Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-02-11


who were punished with death, If gun
was found in their houses, and that they
were now in rebellion, burning and kill
ing, Mr. Knapp said, all before them, to
gain possession of these very weapons.
"If show you the Others, you'll naver.
breathe 1t now, Kitg" he said at last.
There's danger Of"
Them rascally Ribbonmen. know.
Och, yeez wouldn't he-afeard of poor Kit,
now, Master Tom?n
SoTom pushed back the bed-curtains,
touched a spring i'm tie panel, and showed
a secret closet, in which hung about h
dozen guns, mostof tbenl finely mounted.
"My father has better collection than
Lord Roscommon," he said proudly, clos
ing the door. } Tt\ It
Troth it's foine." But kit turned
away with such a dull, Indifferent face,
| that Toms untasiness was dispelled. He
went down to supper That was very
different meal from the light dishes of
crackers and oysters and tea, which Tom
Waters calls suppersh There was table
covered with fine linen, which Mrs Kel-
soc and her maids had spun (there were
great presses full Of it up.stairs), and on
it were roasted wild ducks, and noun
tain of spiced beef, and dishes of game
and fish, and hare pasty besides hot
cakes and tea, and an enormous bowl of
punch, and high jugs of smoking toddy,
with the roasted apples bobbing up and
down. Some of the neighbors were there,
as they were, indeed, for every meal.
Tom slipped away after supper, and ran
out to the kitchen. There was as great a
crowd there, and as heavy eating, as in
the hall. There was no counting the
hangers-on about the Kelsoe kitchen.
There were cooks, and maids, and grooms,
and the hen-wife, and the goose wife, and
the wife who made the BARN (yeast), and
| a dozen more, who just held by the IA
mily." Yet Mr.. KelsOe was not rich
man. He held large dairy-farms ION pep
pcrcorn leases for ninety-nine years6 and
the many mouths ate up more than the
profits from year to year.
Tom liked to go down to the kitchen to
be flSttered and joked with, and to hear
stories of fairies or banshees. But to-
night it was very dull down there; the
men, even Kit, had all gone to wake,
and the women were silent. So he went
to bed early, leaving candle burning,
with frightened look out at the slope of
the hill and the woods beyond. -.---.-
1t wasabout midnight when Tom awoke
with the sudden feeling of terrible dan
ger. The room was still as death the
candle was gone, but the moonlight
lay in square patch on the floor. He
got up and groped about Nothing.
He went to the window. What was
that dark, compact mass by the copse
yonder, where the fox found cover on
Monday What were those moving shad-
ows stealing slowly to the house, below
the trees Suddenly a wild cry broke
through the air. 1t was his mothers
voice. Tom sprang to the door, dashed
it open, and found himself in the grasp of
vioe-like hands, that, struggle as he might,
dealt with him as if he were nothing but
weak kitten. In a moment he was
gagged, his hands and feet tied together,
and thrown on the landing.
There were dozen figures in the hall
below, struggling in the moonlight. His
father fighting the robbers alone and un-
aided. Tom kicked and writhed fran
ticly, but to no purpose. Mr.. Kelsoe was
not strong man, but he fought like
an Irishman. 1t was in vain, though
the dark, silent figures swarmed out of
every door, overpowered him, left him
tied and helpless. Yet Tom, through all
his fury, could not but notice that they
were oddly gentle with his father; did
not return one of his desperate Olows.
The women they had locked, unharmed,
into the dining-room. When Mr.. Kelsoe
was conquered, there was moments
quiet then the masked men went out and
returned, carrying the store of weapons
which Tom had discovered to Kit. One
man, who seemed to be the leader, paused
a moment at the door, and, coming back,
laid two of the most costly guns beside
Mr.. Kelsoe, breaking the absolute 81
xr,hi haA NJ, hu a
whisper" You must not miss the fox
hunts"
Then they disappeared; all but one
small, stealthy figure, that stole down,
moment after, from Toms room, with
his fowling-piece in hand.
"It's that scoundrel, Kit Cassidy !" Tom
could have cried with rage.
When his mother had sueceededin free.
ing herself and her husband, and Tom
had found a voice, his passion knew no
bounds. He shrieked out, "Croppies, lie
DOWN. from the door, after the retreating
figures, as the most offensive words he
could find. Goods creatures !" he stormed
following his father. They are treacher
GUS thieVesl" He wondered to find mis-
father and mother so quiet.
| "They have not touched the plate,
said Mrs Kelsoe "and look at this, my
dear" pointing to heap of rings, watch
and chain, which she had taken off 'tht
night before. "They took nothing but
the arms"
"How can she say word for them p
muttered Tom. Goods creatures, in
deed" He went up to his room and looked
at the empty hooks, where his gun haC
hung. 1t was as much as he could do to
keep the tears out of his eyes. 81 hope
that Kit Cassidy my never come in my
way" he said, savagely. "Tll be ereVenged
if it is thousand years from now"
CHAPTER II.
Kit Cassidy was seen no more in the
Kelsoe kitchens. His father, and two ol
three other men, who were employed OF
the farm, disappeared, and were supposed
to have Joined the Ribbonmen. Tom was
quite hero among the other boys for Q
few weeks; joe Spencer and Phil Boyd
came over to see the marks of the ropes
on his wrists. At the meeting on Satur
day, tho, Captain Duncan, who otter
G, dined with Mr.! Kelsoe, called to Tom
"That foster-brother Of yours played you
a sharp trick, eh, Tommy"
=, But l mean to pay him for it, sir,
cried Tom, loudly.
"That's right my lad" said the Cap
,1 tain, nodding and laughing. Tom WA
almost as proud as if he had his. new
fowlipg piece to carry that morning,
He used after that to say every day Il
the boys: "I'll pay Kit Cassidy yet,
thinking how Captain Duncan would an