The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-11-01

Mothers poor little boys indeed and
indeed! Leap your mighty leaps,
Jerusalem; they none too large; your
great legs that Tam and Titus have 10
often made fun Of, are none too long
for their business now. How the splen-
did muscles throbbed beneath the tiny,
terrified bare feet No wondering
which was horse ana which was boy this
time. 1t was all horse now. There was
no will, no muscle, no nerve, no soul,
but the brave soul Of old Jerusalem.
Will he get us home Can he ever,
ever keep ahead 80 longl Oh, how tho
arrows fly by We shall be hit, we shall
be hit Oh, mother, mother, mother !!
"Tam, why doesn't father come to
meet us7 Why don't they do some
thing for us, Tam2 Has mother for
gotten us 7"
Tint, I think, must have been the
cruelest minute in all the cruel story.
And yet, perhaps, not so cruel rs the
minute when the mother. at the attic
window. gave one long, low, echoing
cry, and came, staggering from her
post, down stairs to say-still in that
strange voice TINT mothers such rs she
will have at such n minute: "John,
they arc hit; the arrow struck them
both. Let Inc to the kitchen window.
You stay ut the door. There's Just n
moment now"
There was but n moment, md like n
wild dream, the whole dreadful sight
came sweeping up, over the garden, into
the yard.
Now John could not see anything but
the mighty form OF the horse Jerusalem.
To this day. lie says that the saddle, to
his eyes, rs the magnificent creature
leaped by, was empty rs air. He only
saw the horse-and tho horse made
straight for tho barn.
But why did the savagcs pursue 4
riderless horsel And whooping and
shooting cruelty after it, into the barn
they plunged.
"The boys are on tho horse" III q
hoarsc whisper said the mother; ~ saw
them both. They are bleeding and
falling. Tho arrow has pinned them to-
gether, John, but they have kept their
seat"
"My boys are pretty good riders, "
said john, turning his white face round
with grim, fathers pride, even then ;
"brt even my boys can't keep horse
after they're shot through the body.
Fright has turned your brain, Susan"
l tell the story just rs it was told to
me and the way Of that was this : how
Jerusalem leaped into the barn, with
the boys, or so the mother thought,
bleeding upon his back ; how the say-
ages secured tho barn, the yard, the
garden, plundered little here and
there, and tltfully attacked ut intervals
the bNrricaded house; how John, brave
and white at one door, and Susan, white
and brave at tho other, abundance OF
powder and umflinching hearts, and the
love Of three helpless babies, drove
them by-and-bye sullenly away; how,
when they Ind been long, safe hour
gone, tho parents, shivering and sad,
crept out with white lips, little by little
rs they dared, to hunt for the bodies of
their murdered boys.
"They aiu't in the barn." said the
father, bringing his hand heavily across
his eyes. "I'll go to the woods. I sup
pose they scalped the little fellows and
left them there"
But the mother, when he was gone,
went around and around stealthily rs n
cat about the barn. Ah, blessings for
ever OH the mothers ear, and blessings
on the mothers eye!
From pile Of fresh earth thrown up
in the baruyard, little stream of blood
came trinkling down-and she saw it.
Deep from the middle Of the mound n
little cry came, faint, torrorstricken,
smothcrcd-but shc heard it.
To be sure. When Jerusalem went
leaping through the burn door, Just M
arrows length ahead of his pursucrs, of
tumblcd Tam and Titus, and out into
the barnyard, and down into tho pile Of
mud and gravel, deep and safe. And
about and about, and here and there, the
Indians had searched, and secured, and
grumbled-and gone; and there they
were.
Pinned together with the arrow I
Truly, yes. Just under the shoulder
and how they ever did it md lived, l
don't know.
I'm sure they never would have, but
for their brave, black.eyed little mother,
who picked them up and washed them
off, and carried them in (but she pulled
out the arrow hrst) and put them to bed,
anil bandagei. and contrived, and cared,
and kissed, mud cried, and prayed-and
they got we'll. They lived to be six feet
high !; and rs they are living now, ! pre-
sumo they measure six feet still.
1t is pretty long story, I know, but
1t is true one, for Two seen the arrow.
John gave the arrow to n gentleman :;
and tho gentlemen gave it to his ,laugh-
ter ; and the daughtor-no, she wouldn't
give it to mo; but I held it for five
minutes in the very hand with which l
write these words. And il that doesn't
prove that the story is true, what couldl
And Jerusaleml Oh, Jerusalem lived
to Il good old age, md was buried in the
barnyarl with great honors. And lam
and Titus cried, and John aud Susan
cried, and Betty, and the new, and the
newest, and tho very newest, and the
very, very newest, and all tho babies
crinl md H. Nynull hnye hnpn very aol