The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-09-02

"That's the Safest. guess; and they IL LAY
it to some of the strikers"
"Most likely. Have you got the dark Ian
tern readyT"
"Not much oil in it,"
.Let's fill it then. went to get some
and got into the boss's private office, and
Just found one little can hid away in hi,
desk. Not another thing worth bringing
away. Here It's; let's Eli up, an take q
look round"
| Thus far Patrick had listned with breath
less interest, while his mind teemed with
horror visions of robbery and murder. A,
We have SAID, he was BY no means lack
ing In sharpness and the reference to the
vsi'se had not been by any means reassur-
ing.
"Howly Mother how did they ever know
was comm over wild the portmanty I'd
like to know that. Begorrah, I'd better
have turned back before liver come! An
hered ~
"Pairicks thoughts were troubling the
very soul within him, when he heard what
was said about the lantern, aud it needed
no one to tell him that his only safety from
discovery was in retreat. There WAS some
little noise aud loud talking IN the other
room, not to speak of the rain on the roof,
and Patrick had no difficulty in escaping
uudeard Once clear OF the house, he made
= clean run of it for q couple of hundred
wards, stumbling over logs, tearing through
brisrs, but sticking faithfully 10 the valse
Meantime the three robbers had probably
been filling the lamp OF their dark lantern :;
and just as Patrick reached the edge of the
woods, IN the cover of whose darkness be
knew he would be safe he turned and
strained his eyes in the direction of the log
house. As he did so, a faint CLEAN OF light
came out through the chinks and 'crsnnies
'Sh:rlkin match" muttered Patrick
bad luck to that same for seHdin me out
into the wet Howly Mother what's
that ~
While Patrick had been speaking the
light had gained somewhat in strength, as
If the match WAS blazing higher; but, as he
uttered his concluding exclamation, there
came a sudden, binding fash, equal to
many llghtnings, and then a dull and stun
ming sound, as of some mighty explosion,
followed BY the crashing sound OF heavy
bodies falling -mong the tree tops near
him, breaking their way through the
branches.
Patrick waited for no more, bat found
the road as quickly as possible, and made a
dOu bic quick time for the village, regardless
OF the rain. When, less than halt sn hour
afterwards, the bresthless Irisbmsn with his
precious burden, dripping with water,
opened the door of the superintendents
office in the village, he heard that gentleman
remark:
"Whss did you say Jordan? ?"
"Why," replied the boss, with an anxious
tone; 'some fool has broken my desk open,
aud stolen can of the nitro glycerine, and
I'm afraid mischief will come of it."
"Divil fear interrupted Patrick; "sorra
mischief was done by that same. uwnly
we II have 10 sarch the woods wild dogs to
foind enough of them for decint wake, or
I'm mishtsken."
The explanation which followed left little
room for doubt, and subsequent investiga-
ton left less but, as Patrick had surmised,
there was very little occasion for "wske."
The contractor got in all right, the men
were paid, the road was built, and tho moral
of my story is IF you steal nitro glyeer-
inc, don't fill lamps with it if you mean TO
light them yourself"