The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-08-22

cOulu Beb away, almOsb bnOuteu TIC
landlord. "Gun2 Yes, two on 'em If
you want. I wish my wife wasn't sick.
1t won't do for you to arrest him all
alone, and without any warrant, but try
for q chance to fill him full of buck
shot,"
1t was somewhat dark when Gilbert
Morse began to retrace, on foot, the
road he had so recently driven over, for
the 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
homestead, but made detour through
the woods and came out beyond, not far
from the saw-mill.
"Better go on toward the main road"
he muttered: ''it's early yet, and he's
likely to come in from that direction"
"Hullo!' he exclaimed, moment
later, as he stood among the sheltering
shadows of clump of trees, "three Of
'em. 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 asso-
ciates, returning from an expedition
somewhat more successful than his own,
and they had promptly agreed with him
that the circumstances called for the
infection of the extreme penalties known
to the laws of their guild.
It was already getting we'll into the
evening, and rural retiring hours are
notoriously early.
Not that slumber was likely to come
very promptly to the Van Vleeck family
that night, though the squire had
calmed down a good deal and was un-
usually silent.
Mrs. Van Vleeck had 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 the
safer, but how about tramps ?
The big rufian, as has been said,
was not without some traces of q vicious
intellect, and was quite competent to be
the leader of little affair like that.
"Set the saw mill first" he said.
"All the men folks III start for it to put
resi-, and we kin work the house quick
and get to the woods and over the hills
as safe as 80 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-notlling easier
than to start fire.
"Now, boys, for the big barns. We
kin wait there till this 'uns we'll Ago
ing"
They made run for it, but the only
reason they were not more closely pur-
sued, or even fred upon, was that Gill
bert Morse deemed it his duty to stop
and scatter the growing blaze behind
the saw mill. 1t was not hard to do,
although the fire was beginning to come
up very well 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 minutes
The big barn was better than either of
| the small ones, because further from the
house and more easy of entrance. 1t
contained no horse, and vas 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-going Et
"Can't say edzactly," growled one of
the smaller rnffians, peering through the
door. "And there's a feller runnin'
acrost the field"
"Here goes then r. exclaimed the
leader, as he caught up a wisp of hay
and scratched match. "Now, boys,
I'm coming. Make for the shed. Well
work it.
A slippery thing is hay-mow, and
uncertain 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 mows.
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 half stunned heap, with a
vast pile of kindling hay on top of him,
to choke and stife him with its smoke as
he limped about in the suffocating dark
ness and vainly groped for way to
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
mastiffs bounded out to see what might
be doing there.
Squire Van Vleeck and his "hands, u
old and young, were out in the shortest
order, and the female part of the house
hold were not far behind them; but il
was too late to save the big barn, what
ever might be done for the others.
Well for the squire's pockets that he
had built them some distance apart.
AS for Gilbert Morse he was calmly
reloading his old duck gun when the
squire discovered his presence.
"I'm going in minute" he remark.
ed, coolly. "Don't be in hurry. I've
put out the fire at the saw mill, and
think peppered the fellow lying there
by the shed. If I'd been little quicker
1 might have saved the barn."
$50 you've been out here this winter
night lookin' out for my property, hey
ye9" said the half-bewildered squire.
"The barns gone, and no mistake; bu,
we kin save the Others.