The Van Buren press., 1870-02-15

her shoulders, who wrung her hands ano
cried, "Oh. wake up! you arc wanted al
the Cross Roads"
This time / started out of bed bathed
in cold perspiration. l trembled like
leaf, and had no doubt that l had re-
ceived a supernatural warning.
Ben | cried, Ben, for the third
time | have been told that ! am wanted
at the Cross Roads and | am going"
And began to dress myself as spead'
lily as possible, listening meanwhile to
the storm, raging madder and wilder thar
at any other period since its commence
ment.
Ben demonstrated with me in vain. A
last he began to huddle on his clothes.
IF you have gone mad, l must &c
with you and take care of you" he SAID
4" But fancy another man going IN
storm like this to the Cross Roads, be
cause nightmare advises him to do so
and what would you think Of him :"
said nothing. All | could have an
sweren would have been:
81 am impelled to GO, | dare not re
fuse, whatever may be thought Of me
In ten minutes we were splashlns
through mud and rain along the road
1t was perfectly dark now and then :
blazing red star in the distance told u
that a lamp was cleaning through The
rain in some cottage window, but other
wise We would not have been conscious
of our proximity to any habitation what
ever. At last nearing the spot where ths
road from s. crosses the road from
P, we were indeed, in as solitary 0
place as could be well imagined.
The house, which abutted on the very
angle Of the roads called in familiar par.
lance the Cross Roads, was the only one
for some distance in either dircction,and
certainly on such night we were not
likely to meet many travellers.
All was silent as the grave. We stood
quite still. In moment Ben broke on,
with one of his widest laughs.
"Well," he said. " how now ?will you
60 home and have another nightmare y
But hardly had the words escaped his
lips when a shrek broke on the air, and
a woman's voice, plainly coming from
the interior of the cottage eried.
Help help! help
"Ben," said |, ave are wanted AZ the
Cross Roads, and then, understand each
ether, without more words we made oul
way to q window, through which light
shone. A muslin curtain draped the
panes, but through it we saw an awful
sight.
All old man lay upon the floor, and
over him bent rulllan, clutching his
throat, and holding a pistol to his ear
while another man grasped n shriekine
girl by the arm--a girl IN a floating nigh
dress-with such long golden hair as be
longed to the woman of my vision.
Not moment was to be wasted.
Ben flung his weight against the slcn
der lattice and crushed it in, and we hae
srappled with tho ruilians before they
knew whence the attack came or how
many foes we're upon them.
do not intend to describe the strug
gle; indeed, could not if | would. Bu'
we were strong men, and inspired by th'
cries of the helpless old man and the ter
rilied girl, soon had one Of the villains
bound and the other lying PROSTATE OF
the floor.
Then Ben started for assistance, and
before morning both were in Jail, Ben ad
hitting, as we shook each other by the
hand, that we we're - wanted ut the Cross
Roads,
The old man was not miscr, but he
had saved some few thousands for his
old age, and living more plainly than he
need have done, had given rise to the ru
NOR, and SO brought the burglars to the
Cross Roads, in the hope Of booty.
The girl, beautiful creature OF seven
teen, was his grand daughter, and as nc
story is acceptable to the lady reader
without u flavor Of romance, | will tel
them that she became in after years, not
my wife, but the wife OF my darling
brother Ben