Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-19

mouth closed "'Tain'tno use robbin',
1 got plenty"
This was a revelation for which was
not prepared, and 1 requested JEFF to
enlighten me, when was informed that
he had persuaded his employer to adj
vance six months wages, and, further,
that he had sold his mothers twenty
five dollar COW to the butcher for thir-
teen dollars, and still further that he
| had slipped her watch from under the
pillow, and it was then in the recesses
of his clothes.
Elated at this evidence of his accom-
! plishments as a member of the "Dis-
NAL Band'-I mean the "Band of the
| Dismal Cave'-I embraced him and
pressed his hand with that grand elo-
quence whose only voice is silence. l
promoted JEFF at once. He should be
next to me in command.
And in order to fit him rs a member
of the band, after going through the
formalities of the oath myself, | handed
| JEFF my dagger and commanded him in
the opulence of stage bombast to
"swearV' The oath was u peculiarly
blood curdling one, with the collateral
maneuvers of drawing the dagger three
times across the throat, and making as
many plunges over the region of the
heart, which was to signify what the
swearer hoped would befall him if he
should ever betray his chief. Satisfied
Of Jeif's loyalty, 1 handed him a der
ringer, one of pair had purchased.
and cautioning him to keep sharp look
out, we took a secluded road out of the
| village, and entered the woods on the
way to the station to board the early
morning train.
We had proceeded about half mile
when a suspicious noise of breaking
! twigs was heard a short distance in
| front Of us, and advising JEFF to take
care of himself while l looked after the
enemy, ran back two or three hun
| dred yards in search of tree. OF
course there were trees all around but
/ have always been considered eccen-
trically fastidious, and 1 couldn't think
of compromising my official dignity and
personal valor by cOveting the first tree
/ came across. No, l wanted to get
where | could hold the enemy at bay,
and finding a tree of size that would
enable me to accomplish this bold re-
solve, ascended it with more rapidity
than grace.
1 didn't want to lose any time in
meeting the foe.
1 had reached a height of about sixty
feet, and was still prospecting upward
for place where l could command by
sound The enemy's position, when /
heard a voice through the darkness,
and apparently on level with myself
SayP'
"WellP'
"It's the parsons old blind mule" ="
In few seconds / was on the ground
and called to JEFF:
Where are your
"Up'n this tree. Where are youP'
"Just about to surround and make
the hireling horde a prisoner" and
while JEFF was coming down / stood
under his tree, deluging him in tor
rent of abuse, and immersing him in a
river of withering sarcasm.
"JeH," / said, in effect, 81 will take
the earliest opportunity to reward your
bravery. There is no knowing what
heights you may reach in our profess
sion when you come to deal with des-
perate men, since you have attained
such conspicuous altitude at the ap-
pearance of a miserable mule, and a
blind mule at that The exhibition of
your courage, JEFF, convinces me that
ought 10 resign at once in your favor.
Don't you think, jeff, that you had bet
ter return to your motherP You
shouldn't be away from home nights.
A nice member of the Band of the
Dismal Cave you are, when you leave
your chief to cope single-handed with
possible danger. However, as this is
the first oflense, will overlook it, but
if il is repeated, remember, you shall
be ignominiously expelled from the
band'
jeff swore he only went up the tree
to discover the exact nature and where
abouts of the danger, when he would
como down and annihilate the whole
camp. accepted this colossal lie and
commended him for his sagacity, and
we proceeded ON our way, conversing
enthusiastically of our prospective life.
At the end of two hours we made the
pleasing discovery that we were lost,
knowing not the direction from which
we had come, nor anything of the To-
eality in which we were. Over this
predicament the callous heart of the
" Border King gave way, aud realiz-
ing the awful desolation of his sur
roundings, and thinking of his COM
| Portable bed at home, and of the Sc
Ourity there, he dropped bitter tear,
which fell on the leaves with such a
| lonesome sound that others quickly fol-
lowed to keep it company The "Red
Hand" was also whimpering audibly;
and though neither of us dared express
it, the thought uppermost in the mind
of each was that he would give $780,
/ 900 if he were only at home. Thinking
of nothing else at the moment, we
clasped each others hands, held and
| pressed them warmly; but our hearts
were too full of sublime misery to utter
word. IL was finally agreed how
| ever, to make a bed of leaves and so
pass the night, at the prospect of which
we both shuddered; but there was no
other recourse, and half an hour found
us resting side by side, when JEFF soon
fell asleep, giving his eyes and cheeks
a salt water bath before dropping of.
His rest was uneasy, for his OCCASION
al remarks indicated that his mothers
COW was rambling through his dreams,
and he was making terms with the
butcher for her recovery. l listened
until my eyelids got heavy, and soon l
was in the midst of a herd of horrible
nightmares, the largest of which l was
astride, when laundering noise in the
distance awoke' me, and l discovered
in the gray dawn of the morning that
we were not three hundred yards from
our objective point, and the early train
was then coming.
Arousing JEFF 1 acquainted him with
the fact, when our bold designs re-