The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-02-10

lear danger, 1Of their nOff1Dlo ueeuS nau
completely terrorized the country, and
under the sway Of their lawlessness it
was fast becoming desert.
Alice counted them before she touch
ed q single rein and then in brief pc
riod Of time she loosened the horses and
quietly led them into small copse not
far away. The steeds did not refuse to
obey her guidanceship, and when she
had reached the copse, she struck them
with whip which she had found be-
meath IL saddle. 1t was smart blow
that she administered, and the horses
started forward and disappeared in an
instant.
Thus in few moments Ferguson s
Avengers had been deprived of their
horses.
Flushed with triumph, Alice Beau
champed returne to the house, and
again looked i'll upon its hilarious ten
ants.
She now held q pistol in her hand
a weapon which holster had granted
her, and shecrept to the end of the porch
before she halted. There was the flash
of vengeance in the dark eyes of the
partisan girl while she gazed upon the
party beyond the threshold. Once OF
twice she raised the pistol, but lowered
it again, as if playing with the life of the
leader of the six, whose burly form was
revealed by the light of the fire.
She saw the fowls, smoking and well
burned, placed on the table, and watch
ed the greedy men crowd around for
their shares. Their tongues and move
ments told her that stolen liquor was do
ing its accustomed work on all save the
giant, who had superintended the cook
ing of the late repast. This man appear
ed perfectly sober, and the angry glanc
es which he often cast at his comrades,
told that lie did not sanction their bac-
chanalian conduct.
"Come enough of this!'' he sudden
ly cried, rising from the table, which
had been dragged to the centre of the
room. ''Get up, boys, and let's be go
ing. I told you at Wiley's that you had
wine enough, but you must bring some
here and drink yourself stupid. Tom
Scott, and you Blakeson, I am ashamed
of you What would we do if gang
of rebels should catch us in this condi-
ton? !? You know the mercy we would
get, and yet you sit there as careless as
statues-drunk as old Bacchus himself. "
Then an expression of contempt pass
ed over the mans face, and, STOPPING,
he cried
Cup! up! the rebels are coming.'
But his cry of alarm did not infuse
much life into the men at the table.
One or two heads were raised, but the
drunken leer that made the faces hide
Gus was enovgh to provoke smile, even
from the mad tory.
"Men !" he sneered, contemptuously.
''Dogs! every one Of you. I've a mind
to ride down to the Pacolet swamp and
tell the rebels hiding there that the men
they hate are in their power. [ have
thought that [ commanded men, not
drunkards p and he struck the table
with the butt Of his pistol, but could not
rouse his stupid followers.
The next moment, with an oath on
his lips, he strobe to the door, which
he jerked open, and stepped upon the
porch.
"Curs, e such dogs as I lead !'' he his
sed. 81 suppose 1 must lead the hors
es up, and tie each fool in his own sad
die"
He was stepping from the porch for
the purpose of attending to the horses
which he supposed were still tethered
at the trees, when form rose before
him and he started back with gasp of
terror.
'Who in the mischief"
"Alice Beauchampe ~ was the inter
ruption of the apparition. ''The daugh-
ter Of the old man basely murdered by
your hands ! Down on your miserable
knees, Godfrey Lang, and beg for the
mercy you have never granted others
Down, say'
Perhaps the shadows of the window
sash did not permit him to see the pis-
tol that was clutched in the hand Of the
fearless girl, else his rashness might
have been curbed.
"Kneel to you2 Neverl" he cried.
The weapon which he raised dropped
before the flash that followed his last
words, and with groan of pain he stag
gered back to drop dead 'among his
drunken comrades.
Alice Beauchampe, amazed at her own
courage, stood silent amidst the smoke
of her own pistol. She saw the bacchan-
tes try to shake off their topper at sight
of their stricken leader, and one rose tc
his feet to fall as soon as he needed sup,
port
''Now for the swamp % she cried with
triu mph, and the next minute rushed
from the disgusting sight.
An hour passed away, and the drunk
en- tories began to recover their chief,
who he'd dropped to the floor, seemed tc
sober them with his cold face and star
ing eyes, and when they had almost re
covered their scattered wits, the foe
they dreaded was upon them.