The Lake County star., 1877-04-05

1t won't do for you to arrest him all
alone, and without any warrant, but try
for a chance to fill him full of buck
shot"
APs notion of law may have been
somewhat original, but his meaning was
full of public spirit.
1t was somewhat dark when Gilbert
Morse began to retrace, on foot, the road
he had so recently driven over, for the
J moon was not yet over the hills, but he
felt all the better for having the double
barreled duck-gun over his shoulder.
"Better than pistol for night-work," !"
he said to himself.
He did not keep the road up to the
the woods and came out beyond, not
far from the saw-mill.
Better 60 on toward the main road"
he muttered; "its early yet, and he's
likely to come in from that direction"
Hullo!" he exclaimed, a moment
later, as he stood among the sheltering
shadows of clump of trees, three Of
'emG The big fellows the same one.
They're making straight for the saw
mill. Bent on mischief, not doubt Of
it."
There was no earthly reason for any
sort of doubt.
The big tramp had met his two associ-
ates, returning from an expedition some
what more successful than his own, and
they had promptly agreed with him that
the circumstances called for the inflic-
tion Of the extreme penalties known to
the laws of their guild.
That is, in short, fire, and as much
plunder as possible.
1t was already getting we'll into the
evening, and rural retiring hours are no.
toriously early.
Not that slumber was likely to come
very promptly to the Van Vleeck family
that night, though the squire had
Gained down a good deal and was un-
usually silent.
Mrs. Van Vleeck bad kept very close
to her daughter all the evening, and had
taken the precaution to bring the two
dogs, both large ones, into the house.
The dogs and the family might be
safer, but how about tramps2
The big ruffian, as has been said, was
not without some traces of a vicious in
tellect, and was quite competent to be
the leader Of little affair like that.
"Set the saw-mill first" he said.
GAIL the men folks II start for it, to put
it out. Then the barns, to call away the
rest, and we kin work the house quick
and get to the woods and over the hills
as safe as so many foxes"
So they could indeed, if no mishap
came in to interfere.
The households must be in bed now.
A match, some kindlings and bits of
wood, on the opposite side of the saw
mill from the house-nothing easier
than to start fire.
"Now, boys, for the big barns. We
kin wait there till this 'uns we'll ago
ing"
They made a run for it, but the only
reason they were not more closely pur-
sued, or even fred upon, was that Gill
and scatter the growing blaze behind the |
though the fire was beginning to come
up very we'll when the desperadoes left |
it. The brands could all be kicked into |
the snow, and there was not trace of it
in three minutes after he got there.
But those three minutesi
The big barn was better than either of
the small ones, because further from the
house and more easy of entrance. 1t con-
tained no horses and was not even locked.
The three tramps were inside quickly
enough, and the big one climbed one OF
the high mows.
"Better light it up here" he said to
his friends below. "They can't get at
it to put it out. Say when. Is the saw
mill well a-goingl'
"Can't say, edzackly," growled one
OF the smaller ruffians, peering through
the door. "And there's feller runnin'
across the field"
"Here goes, then |" exclaimed the
leader as he caught up wisp of hay and
scratched a match. "Now boys, Pm
coming. Make for the shed. Well
work it."
A slippery thing is hay-mow, and un-
certain footing, in the dark. Instead of
coming down as he went up, the big
tramp found himself sliding, sliding
helplessly into that twenty foot gulf be-
tween the two m0ws.
In vain he grasped at the dry timothy
and clover, he did but scatter his lighted
wisp among the tinderish masses he
pulled down with him in his fall.
Down in halfstunned heap, with
vast pile of kindling hay on top Of him,
to choke and stifie him with its smoke
as he limped about in the sufocating
darkness and vainly groped for way of
escape.
Bang, bangl
One of the smaller tramps went down
amid storm of leaden pellets, but the
other reached the shed Just as the door
of the house swung open, and the two
mastifs bounded out to zee what he
might be doing there.
Squire Van Vleeck and his "hands,"
old aud young, were out in the shortest
order, and the female part of the house.
hold were not far behind them; but it
was too late to save the big barn, what
ever might be done for the others.
Well for the squire's pocket that he
had built them some distance apart.
As for Gilbert Morse, he was calmly
reloading his duck-gun when the squire
discovered his presence.
marked, coolly. "Don't be in hurry.
think peppered that fellow lying there
! might have saved the barn."
80 you've been out here this winter
night lookin' out for my property, hev
yeW said the halfbewildered squire.
1.-THE barns gone, and no mistake; but
we kin save the Others"
The old squire was just the man to be
steadied by an actual calamity; but,
while his "hands " were doing what little
could be done in the way Of fre-de-
partment, he strobe straight for the two
tramps.
The one who had been in the way of
the buckshot would never answer any
more questions, but the one the dogs
were holding down gave some informa-
ton.
Where's the man that attacked my
daughter this afternoon 2" asked the
squire, sternly.