Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-08-30
THREE BRAVE MEN.

mirror.
"Why not ?"
81 want, when marry, man who i.
brave-equal to any emergency. 1t
give up my liberty, want to be taken
care Of"
"Silly child what is the matter with
big Barney, the blacksmith %
He is big, but I never learned that he
was brave"
"And you never heard he was not.
What is the matter with Ernest, the gun.
smith %
''He's as placid as goats milk"
'That's no sign he is coward There
is little Fritz, the tanner, he is quarrel
some enough for you, surely"
He is no bigger than bantam cock.
1t is little he could do if the house was set
upon by robbers"
"It's not always strength that wins a
fight, girl. 1t takes brain as we'll as brawn
Come now, Barbara, give these fellows a
fair trial"
| Barbara turned her face before the mir
ror, letting down one raven tress, and
| hooking UP another. 81 will, mother"
| said she at last.
That evening Ernest, the gunsmith,
knocked at the door.
"You sent for me, Barbara?" he asked,
going to the girl, who stood upon the
hearth coquettishly warming one foot and
then the other.
eyes, Ernest" she replied, ''rve been
thinking of what you said the other night
when you were here"
"Well, Barbara?"
Ernest spoke quietly, but his dark
blue eye flashed, and he looked at her in
tently.
81 want to test you"
'How?"
81 want to see it you dare do very
disagreeable thing"
"What is it?"
''There is an old coffin up stairs. 1t
smells of mold. They say Redmond, the
murderer, was buried in it, but the devil
came for his body and left the coffin
empty at the end of the week, and it was
finally taken from the tomb 1t is up
stairs in the room my grandfather died
in, and they say grandsire does not rest
easy in his grave, for some reason
though that know nothing about. Dare
you make that your bed to-night?"
Ernest laughed. "Is that all? I will
do that, and sleep soundly. Why, pretty
one, did you think have veal nerves?'
''Your nerves will have good proof if
you undertake it. Remember, no one
sleeps in that wing of the house."
81 shall sleep the sounder."
"Good night, then. / will send you
lad to show you to your chamber. If
you stay there until morning." said the
imperious Barbara, with nod of her
pretty head, 81 will marry you"
''You VOW it,"
II VOW it."
Ernest turned straightway and followed
the lad in waiting through the dim rooms
and passages, up echoing stairs, along
narrow, damp ways, where rats scuttled
before them, to low chamber. The boy
looked pale and scared, and evidently
wanted to hurry away but Ernest made
him stay until he took survey of the
very large and full Of recesses, with high
windows in them, which were barred
across. He remembered that old grand
sire Ferros had been crazy several years
before his death, so that this precaution
had been necessary for the safety of him.
self and others. In the center of the room
stood a coffin; beside it was placed
chair. The room was otherwise perfectly
empty.
Ernest stretched himself in the coffin.
"Be kind enough to tell Miss Barbara
that it's good fit," said he. The boy
went out and shut the door, leaving the
gunsmith alone in the dark.
Meanwhile Barbara was talking with
the blacks mith in the keeping room.
Barney" said she, pulling her hands
away from his grasp when he would have
kissed her. 'Tve test to put to you be-
fore I give you my answer. There is a
corpse lying in the chamber where my
grandsire died-lying in the untenanted
wing of the house. If you dare sit with
it there all night, and let nothing drive |
you from your post, you will not ask me
to marry you in vain"
"You will give me light and bottle |
of wine, and book to read?"
Nothing"
care these all the conditions you can
offer me, Barbara ?"
"All. And if you get frightened you
need never look me in the face"
"Pll take them, then"
So Barney was conducted to his post by |
the lad who had been instructed in the |
secret, and whose voluntary stare at |
Earnest's placid face, as it lay in the coffin,
was like corpse. He took his seat, and |
the boy left him alone with the darkness,
rats and thecoffin.
Soon after young Fritz, the tanner, ar
rived, fattered and hopeful, from the |
fact that Barbara had sent for him. |
/" Haveyou changed your mind, Barbara?"
he asked
''No; 1 shall not until know that you
can do really brave thing"
"What shall it be? / swear shall sat |
isfy you, Barbara"
81 have proposal to you. My plan
requires skill as well as courage"
"Tell me-"
'Well, in this house is man watching |
corpse. He has sworn not to leave his
post until morning. If you can make
him do it, shall be satisfied that you are
as smart and as brave as l require a hus-
band to be-"
'eWhy, nothing is so easyl" exclaimed
Fritz. l can scare him away. Furnish |
me with sheet, show me the room, and |
go to your rest, Barbara. You will find |
me at the post in the morning"
Barbara did as he required, and saw
the tanner step blithely away at his task.
Tt was then nearly twelve o'clock, and |
she sought her own chamber.
Barney was sitting at his vigil and so
far all had been well. The night seemed |
very long, for he had no means of count |
ing the time At times thrill went
through him, for it seemed as if he could
hear low, suppressed breathing not far
away, but he persuaded himself it was
the wind blowing through the crevices of
h old - l. Il. Il