The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-09-05

u bar-room, and making the knick-
nacks on the bracket over his head
dance madly to the vibrations of his
big, rough voice. But there he was,
and how he got in and established
himself on that sofa rs though he
owned the entire little establishment
and was considering whether he
should carry it off, ] cannot for the
life of me say. There he was and
protested that he chad just us soon
wait for Hank Us not"
1t was a monstrous lie, of course;
he never knew my precious Harry,
whom he dared to call "Hank," and
he had come here to rob tho house,
to carry off my best dresses and Har-
ry's silver goblet, given to him by n
grateful patient who never paid his
bill. Was he burglar; or an es-
capped lunatic; or a wicked murderer,
going about to kill people and burn
down their houses, just to make a
sensation in the newspapers? |
could not tell; but us [ gave up all
hopes of coaxing him out of the
house, kindly thought Of batting
him with cake and wine while | stole
up stairs, rolled up my silk dresses
and escaped by the back door, to in
tercept the children and Nora, and
alarm the neighbors up on Decatur
street. But there was my husbaud's 5
precious goblet, on which my agon-
lied gaze rested whenever | turned it
away from the horrible fascination
of the gentleman from Reno.
He was plainly cunning man,
and was playing with me as " cat
plays with a mouse. lie talked
long aud loud Of the wonders Of
Reno, Of liz growth, its glories, its
brilliant future and its present great
ness. "Why, marm,' said he, -four
months ago there wasn't stick nor
stake to show where even the rail .
road was going to run. Not plank
was set up nor II lot run out-but
to-day there's big town doing nigh
on to five hundred thousand dollars
worth Of trade, and lots arc going off
Ike hot cakos; you can't get around
for the teams there is ia the streets;
goods sell for oighty-fvo per cent,
profit, and last week we had quite IL
pcart race, u ball at the 'E( Dorado,
tour ruuaEays, tolorablo lively
shooting scrnpo, new paper started
and four funeral -
To this catalogue of attractions ]
listened mechanically, knowing full
well that the dreadful man was ma
king up everything he sAid--amusiug
me with fabrlcations and playing on
my ignorance, [ had heard Of such
u place as Reno, but | had not been
able to keep track of the new towns
which sprinS up along the line of the
Pacific Railroad, aud really could
not say whothor Reno was in Cali
fornia or Utah. But here was a
red-laced man, suuburnt and with II
sticking plaster on his lip, who said
he was n citizen of Reno Where
was Reno? Was there any such
place? Was he not II base impostor,
pretending to know my husband in
order to ingratiate himself into my
esteem before he set fire to the house
and carried off my Bismarck silk
dress and our best China? Oh
would Norah never come? And
when would Harry be at homo ?
No Sister Ann, of Blue Beard
story, ever gazed more anXiously
from the top Of tower for the com
ing of the avonginG brothers, than |
watched for the return Of that Norah
She came ut length, and seemed an
angel of light rs she toilcd through
the sand, dragging one child by eth
or haud, while third clung fast to
her skirts in the rear. At last [ had
compapionship in my torrors; but |
found Norah no assistance, for as
soon rs communicated TO her the
dreadful intelligence, and she had
gained through the crack of the door
one peep OF the monster sitting on
my rubby plush sofa, she threw her
apron over her head, and, rocking
herself to and fro, exclaimed, "Wir-
rah, wirrah, now, what will become
of the poor children ?"
l had great difficulty in keeping
her still and restraining her from de-
parting by the back door with her
prayor-book, Sunday bonnet, best
boots and FIVE hundred dollar United
States bond, which she had scwed up
in her mattress. She finally quoted
somewhat and agreed to get supper
though lamentins that she had not
a dose of poison to put in biscuit
for the gentleman from Reno, Norah
was more skeptical than l, even, i'll
regard to the town from which our
unwelcomo visitor professed to have
come. Rayno! Rayno r' she ox-
claimed Indignantly, Does think to
play the like of us for Josh ? !
There's no such place as Rayno in al
Californy, shure, unless it's some
dirthy hole that's lived in by the
haythen Chinee."
When | returned to the parlor /
found little Minnie perched upon
the mouster's knee, telling don't
know what about the wealth Of jow-
els and silver her mamma had; while |
the others, older and wiser, stood
off at discreet distance, AMI eyed
the mysterious stranger suspicious
ly. He pressed his patched lips, on
the Deachv cheeks of nv DARLING