The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-08-13

vas . large aperture in the wall, com
municat:ng with :he great wheel and
the other machinery Of the mill, and
was point entirely unprotected, fol
the reason that the simple occupants
had never supposed it feasible for an,
one to seek admission through such 8
dangerous inlet. Elated with this dis.
covery, the rufian returned to the in.
FAINT, and, tying the hands and feet Of
the little innocent, threw it on the
ground even as q butcher will fling q
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 thousand cogitations. 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.
It is Sunday" said she to herself;
"the mill never works on the Sabbath,
suppose set it agoing nowP 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 that has sent it to
mer'
No sooner said than done. Being all
her life accustomed to mill-gear, it was
but the work of q moment for her to
set the machinery in motion. A brisk
breeze which sprang up, as 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.
It was that very instant that the
rufian 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 indescribable when he began to be
whirled about with its rotations, and
found that all his efforts to put stop
to the powerful machinery which set it
in motion, or to extricate himself from
his perilous situation, were fruitless.
His cries we're most appalling; his
shrieks were truly fearful; his curses
and Impressions were horrible to
hear. Hannchen fastened to the spot,
and saw him caught, like q reptile as
he was, in his own trap. It need not
be added that she did not iberate 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, even though he were
insensible and inanimate all the
while. In the meantime, the wheel
went round and round with the
ruffian along with it, steadily and I'M
too. In vain did he promise
the st0ut-hearted girl to work her no
harm; in vain did he implore her pity
on his helpless condition; in vain did
he pray to all the powers of Heaven,
and adjure all the powers of He'll to his
aid. She would not hear nor heed |
him; and, unheard and unheeded of |
them likewise, muttering curses, he was |
whirled round and round in the untir-
ing wheel, until at last feeling and per-
cepti0n failed him, and he saw and |
heard no more. He fell senseless on
the bottom of the engine, but even then
his inanimate body continued to be
whirled round and round and round as
before; the brave girl not daring to
tr,,of tn onnoo ro n ooo IN oonnookion nth
such william, and being. therefore,
afraid to suspend the working of the
machinery or stop the mill-gear and
Jackie from running at their fullest
speed.
A loud knocking at the door was
shortly after heard. and she fastened
.hither. It was her master and his
family, accompanied by several of their
leighbors. The unaccustomed appear
lnce of the mill-sails in full swing on the
Sunday had, as she had anticipated, at
;racted their attention, and they had
fastened home from church for the
purpose of ascertaining the cause of the
The father bore his
title boy in his arms; he had cut the
ord wherewith the child was tied, but
Re was unable to obtain any account of
he extraordinary circumstances that
lad occurred from the affrighted limo
;ent.
Hannchen. in q few words, told all; and
hen the spirit which had sustained her
o long and 50 well while the emergency
asted, forsook her at once as it passed
way. She fell senseless into the arms of
he miller's oldest son, and was with
,reat difficulty recovered.
The machinery of the mill was at
nee stopped, and the inanimate ruffian
ragged from the great wheel. The
ther rufian was brought down from
is prison. Both were then bound