Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-03-12
THE LONE CABIN.


| ing of the sort. Somewhere i had crossed
the right trail and taken the wrong one.
Almost any traveller in the border sections
would have been glad to thus stumble up
on place for food and refreshment. Not
80 with myself. In the breast-pocket OF
my coat carried five thousand, four hun
dred and ninety odd dollars, United States
money. had received this amount from
Maj-Gen. 4. NJ. Lacy, and II was to be car
ried through TO Fort L, and placed In
the hands of Col. Asa f. Southard, TO do
fray necessary army expenses.
"Get through at your best gait, Carnes,"
said the major. "The money is long since
overdue, and Southard's rather irascible
temper must have been tried to the ut
most. You know how the soldiers get to
growing IL uncle is at all delinquent in
paying up. Ride in q careless manner,
but be careful. don't think that any one
dreams of the arrival of this money-save,
Of course, the mail agent and the clerk
who delivered me the packages"
1 was directed over an unfamiliar Sec
tion, hence my losing of the right route.
l considered 1t my safest plan, so long as
had blundered upon the verge of the set
tlement, to boldly enter and rest as an or
dinary traveller would do. Should 1 push
huiriedly on, 1 might, by that very act,
excite suspicion.
There were only two men in the bar
room when l entered the landlord and
the hostler. Under his familiar cordiality
the landlord furtively eyed me in man
ner that made me wish 1 was we'll done
with my job, but 1 reassured myself with
the thought that II was the consciousness
Of the responsibility reposing upon me
that caused his glances to disturb me. Be-
fore l had finished my supper two more
travellers rode up, and called out for the
hostler and ordered drinks, or rather one
of them came in with the orders, and the
other threw himself down on bench out
side and began loading a huge pipe. Stroll
ing carelessly about the room, l managed
TO glance out of the window. My heart
leaped into my throat, for in the man out
side rocognized-from description OF him
Bill Wolf-one of the most desperate
characters that ever figured In the annals
of border ruffianism. There was the huge
rad mustache, the thick, hairy throat, and
the shoulders hunched up around his head,
suggesting the shape of mammoth clam
and the voice with deep down intona-
tion like The plop, plop, plop OF water hur-
riedy leaving a jug. If the description Of
the notorious renegade is inelegant, it has
the merit of trlthfulness, and must, there
fore be excused.
I went through with my supper in form,
but whatever appetite might have felt on
my entrance into the inn had vanished
with my discovery. Aner a time the 9TH
or fellow came in, having been out, he
laid, TO look after the animals, and they al
50 ordered supper. Now was my time to
leave, which l did in . careless manner,
passing so ne commonplace remarks with
the two men as crossed the dim, smoky
bar-room. AS they seemed to take no no.
tice of me, whatever, felt my spirits rise
with hope that should make a safe tran
sit. 1t was quite duskish outside, but the
hostler was fitting about the stable with
his lantern, which emitted but little more
efrulgent light than a whito bean would
have done, but he graclously brought out
my stccd at the order, and, mounting,
thankfully trotted away. The moon-a
little past the full-would make her debut
in something more than an hour amer sun
set, and 1 pushed along at a smart tIot so
as to get we'll out upon the plains and into
the right trail before that time. The ami
NAL went along at an assuring gait, and l
was feeling infinitely relieved at my prov
idential escape from contact with the des-
perate characters whom had left at the
settlement, when my acute, trained, ever
alert ears detected the sound of swift rid
ing. In which drectionI From behind
me, as the mildly floating breeze blew
from that quarter. The face of the prairie
in this section was a little rolling, but not
so as TO afford any shelter and not a shrut
or bush dotted the expanse for miles.
, drew up horse one moment TO listen. Nc
chance travellers ever rode like that. Il
4 meant pursuit.
4 gave my steed CALLING lash and she
broke into a convulsive gait, hove hel
! body up with one or two plunges, stun
A bled, going down from her knees TO hel
y nose, and pitched me literally heels ovel
head. For an instant was paralyzed will
astonishment, the next / seized the bit L
n fetch up the fallen animal, which had II
# the brief mishap undergone a strang
A metamorphosls. She had lost her whit
It face on or in the grass, and, passing m!
II hand between her eyes, found the hal
, was wet In an instant l was examining
!, the white legs-my horse had been pecul
- iarly marked with white legs and face
4 and found these sticky with whitewash
n What then? Simply, my trappings ha,
II been transferred to another animal, gotte
- up to exactly represent mine in the eve
. ming. The discovery brought an appallin
Interpretation Of the oncoming horsemen
il gave the horse the whip as soon as his un
, stable legs were well under him, and sen
K him securing on ahead, while ran of
N the right, making for little hollow nea
,r a shallow, dry ravine. Here to my pre-
n found establishment 1 discovered a Ion
l. cabin or hut, about the dimensions of a
,t ordinary country log-house, and impul
/ sively dashing up to this, l gave rapi
~ succession of knocks. A shrinking, pal
:. and covering woman opened II.
n. "What is II" was her first question, ne
a. ticing my breathless haste.
at Had l stopped for moments reflectio
J. upon the strangely isolated position of In
te cabin, should not have pushed In by he
. withthe explanation;
rs SIS there any chance TO hide herein
a. horse has thrown me and l bellve part
al of desperadOes are close up with me-"
a. noticed that the moon was coming u
dry and red in the east, when she mechaI
icall closed the door behind me, before
had finished my explanation.
t.No No. ihara is No nIaoa - ha o,oona,