The Red Cloud chief., 1880-09-09

"thauk God for this escape. Oh! the
deadly villainI and / so fond OF him,
toor'
A shrill whistle from the grated
window Of the chamber In which she had
shut I'D the rufian Heinrich caught
her ear, and made her start at once 70
| her feet
"Dietheri Dietherr' she heard him
shout, ..catch the child and com hith-
er. ! am fast. Come hither. Bring the
boy here and kill the girl"
She glanced hastily up at the case
ment from which the imprisoned vii
lain's hand beckoned TO some in
the distance, and then looked anxiously
after her infant emis.ary. The little
messenger held on his way unframed.
however. and she thought to herself
that the alarm was q false one. raised
TO excite her fear aud overcome her
resolution. just, however. as the child
reached a hollow spot in the next field.
the channel Of q natural drain, then dry
with the heat of summer. she saw another
ruiiian start up from the bed OF the
drain. and catching him in his arms
hasten toward the mill, in accordance
with the directions OF his accomplish.
In a moment she perceived her danger,
and in a moment more she formed her
future plan of proceeding. Retreating
into the mill she dOuble-lOcked and
bolted the door, the only apparent en-
trance TO the edifice, every other OBJ
yiOus access to the interior being barred
by strong gratings fixed at all the win
dOws, and her took her post at an up
per easement determined TO await pa
tiently either her master return, and her
consequent delivery from that lang
Gus position. or her w death, il il
were inevitable.
Never" said she to herself, "never
shall l leave my masters house a prey
to such villains, or permit his property
to be carried off before my eyes by
them, while l have life and strength TO
defend it."
She had barely time to secure herself
within, when the ruffian without, hold
ing the hapiess child in one hand, aud
a long sharp knife i'm the other. assailed
the door with kicks, and curses, and
~imprecations of the most dreadful char
acter.
"Confound thee" he cried, applying
the foulest epithets of which the free
speaking Teutonic language is so CO.
pious; ''Open the door, or I'll break it
on ye."
"If you can, you may" was all the
noble girl replied. "God is greater
than you, and in Him | put my trust"
"Cut the brat's throatr' roared the
imprisoned ruilian above; "that will
bring her 20 her reason"
Stout hearted as poor Hannchen was,
She quailed at this cruel suggestion.
For a moment her resolution wavered;
but il was only for a moment. She saw
that her own death was certain if she
admitted the assailant, and she knew
that her master would be robbed. She
had no reason to hope that even the life
of the infant would be spared by her
compliance. 1t was to risk all against
nothing. Like a discreet girl, she con-
s%equently held fast in her resolve to
abide as saseNwg while life remained,
ssistance would reach her.
tvRen ntsthe door," shouted
Villain irony thout. accompanying
rs words with tne eilest abuse, and the
imprecations, I'm hack this
whelp's limbs to pieces with my knife.
and then burn the mill over your head.
Twill be a merry blaze, l trOw."
81 put my trust in God" replied the
dauntless girl; v shall We set foot
within these walls whilst l have life to
prevent ye."
The rufIian laid the infant for a mo-
ment on the sward as he sought about
for combustibles wherewith to execute
his latter threat. In this search he
espied, perhaps, the only possible clam
destine entrance to the building. 1t
was a large aperture in the wall, CON-
municat:ng with the great wheel and
the otker machinery of the mill, and
waS Apo;nt-entirely unprotected, for
the reason that the simple occupants
had never supposed it feasible for any
one to seek admission through such 4
dangerous inlet. Elated with this dis
covery, the ruffian returned to the in
FAINT. and, tying the hands and feet of
the little innocent, threw il on the
ground even as a butcher will fling a
lamb destined for the slaughter, to
await his time for staying. He then
stole back to the aperture, by which he
hoped to effect an entrance. All this
was unseen by the dauntless girl within.
In the meanwhile her mind was
busted with a thousand c~ogitations. She
clearly perceived that no means would
be left untried to effect an entrance, and
she knew that on the exclusion of her
foe depended her own existence. A
thought struck her.
1T is Sunday" said she to herself;
"the mill never works on the Sabbath,
suppose | set it agoing now? 1t can be
seen far of, and haply my master, or
some of his neighbors, wondering at the
sight, may haste hither to know the
cause. A lucky thought" she ex-
claimed, "'tis God hat has Sent it to
mel"
No sooner said than done. Being all
her life accustomed to mill-gear, it was
but the work of a moment for her to
set the machinery in motion. A brisk
breeze which sprang up, a it were, by
the special interposition of Providence,
at once set the sails flying. The arms
of the huge engine whirled around
with fearful rapidity; the great wheel
slowly revolved on its axle; the smaller
gear turned and creaked and groaned,
according as they came into action,
and the mill was in full operation.
1t was that very instant that the
ruflian Diether had succeeded in
squeezing himself through the aper-
ture in the wall and getting safely
lodged in the interior of the great
drum wheel. His dismay. however,
was in~describable when he began to be
whirled about with its rotations, and
found that all his efforts to put a stop
to the powerful machinery which set it
in motion, or to eXtricate himself from
his perilous situation, were fruitless.
His cries were most appalling; his
shrieks were truly fearful; his curses
and ~imprecations were horrible to
hear. Hannchen fastened to the spot,
and saw him caught, like q reptile as
he was, in his own trap. 1t need not
be added that she did not liberate him.
She knew that he would be more
frightened than hurt. if he kept within
his rotary prison: and she knew. also,
that, unless he attempted to escape,
there was no danger of his falling
out of it, ever though he were
insensible and inanimate all the
while In the meantime the wheel