds throw off, shouting,
"a southerly wind and cloudy sky
Proclaim it hunting n orhing,
With hey no, tivy tantivity no :"
or he coursed for hares over the
snow-covered turf. One hurrahs for
Grant; the other prayed every night
for King George and Queen Char
lotte. Tom Walters is a jolly, wide
awake boy yet, and means to be
President; the other Tom was long
ago laid to rest, an old, whitehead
ed man. For our story is of nearly
! a century ago; and the rebels whom
Tom Kelsoe feared belonged to lit
tie island, where the fields are green,
and the people hot tempered all the
year round.
Tom polished his gun vigorously.
Kit Cassidy held the oil and bits Of
| leather.
Kit was Toms foster brother.
I'D like a chance at one of the
rebels with this, Kit