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

The path she had often traversed was
barely discernable; but she made good
headway, and reached her home without
incident. The silence Of the grave hung
about the forsaken place, and the lifting
of the latch send chill OF terror through
the young girls heart. Through the
kitchen, across the deserted parlor, and
up the stairs, she crept to the room
where she had left the object of her noe
turnal quest. The drawer of the old
bureau yielded without noise, and Alice
was drawing forth the garment when the
voices of men fell upon her ears
She started, dropped her prize, and
with her heart in her throat crept to the
window that overlooked the porch III
front of her house.
She could see nothing, for the night
was too dark; but the voices of men,
mingled with the champin9 of bits, con-
tinued to salute her ears
"This is old Beauchampe's house."
said one. cit has been deserted for
several days. The daughter, frightened
by the manner in which we treated the
father, has fled somewhere for protec-
ton
These words drove every vestige of
color from the listeners face ; they told
her who the men below were, though
she could not see even the outlines of
their persons. One week prior to her
visit, her father, one of Kings Noun.
tain heroes, was found dead in palmet-
Avengers lay on her breast. Then she
had deserted her home, knowing that
the hand that had struck the father
would not spare the daughter.
Well might the lone girl tremble when
she found herself 50 near the dreaded
scourges of the country, and she did not
move until she heard the door opened
by kick, and heavily booted feet in the
room below.
Then a calm thought of her situation
drove fear from her heart, and Alice
Beauchampe prepared to perform one of
the most daring deeds of the Revolution
ary War.
The noise in the house increased, and
oaths and rude jests preceded and fol-
lowed the lighting of fire on the
hearth
Alice, who had longed for sight of
Il l,1 10 hp
bureau where there was crack in the
floor. Then applying her eye to the
peep hole, she saw six wild-looking men
directly beneath her.
They were, beyond doubt, the Aven
gers of Ferguson's death, for several
masks lay on the table, along with three
or four bottles Of wine which they had
taken from some patriots cellar. Tall,
rough, devil-may- -care-looking fellows
they were, armed with pistols, carbines
and sabres, the kind of men who never
court the smiles of mercy or listen to
the pleading of innocence. Just such
fellows as they were, Alice had suppos-
ed them to be, for she had seen many of
the prisoners taken at Kings Mountain,
and she longed for the presence of
band of patriots. There were true men
in South Carolina at that time who would
have given their right arms for a chance
to exterminate the Avengers, aud Alice
knew where little party of patriots lay,
but alas they were not very near.
ssWe'l rest here and finish that wine!"
said one of the leaders of the band,
whose face told that already he had i'm
bibed freely. Bring in the poultry,
and on old Beauchampe's heorth we'll
prepare FEAST
at this command, one of the men left
the house, but soon returned, bearing
with him duck and several chickens,
from whose freshly wrung necks the
warm blood was dripping.
''How's the horses ?'' said one of the
Avengers, as the man flung the poultry
on the table.
standing like rocks" WIS the. reply.
''Such horses as these are don't need
watching, and, besides, there is not a
rebel within ten miles of this accursed
place."
"Why, there's the Widow Hartzell. !"
81 didn't think of her" was the reply.
"How bitterly old Hartzell hated us,
but we caught him at last"
"And presented him with breast-pin
Hal hal"
And the laugh went round the room.
Alice Beauchampe did not wait until
the laugh was ended while yet it filed
the house with its develish echoes, she
glided across the room to window that
looked out upon the dark palmetto
grove, behind the building.
There was no sash in the window, and
the cool winds of the night kissed the
paid cheeks of the partisan's daughter.
For moment she tried to pierce the
darkness beneath the window but, fail
ing in her endeavors, she crept over the
sill, and resolved to trust to fortune for
success.
The distance to the ground was not
very great, and the girl alighted without
injury.
Now she was free to make her escape
to the friends she had lately left but
immediate fight in that direction was
not her intention.
Heaven aid me-" she murmured, as
she glided around the old house and ap-
preached the horses which the tories