Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-09-08

WdtcA lOr pair OI SteerS, anc
as this, of course, was what |
wanted to know, pulled out my
wallet, and gave the old man two
dollars. How sharp he Looked at
the other bills.
"The Lord does provide" he
said, turning to his wife, "why,
sir, would you believe it, we hav-
en't morsel of pork in the
house!"
Little did | think how the old
boy, with his piety, had pumped
me. / am ashamed to this day to
think how he came over to me.
"Ihope the Lord will bless you,
he said, as | started next morning.
"Be sure and stop here when you
come back" told him I would
Il rather liked his mush and
milk for a change.
/ had hardly got out of sight of
the hovel when deer started a.
cross the road. l fired one of
my pistols at it, and neglected to
load it again-a very foolish ac-
ton, but | was a little reckless.
] suppose | was about FIVE miles
from the old mans place, when
all at once l came in sight of the
very man was after He was
splitting rails by the roadside
| knew he was the man was af-
ter, because dangling from the
pocket of his plush vests was
Tom Vincent's watch chain; but
what to my astonishment to find,
on a second look, that / knew
him. Why, sir, he was one of
the cussedest horse thieves that
infested the big woods. Bill
Strahl was the name / knew him
by. He recognized me at once.
"Hallooh," said he what do you
do here?" and as, "he said this he
picked up his rife; he and l were
never friends.
"What do you think" said /,
putting my hand in my pocket.
"No good" said he, "you In
fernal BEAST" and with that he
made a motion to level his rife.
In an instant whipped out my
derringer, and gave him an ex-
cellent opportunity to look square
ly down the muzzie.
s.You are covered" 1 said,
"drop your gum ~
He dropped it and began to
tremble. If he had known how
| trembled inside, be would not
have been scared. The sense of
deadly pain is not an easy thing to
get used to. l dismounted fred
his gun into the ground, broke
the stock against a tree and threw
it into the brush and tied my
horse to stump.
SHOW, my FRIEND" / said to
Merriman, ''be kind enough to
march"
"Where?' said he, ''into the
woods?"
s'No," responded, "though you
deserve it; l am going to tie yoil
to tree, gag you and leave you"
"That will be ten times wuss!"
he said piteously.
How pleasant it is to be cruel
1t is temptation that few men,
one way and another, can resist.
AS my victim and myself pen
etrated the forest, l begged him
sarcastically. to select the tree he
would like: and when 1 had Sc
cured him and gagged him l
marched off dozen yards or SO,
and aimed my derringer at him;
it was jolly sight to see him
writhe and make motions for mer-
cy. 81 sse a
Finally / fired the weapon over
his head and he tainted. My pis-
tolls were now both empty. |
blazed the trees SO that his friends
would find hin. before night, and
made the best of my way back to
my horse. What was my aston
ishment to find my horse gone -
stolen without a doubt!
"Whewr" / soliloquized, "this
is moral nei2hborhood," and
Immediately thought about load
ing up.
What was my further astonish-
ment to find that | had lost my
box of cartridges. So much for
being careless. And there ! was
in the midst of a township of no.
torious thieves, without a weapon,
without a horse, and with over
a hundred dollars in money and
property-in my possession. The
thing did look a little dubious.
"Thank my stars" Thought to
myself, ''there is a highly con-
scientions Christianin these woods, .
referring 10 the old man, of
course, and at this house a little
after sunrise | arrived, pretty well
tired out. The old fellow was on