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


right in; we're coming
Patrick was no fOOb and he had heard
something in the tones rather than in
the wOrds-though these words were
mingled with hOrTid prOfanity-which
conveyed to his mind the impression
that the new cOmers were men with
whom he did,nOt care to scTape acquaint-
ance; neither did he like to go out into
the storm--and so glided back into the
1ean-tO' that formed the other part of
the house, and curled himself up against
the logs.
In q moment more, he perceived that
three men had taken possession of his
late quarters; and lay as still as a mouse,
while they continued a discussion which
had evidently been interrupted by the
storm.
He won't try to get over tonight I
reckon
yes he will, he's got to-
But the storm .
He'll wait till that's over
fMebbe he's started
If he has, he'll turn back We'er safe
enough to bag him, and Pts little the
best lay we ever had
Pretty good Pat, that's fact. Do you
know how he's got itn
In valise, Tom says
We'll we can take it as well in that as
anything else, as the man said of his
whisky
But whatll we do with him :?
Dead men tell no tales
That's the safest, guess; and they'll
lay it to some of the strikers
Most likely. Have you got the dark
lantern ready :?
Not much oil in it,
Let's fill it, then. went to get some,
and got into the boss private office, and
| lust found one little can hid away in
his desk. Not another thing worth bring
ing away. Here tits; let's fill up and
take a look round.
Thus far Patrick had listened with
breathless interest, while his mind teem-
ed with hOrrid visions of robbery and
murder. As we have said, he was by
no means lacking in sharpness, and the
reference to the valise had not by any
means reassuTing.
'HOwly Mother! how did they iver
know 1 was comm over with the port
manly? I'd like to know that. Beger-
rah, I'd better have turned back before
l ever comet An what's q dollar to pay
for being muTthered? p
PatTick's thoughts were troubling the
very soul within him, when he heard
what was said about the lantern, and it
needed no one to tell him that his only
safety from discovery was in retreat
There was some little noise and loud
talking in the other room, not to speak
of the rain on the TOOs, and Patrick had
no difficulty in escaping Unheard. Once
clear of the house, he made clean run
of it for a couple of hundred yards,
stumbling over logs, tearing through
briers, but sticking faithfully to the va
lise.
Meantime the three robbers had prob
ably been filling the lamp Of their Iant-
eTn; and Just as Patrick reached the
edge of the woods, in the cover of whose
darkness he knew he would be safe, he
turned and strained his eyes in the di-
rectiOn of the log house. AS he did so,
/ a faint gleam of light came out through
/ the chinks and crannies.
'Strikin' a match, muTmuTed Patrick,
/ bad luck to that same for sindin' me
out into the wet. HOwly Moses, what's
/ that p
While Patrick had been speaking, the
/ light had gained somewhat i'm strength,
as if the match was blazing higher and
higher, but, as he uttered his conclud-
| ing sentence, flash equal to any lightn-
| ing and then dull and stunning sound
as of some mighty explosion, followed
/ by the crashing sound of heavy bodies
/ failing among the tree tops near him,
breaking their way through the branch
es.
Patrick waited for no more, outbound
the road as quickly as possible, and
made double-qUick time for the village,
regardless of the rain. When, less than
| half an hour afterward, the breathless
! ITishman with his precious burden, drip
ping with water, opened the door of the
superintendent Office IN the village, he
heard that gentleman remark:
What did you say, JOrdan?'
Why replied the boss with an anXi-
Gus tone, some fool has broken my desk
open and stole a can of nytro-glycerine,
and Pm afraid mischief will come of it,
| 'Divil fear interrupted Patrick; 'sor-
ra mischief was done by the same
/ Ownly We'll have to search the woods
wild the dogs to find enough of 'em to
make n dacent wake, or Pm mistaken
! The explanation which followed left
little room for doubt, and a subsequent
| investigation left less; but, as Patrick
had surnised, there was very little Oe-
casiOn for wake
The contractor gotit all right, the men
were paid, the road was built, and the
moral of my story is: If you steal nytrO-
glycerine, don't fill lamps with it if you
wish to light them yourself.