Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-03-12
THE DOUBLE DANGER.

THE DOCBLE DANGERs
Among the earliest setter of Wood
stock, beautiful town IN the Greer
Mountain State, was man by the name
of Silas Sloey, who had left his early
home near the sea, and following the
windings of the new Connecticut, had
at last hitched upon place In the
wilderness, where he erected his cabin.
and then commenced an onslaught upon
the giants of the forest that reared
their heads in stately grandeur about
him, but gave way beneath his relent-
less strokes, and in couple of years he
had quite an open space encircling his
cabin. During this time he had lived
alone, but when the second autumn
came another journey was undertaken
to that old home by the sea, and when
he returned young wife bore him COM
pany, to share with him the joys and
privations incident to a pioneer.
Three years came and went, and the
clearing had greatly enlarged its bor-
ders, although no arm but his own Ia
bored within its bound. The trees that
at first had come close up to the cabin,
had now retreated to a respectable dis
lance, and the ground they had once
occupied was now usurped by flourish
ing crops that cheered the heart of the
settler, and encouraged him to still
greater exertion.
The three years spent in the forest by
the young couple had been those of
peace and contentmeGt. A son was born
to them at the commencement of the
second year of their married life, and
who was, at the time of the adventure
we are about to relate transpired, nearly
two years of age, and as bright a little
fellow as ever cheered the hearts of
parents, whose very life seemed bound
up In that of their child.
The nearest neighbors Of the Sloeys
were more than three miles away
through the forest, so it was seldom
that they saw others than themselves.
The settler was too much occupied with
his work to pay much attention to max
ing visits, and the distance was so great
that it was not safe for his wife to go
alone, as the forest swarmed with wild
beasts, which rendered the night hide
Gus with their cries. Bears and pam
theirs abounded, but the wolves were most
to be dreaded and proved the greatest
annoyance for often they would gather
around the cabin at early dusk and keep
up their horrid cries until the early
gray of the dawn sent them bowling in
to the dim aisles of the forest and up
the dark ravines among the mountains,
where shadows almost like those OF
night lurked all through the day.
loAa Ia
called the settler to the nearest settle
ment of Importance in that section,
which CHANGED to be about eight miles
distant and he set out early in the
morning. telling his wife she need not
look for him before nightfall, as it was
very uncertain what time he would ac'
complish his business, and it might be
that he would not be at home till late In
the night, but come he would before be
slept, unless some unforeseen event In
terposed to prevent. Bending over his
child that was sleeping in the bed hs
kissed it, and then having bestowed tht
same mark of affection upon his wife
he babe her be careful not to stir from
the cabin or to allow the child to wandel
from her sight for fear that some harm
might come to them from the wild
beast. With this caution, which sh,
promised readily to observe, he threw
his rife over his shoulder and took hi
way across the clearing, and his wifi
watched him from the doorway unit
the forest thicket hid him from he
sight.
The morning had given promise of
beautiful day, which assurance was wei
kept until little past meridian, whel
the wind changed to the eastward, an
dark clouds began to sbscure the sky t
the south and east, giving strong ind
cations that storm was nigh at hand
Busy with her work and the care of he
boy, Mrs. Sloey did not notice the az
preaching storm until near nightfal
when the sudden darkness that SCENE
all at once to throw a deep gloom abou
the cabin reminded her that the nigh
and storm were close at hand, and &c
ing to the doorway she gazed anxiousl
toward that point in the forest whenc
she expected to get the first sight of be
husband.
Although ner gaze was long an
earnest, it was not rewarded by glmps
of her husband then with glance 9
the dark clouds that seemed to hem th
little clearing In as with hugh pal
she tried to calculate how long it woul
be before the rain would begin to fal
and to guess the distance her husban
might be away, and the chance he ha
of reaching home before the storm.
Standing in the doorway the gloo'
seemed tie her to deepen every momen
while the wind that had been sighin