Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-09-07
THE ROBBERS LAMP.

Cor to go over on footr exclaimed
the contractor.
Not a chance for anything else,' re-
piled the agent. But then it's only five
miles, and you'll have better quarters
that here, In this vile shanty. The mon
ey will be safer, tOO-let alone that the
men won't go to work again unless
they're paid in the morning.
is the road safe? | don't like the
idea of Juggling so much money. | could
defend myself or run; but fifteen hundred
dollars in small bills is Il big package to
run with
Send your valise over in advance
Whom by?
My man.
rs he trustwOTthy@
Honest as the day; and he needn't
know there's anything in ii but dirty
linen. He can start now, and you can
wait until after supper, if you WILL
And, so saying the agent of the rail-
road company stepped TO the door of the
of the little shanty and shouted for Pat
rick, and shortly that individual came
AS bright, lively, honest-lookiRg
son of the Green Isle as ever helped
build a Western railroad.
Patrick !
'Yis, yer honor
Take this gentleman's yalise over to
| the village, and leave it with the super
intendent. Tell MIN the owner will be
after it this evening"
THAT'S all-Only be quick about it, and
! you'll earn an extra dollar
Pm jist the bye for that, anyhow
Sure, it's a small bit of valise.'
! And, so saying, Patrick picked up the
object of his contempt and trudged away
with an utter absence of curiosity as to
! the nature of what he was carrying.
The Temporary station at which the
/ construction train had landed the con-
| tractor-a gentleman named Perkins
was at the end of the new Airline Rail
road to --; and as the labOreTs there
on had not teen paid over-prOmptly,
I they had now been or strike, aband-
Oning the works, and cOngregating idly
at the hamlet, few miles distant, there
| by compelling their delinquent employ
ers to come to terms. Mr.. Perkins had
brought good share of the terms with
! him, for immediate distribution; and af-
ter a plain but hearty supper with the
agent, he was about to start on his
tramp, when it was discovered that a
goOd-SiZed Western thunder storm was
! just about to burst, and the walk was
| postponed until the sky should clear
In few moments more, the rain was
coming down in torrents, and kept it up
! for an hour or so, the end of which time
the contractor padded away over the
muddy road, congratulating himself
! that the valise in Patrick's care was wa
ter-prOOf.
He's had a rougher time than 1 will,
anyhow; and now, if amt robbed and
murdered before ] get there, 1 shall do
well enough, in spite of the mud. And,
so nuttering to himself, the worthy
gentleman splashed forward.
Our present business, however, is not
with his employer, but with Patrick
himscciIf
The parting injunction to make haste
I had not seemed to make deep impress
sion on the SOD Of Erin; and he trudged
easily along, with an occasional ShreWd
glance at the somewhat threatening sky,
growing to himself:
Faith, an I'll be there before he will,
an it don't rain, an mebbe l will av it
does. Och, but it's a wake one to be
giviH' 2 dollar for carTyin' the like o.
this q
A little more than halfway across the
open prairie between the railway termin-
us and the village was a tOlerably dense
grove, and it was after sunset when Pat
rick plunged under its shadows. Nor
had he gone far before, as the gloom
rapidly deePeped, the promonitOry flash
es of lightning, and Che deep, smother
rOaTs of the thunder, gave token that
the storm was upon him.
Now, if 1 could only git to the ovid
log house, it 'ud kape me dhry. HOWly
Moses, what a big flash that was.
And SO saying, Patrick broke into a
tya1rxy roe1,oofohla frpE which D1liptTlXT
brought him into little weedgrOwn
clearing. In the centre of this there
was little log house, the deserted home
stead of some discOntented squatter who
had moved farther westward. It con-
sisted Of but two rooms, front and back,
and all vestiges of doors and window
shutters had long since disappeared; but
it promised some sort Of imperfect shell
ter from the rain.
BatFick was but just in time for hardly
had he stumbled over the grassy thres-
hold before the first big drops began to
patter, and these were quickly followed
by such penetrating torrents as compel
led him to select his standing-place un-
der as good q corner Of the lealIy roof as
he could find.
BLESS me sowl but this is a wet rain,
anyhow! I'd not fike to be found
dhToWned wild another mans portman-
ty about me clothes. Whist, now, Pat
rick, me jewel; what's that%
And, rs he spoke, Patrick once more
advanced towards the doorway. It was
now all but pitch-dark, and he could
hear the half-muffled voices of men,
whose profane utterances seemed to try
and direct one another toward the door.
Here it is, Bob. ] wonder if there's ]
anybody in It,