Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-02-27

vantage. Cramped within such limits
| his giant power of mucsle was no
wholly available; he could neithel
kick nor strike with full force anc
hence his chief hope rested upon hi.
ability to lift US up lid and all. Ever
then, in the absolute terror that nigh
have been supposed to posses her, 9
queer feeling of exultation sprang uT
in Julia's heart.
Il was right, Mary" she cried
They won't think me fool now, will
they2 lshan't be ashamed to see Har-
ry Irving
Poor Julia under the cireum-
stances. the idea was really ludiclous
but nature will everywhere assert her
self, and Julia hated coward. Thumpl
thump thumpl Lid, and side, and
end alternately felt the cramped, but
powerful blows. Then came the lift
the steady, straining, desperate lift;
and Julia cheered me when the cover
shook and rose and trembled.
He can't get out, Maryl We are
safe; only keep your full weight on
the lid; and don't be nervous neither /;
it is almost morning"
She knew it was not one o'clock.
But one o'clock came. How |
wished it was fyel And two o'clock
came, and three and we hoped that
our prisoner had yielded to fate which
must now apresr to him inevitable. A
small aperture at one end of the chest.
where there was a fracture in the wood,
supplied him with air; and hence we
could not hope that he would become
weak through suffocation. He was ev-
identity resting from the necessity of
the case, for his exertions had been
prodigious. There was faint streak
of morning in the sky; and there,
upon the chest, we sat and watched for
the CLEAN to broaden.
Suddenly, there was tremendous
struggle beneath us, as if the ruffian
had concentrated all his energies in
final effort. At my end of the chest
there was crash, and Immediately the
Germans feet protruded through the
aperture that they had forced in the
board. So horrible now appeared our
position, that | uttered scream, such
as do not think | ever at any other
time have had power to initiate. Ibid
not know that L was about to scream,
SO terrible was the fright of which this
was the involuntary outburst.
70 get off the lid, in order to defeat
the movement through the chest-end,
would have instantly been our destruc-
ton; therefore, still bearing our
weight on the cover, we caught at the
projecting feet. In doing this, howev-
er, We partially lost our balance; and |
a sudden bracing up of the muscular |
shape below so far forced open the lid,
that the head, arms and shoulders of |
Hans Schmidt were thrust forth, and,
with fearful clutch, he seized Julia
by the throat. Horrifed by the spec
tacle, | threw myself forward, bearing
down with all my might upon his |
chest.
just then, heavy crash was heard |
at the door below, the foot-tramps
springing towards us as if some person
we're tearing up the staircase with the
full conviction that this was an hour of |
need. The dim daybreak hardly re-
vealed his identity, as he rushed into
our room; but | had a faint percep-
tion that young Harry Irving had come
to US IN our peril.
Sometime during the morning / |
found myself in bed, with Julia and
several of the neighboring women
standing about me. Julia clasped me
in her arms. and cried, she was so re-
joiced that the fright had not killed |
me
we are safe, Mary" she said.
Harry Irving was near the house all
night. He returned, after seeming to
go home. 1t was not right, he said to
for us to remain here all |
night, especially as our father was
known to have money in the house.
So he kept out of our sight, but re-
mained near. The least scream he
would have heard, as he at last heard
yours; but ! am glad you did not scream
before, Tor now we have had an expe-
rience, and know what we can do. 1t
was tedious; but | don't wish TO be
thought afraid of my shadow, and I'm
glad we had to hold the chest down a
gO0n Wnlle,
Hans Schmidt had evidently deoid-
ed upon the chest as a safer hiding
place than that in which Julia first
him. Upon the very morn
ing on which Harry Irving stunned
and secured the rufian in our room,
the officers of justice were searching
for the old Hessian scoundrel, as a
murderer, and he was soon
convicted and hung.
Julia became the wife of Harry Ir-
wing. and a most excellent wife she
was. Magnanimous and unreyenge-
full, she was perhaps the only one VINO
felt no qualification at the fate of old
Hans Schmidt, but rather a pity for
the ignorance which had stepped him
in crime.