The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-16

reached the final stroke when Julia, lear
ing out of bed, flung herself upon an i'm
1hense chest at the further end of tn
room.
"Oh, Maryr she cried, "quick! quick
He is here! cannot hold the lid-he will
get OUT"
There was indeed some living thing in
side the chest; for, in spite of Julia
weight, the lid was lifted, and then, as tn
instinct of selfpreservation overcame m,
terror, sprang to her assistance.
Whom or what had we caught? Imae
inc yourself holding down the lid of
sh0wman's box. with boa-constricto
writhing beneath; or keeping cage-tol
IN its place by your own weight alone
with hyena struggling to tear his wa,
out and devour you.
But we were not long in suspense
Horrid cxecrations, half German, hal
English, chilled our very hearts, and W,
knew that there, in the midnight, only tn,
lid of an old chest was between ourselve.
and Hans Schmidt!
AT times it started up, and once or twice
his fingers were caught in the opening
Then, finding our combined weight toe
much for his strength, it would become
evident that he was endeavoring to force
out an end of the chest. But he could not
work to an advantage. Cramped within
such limits his giant power of muscle was
not wholly available; he could neither
kick nor strike with full force; and hence
his chief hope rested upon his ability to
lift us up, lid and all.
Even then, in the absolute terror that
might have been supposed to possess her,
queer feeling of cXultatiOn spr8ng up
in Julia's heart.
II was right, Mary" she cried. "They
won't think me fool now, will they?
sha'nt be ashamed to see Harry Irvingv'
Poor Julia! under the circumstances
the idea was really ludicrous; but nature
will everywhere assert itself, and Julia
hated Il coward. Thump! thump! thump!
Lid and side and end alternately felt the
cramped, powerful blows. Then came
the lift-the steady, straining lift, and
Julia cheered me when the cover shook
and rose and tremblcd.
HE can't get out, Mary! We are safe
only just keep your full weight on the lid,
and don't be nervous, either; it is almost
morning."
She knew it was not one o'clock.
But one O'Clock came. How I wished
it was five! And two O'Clock came, and
three and four; and we hoped that our
prisoner had yielded to his fate, which
must now appear to him inevitable.
small aperture at one end of the chest
where there was fracture in the wood
supplied him with air, and hence we could
not hope that he would become weak
through suffocation. He was evidently
resting from the very 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 sal
and sat and watched for the CLEAN tc
broaden.
Suddenly there was tremendous strug
gle beneath us, rs if the ruffian had con
centratcd all his energies in a final effort
At my end of the chest there was crash
and Immediately the Germans feet pro-
truded through the aperture that they had
forced in the board. So horrible now ap
peared our position that l uttered a
scream, siclf as do not think l ever al
any other time could have had the power
to initiate.
To get off the lid in order to defeat the
movement through the chest end would
have instantly been our destruction; there
fore, still bearing our weight on the chest
we caught at the projecting feet. In doing
this, however, we partially lost our bal
ance and sudden bracing up of the mus
cular 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.
Just then a heavy crash was heard al
the door below, the foot tramps springine
toward us as if some person were tearing
up the staircase with the full conviction
that this was an hour of need. The dim
daybreak hardly revealed his identity, but
had faint perception that young Harry
Irving had come to us in our peril.
Some time during the morning found
myself in bed with Julia, and several OF
the neighbors standing about me. Julia
clasped me in her arms and cried:
eve are safe, Mary! Harry Irving
was near the house all night. He returned
after seeming to go home. The least
scream he would have heard as he at last
heard yours; but am glad you did not
scream before, for now we have had an
experience and know what we can do"
Hans Schmidt had decided upon the
chest as a safer hiding.place than that in
which Julia had first discovered him.
Upon the very morning on which Har-
ry Irving stunned and secured the ruftian
in our room the officers of justice were
searching for the old Hessian scoundrel
as a supposed murderer, and he was soon
convicted and hung.
Julia became the wife of Harry Irving,
and most excellent wife she was. Mag
unanimous and unrcvengeful, she was per-
haps the only one who felt no qualification
at the fate of old Hans Schmidt, but rather
a pity for the ignorance which had stepped
IA