The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-12-25
A WILD-GOOsE CHASE.

aisv, keep the gun on full cock and ali
ready. but never shtir a limb till i give
the curlew's cry, and then look out, for
the birds II be Just within shot of ye. y
SO spoke Shawn, my Herculean bench
man, as he laid the las. bunch Of heather
on my quivering body, and having sat
isfied himself that | was perfectly well
concealed from human sight, he pre-
pared to creep off to the spot where he
had seen the wild-geese alight, in order
60 drive the unconscious victims directly
over my head. nodded as he gave his
instructions, and ere lac crept away
promised implicitly 10 obey his COM
mauds. But l felt any thing but com
Portable ia my novel position. Ny bed
was the bare Irish bog-land, oOzy and
soft with the soaking OF the heavy win
Ser rains, my covering the half-yithered
heather which Shawn had uprOoted
from the hillside. And the month was
March, There had been no snow in
Storport for many weeks past; the hills
all around me were black and deSolate
as the sky which doomed above; but the
bitter March wind came creeping over
the bill. and sinOte me with chilly
hands. lay patiently for some time,
the sportsman-like ardOr in my heart
preventing the wind from utterly freez-
ING my limbs; but st length by patience
got exhausted, and began TO stir. Sud
denly I heard the faint whistle CT the
c11rier: two minutes after 1 saw a flock
OF wild-geese pass almost directly over
my head. l fred aimlessly, and
missed.
Then / found that my garments were
completely soaked with bog water, and
THAI my limbs had sunk several inches
deep IN the oozy ground-nay, more,
tina; they were only prevented from
sfukoe farther by some obstruction
(which was so hard and cold that Il
made my bones ache. My first care
was 20 exhume nay half buried limbs,
NV next to unearth the substance which
had prevented Inc from sinking utterly.
This latter proved 70 be no easy matter,
but with the help of the spade which
shawn had brought with him to pre-
pare my DOGGY bed, / at length sue
cccded in clearing away good deal Of
earth and discovering that my life-pre-
server was deal box some five feet
EOnc. stained almost black with bog
water, and fastened down with half Il
dozen rusty nails.
I mad heard, during my chiIdhood's
DAYS, Of fortunate people being enriched
BY the discovery of buried treasures,
hut, | need hardly add, all such roman
tic ideas had long since vanished from
my mind: and vet, as I gazed at that
pecuEar-looking box, felt as if cold
hand had passed over me, and q sue
ccssion Of the widest thoughts sUrged
Through my brain. Exhume and open
il Z must; and the wish became stronger
within me when Shawn, who soon re-
turned from his goose-driving, did his
best 70 dissuade me from such a pro-
ccedirg.
q. SURE It's no affair of ours, yer
honor" said Shawn, looking at the same
t5ie so profoundly uncomfortable as to
cause my curiosity 70 increase. "Maybe
its little potheen that the boys have
buried
Bur cut him short, and insisted that
he should assist to exhume and open the
box. Seeing that was determined, he
Al length set to work, but he was so slow,
and evidently so unwilling, that at length
INV patience got exhausted. l took the
shade from his hand. inserted it in the
GreviCe upon which Shawn had been
working, and with one powerful wrench
forced off the lid. We both recoiled in
h0rrOr-the box contained 4 corpse!
Alter the first shock of the discovery
was over, L looked again, and my dis
may increased tenfold.
Why, Shawn" exclaimed, I" if it
isn't
Yes, in troth," broke in Shawn !;
50 sure enoughit is" And we both stared
into the box again.
In order to explain the strange cir
cumstance3 which enabled me TO recOg-
niEe this corpse, must chronicle events
which took place several weeks before |
exhUmed it.
H.
On the fifteenth day Of February the
annual winter fair was held at Porta-
clare. The anticipation Of this day a.
ways created q good deal of excitement
IN the minds Of the peasants in and
arouud Storport, for il was always con-
ssituted q sort Of gala day; but the an
nauucement of the fair of 1877 brought
with :. whisperings IF woe to many q
home. The crops had been bad that
weak. aud the miserable half-starved
tcuaa,s had been unable 10 scrape to-
ge-nrr enough money to pay the rent,
~ the Proctor had summoned them
tu attend the sessions at Portaclare in
order that they might show cause why
they should not deliver up the whole
nj ,he.r worldly goods.
ON the eventful day, which was ush-
erred In with hurricanes of binding
slecr. I ordered Shawn to bring out the
horse and car, that we might drive into
Po-,aclare together. BY the time we
stared me hail had ceased to fall, but
=. .he wind blew bitterly, freezing
win It's icy breath the little pools on the
vv8y-side. and when we drove into Port
aclare / felt almost rs if nay blood was
frozen Il was midday by that time,
and, save for one or two decrepit old
lueu whom we had passed on the road,
We were the last to arrive.
What q gathering there was
The streets OF the little town
were 80 crowded that il was almost i'm
possible 70 make ones way along. In
che market-place beVies of rosy-cheekCd
servant-girls stood waiting to be hired ;
pigs grunted and squesled As the droy-
ers whipped them along; the shop-keep-
ers stood at their doors shrieking 60 the
Messengers 10 buy; the agent sat in the
COW parlor of the inn comfortably en-
loving bis glass of wine, gazing with a
smile into the wild wOe-begone faces OF
the creatures whom he had Summoned
thither, and determinedly shaking his
head ct every heart-broken appeal.