The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-06-16

placing one at every conceivable spot
that could be scaled. But all this,
though il banked Phil for little while.
was not sufficient TO keep him in bar
racks. and after few days he found a
spot behind the forge, in the far away
ungnaried.
And well ii might be, for in addition
to its height, which was nearly ten feet,
the top Of the wall was thickly covered
with pieces of broken bottles. However,
+ Phil mat This difficulty by CARRYING his
Z ed-rng with him and using it a. a pad
I TO protect him from the sharp edges of
the glass, and, 10 make long story
short, got out night after night in this
way, without being suspected, for he al
ways contrived to be back again, and in
4 his bed. before the check roll was taken.
/ We'll, one night Dillon was more a g
/ gressive than usual. He had been drink
4 ing heavily, and said some things that
proved too much for PILLS patience.
/ One word led to another, and the lad
/ blurted ont something about the old
mans murder.
Il didn't mean It, jim, he SAID to
I me, hen telling methe story afterwards
and the minute the words were out of
my mouth ! would have recalled them
| But it was too Late. You never saw
/ man look as Di4Ion looked at me when
they were spoken He'd have murder
ed me, sure enough, if we had been
alone. His eyes glared at me like some
wild animals as he rose and staggered
half expecting he was going to make "A
rush at me. But he didn't. only NUT
tering something as he left the room
which took notice Of. You know what
he meant
Which did. for happened to be
| sergeant on the main guard that nighr
and was called to the gate to see the yer,
| man himself, who told me that private
| of our regiment, Burke by name, wa~
ont of barracks ] went mp to his room
and found that il was 80, and Of course
there was only one thing to he done
my duty. / woke the corporal and when
Phil came in, as he did soon afterwards.
he was made prisoner of. The colonel
was furious; he thought he had prevent
ed the possibility of anyone getting out
OF the barracks unknown, and tried hard
to persnf de Phil to tell him now he had
done it. even offering to lie him off thar
time if he did So But Burke kept hi
secret, though it was some time before
he ventured out again in the same way.
But "a man in love isn't to he held
/ back hv prudential considerations, and
! Phil Burke a last resolved to risk pun
| ishment again for the sake of seeing his
sweetheart, whom he had not met since
the right he had been betrayed. II was
winter time and there had been heavy
/ fall of snow for several days. which wa,
so far in his favor that the sentries were
not likely to move far from their boxes;
and off he started to the old spot one
night when all in his room were fast
asleep, clamlered to the>te9 Of HE walf
and dropped safely outside. The rest Of
! the story 1 can tell yon better in his
own words:
"When l got down he said, 4 wrap
ped my cloak well AROUND me, for it was
bitter cold, and was jnst preparing To
start on the road, when, directly in front
Of me, I saw footsep in the snow. 1t
was not mine; had not stirred an inch,
and my first thought was that somebody
else had chosen the same way of getting
ont Wondering who it could he,
commenced to walk forward; but !
hadn't got half dozen yards before
stopped short, with sweat pouring down
my forehead for all it was so cold, for
saw first one footmark, then another,
proceed in the snow before me, as though
some one was walking in the same di-
rection with myself Had it been in
the opposite way think ] should have
been glad of the excuse to escape it; but,
as it was, summoned up all my cour-
age, and followed at a smart pace, which
was necessary to enable me to keep mp
with the spectral footstep, for such, in
spite of all my efforts to believe the
contrary, ! felt convinced it was. ]
think could have faced the hangman,
knowing that a few short minutes would
end my life with dogs fate, and being
| less afraid than | was with that myster-
ions proof Of an unseen presence before
my eyes. for beyond the impress in the
snow, nothing was to he seen. After
minute or two, however, my fears gave
place to feeling of overpowering curl.
ositv, and determined to follow the
| footstep, no matter where it shonld lead
me- At the same time, could not walk
directly in its track, but kept well away
to the other side of the road, the ghost
ly tread preceding me, showing sharp
and clear at every step, thOugh-and
| that was what frightened me most-each
one disappeared completely as the next
Bag o Nails'-I could see the lights
shining ont of the red -curtained WIN
| dow-when the thing turned into a gap
in the hedge, and continued along in
side ] kept close to it now, and, exclt-
ed as ] was, felt new, strange thrill as
the footstep suddenly stopped against a
! low brick wall that surrounded the gar
den of Mrs. Brandon's house.
From here the steps became slower
now besitating, growing fainter and less
clearly defined, till thew stopped alto
gether at spot about the center of the
wall, when, as | looked upon them, they
seemed to fade away before my eyes till
| looked upon nothing but the pnre, un
trodden snow, that lay piled up there in
a heap
What possessed me don't know, but