Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-12-31
Selected 5elistellanp,
A THRILLING ADVENTURE.
''cur THIS OUT. 1T MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

''cUT THIS OUT. 1T MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE"
| have never been engaged in any
business that required the use of printers
ink, and my name has never been dis
played in the columns of newspaper,
yet | believe there is not in all the world
a man who has been benefited more
than | by an advertisement. | think
when | have told you my story you will
agree with me. Many years ago, while
travelling on horseback through sparse
ly settled portion of southern Kentucky,
| stopped one rainy, dismal night at
little log cabin that stood in small, i'm
perfect clearing in large forest and
asked permission of the proprietor to re-
main over night. | had no sooner been
assured that | was welcome than | re-
GREETED not having rushed on in spite of
the horrible state of the weather and
roads, for there was something about the
appearance of my host that sent thrill
of indefnablc dread through me There
was nothing particularly repulsive about;
him-he was a middle-aged, powerfully
built backwoodsman, with bushy whisk-
ers, good specimen of the hardy class
among which had been circulating for
months, but there was an unexplainablc
something in the expression of his face
and the tones of his heavy voice when he
replied to my request for shelter that |
did not like should have continued
my journey, but the gathering gloom
warned me of night of Egyptian dark
ness, and | was not at all acquainted
with my forest route. | suffered my
horse to be led away to shelter, and en-
tered the house.
The building was very rude one and
was divided into two compartments, q
large chimney running up through the
centre, furnishing fre-places for the
equally barren rooms There was nc
one present but a middle-aged woman OF
unusually large proportions, who. sup
pose, was the wife of the man whose APP.
pearance had filled me with apprehen.
sions Of danger She gave me quicl
searching from head 10 foot, and asked
me if ] wanted supper. replied that
did. She then vanished into an adjoin.
ing apartment, and soon the spitefu
gymnastics of an old skillet on the rock
hearth convinced me there was a proba-
bility Of my wants being attended to.
A bright fire blazed in the fireplace oil
the room which / occupied, and the
thought occurred to me that / had better
look over some money had received in
the morning, and reassure myself that
had received no countcrfeits. While en-.
gagged in examining the roll, happened
to glance towards the rude window at my
side. As did so, face that had been
pressed close to the pane was suddenly
removed, but not quick enough to pre-.
vent me from recognizing the dark feat
ures of my host. He had been watch
ing me. / had no sooner returned my
money to my pocket than he entered the
room, and his manner convinced me that
he imagined had not detected his pres
cnce at the window He alluded, pleas
antly enough, to the darkness of the
night, and hoped was comfortable, and
upon assuring him that | was, passed in
to the adjoining room, and soon an omi-
nous lull in his wife's preparations for
supper convinced me that he was making
a pantomimic disclosure to her of his re-
cent steathy discovery. A strong sense
of the danger in which was placed com
menced to operate disagreeably upon me,
and to drive it off | produced late copy
of the Louisville journal, then edited by
the brilliant Prentice, from my pocket
and attempted to read. The first thing
my eyes encountered was small adver-
tisement, headed "Cut this QUIT
may save your life"
Here's funny coincidence said
to myself. lust as | was trying to divert
my mind from the fear of imminent dan
ger, along comes quack advertiser with
a recipe for an escape" and yielding to
natural propensity for doing foolish
things, | opened my penknife and cut
out the advertisements il was not over
half an inch broad and as | ran the sharp
blade around it it cl1ded my fingers and
futtered to the floor. While searching
for the fugitive, my gigantic hostess an
nounced in harsh. masculine tone that
nv supper was readv