The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-02-12

And make that purpose our own.
Lot Us love with truer love
The friends that are ours to hold,
For the dregs that pass for friendship
Let NJ give the hearts true gold.
Atthe wrongs that would give us battle
Let us strike surer blow;
Let us meet the evils would slay US
With face turned full to the foe.
And though the future should fail W,
Just ~ the past has done,
The year will still be the better
For being better begun.
LooMER, Wis.
A WILD GOOSE CHASE.
CHAPTER l.
Nov, yer Honor, jist lie quiet and
aisy, keep the gun on full cock and all
ready, but never shtir limb till 1 give
the curlew's cry, and then look out, for
the birds'l be just within shot of ye."
So spoke Shawn, my herculean hench-
man, as he laid the last bunch of heather
on my quivering body; and, having
satisfied himself that I was perfectly
well concealed from human sight, he
prepared to creep off to the spot where
he had seen the wild geese alght, in
order to drive the unconscious victims
directly over my head. I nodded as he
gave his instructions, and, ere he crept
away, promised implicitly to obey his
commands. But felt anything but
comfortable in my novel position. NY
bed was the bare bogland, oozy and
soft with the soaking Of the heavy win
ter rains, my covering the ha]f-withered
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 loomed above, but the little
March wind came creeping over the
hill and smote me with chilly hands.
I lay patiently for some time, the sports
man-like ardor in my heart preventing
the wind from utterly freezing my
limbs, but at length my patience got
exhausted, and I began to stir. Sud
denly heard the faint whistle of the
curlew; two minutes after I saw a
flock of wild geese pass almost directly
over my head. I fred aimlessly, and
missed.
Then found that my garments were
completely soaked with bog-water, and
that my limbs had sunk several inches
deep in the oozy ground, nay more,
that they were only prevented from
sinking further by some obstruction
which was so hard and cold that it made
my bones ache. Ny first care was to
exhume my half-baried limbs, my next
to unearth the substance which had
prevented me from sinking utterly. This
latter proved to be no easy matter, but,
with the help of spade which Shawn
had brought with him to prepare my
boggy bed, I at length succeeded in
clearing away good deal of earth and
discovering that my ife-preserver was
deal box some five feet long, stained
almost black with bog-water, and fast
ened down with half a dozen rusty
nails.
had heard, during my childhood's
days, of fortunate people being enriched
by the discovery of buried treasures,
but need hardly add all such roman
tic ideas had long since vanished from
my mind; and yet, as I gazed at that
peculiar-looking box, I felt cold hand
had passed over me, and a succession of
the widest thoughts surged through my
brain. Exhume and open it I must;
and the wish became stronger within
me when Shawn, who soon returned
from his goose-driving, did his best to
dissuade me from such proceeding.
"Sure it's no affair of ours, yer Hon
Or" said Shawn, looking, at the same
time, 50 profoundly uncomfortable as
to cause my curiosity to increase.
"Maybe it's little potheen that the
boys have buried"
But cut him short, and insisted that
he should assist to exhume and open
the box. Seeing that I was determined,
he at length set to work; but he was too
slow, and evidently so unwilling that
at length my patience got exhausted.
took the spade from his hand, inserted
it in the crevice upon which Shawn had
been working, and, with q powerful
wrench, forced the lid from the box.
We both recoiled in horror and dis
may-the box contained corpse!
After the first shock of the discovery
was over I looked again, an6 my dismay
increased tenfold.
.Why' Shawn I exclaimed, "if it
"Yes, in troth," broke in Shawn;
"sure enough it isl" and we both stared
into the box again.
In order to explain the strange cir
cumstance which enabled me to recog-
nize this corpse, I must chronicle events
which took place several weeks before
exhumed it.
On the 10Th day of February the an
nual winter fair was held at Portaclare.
The anticipation Of this day always
created a good deal of excitement in
the minds of the peasants in and
around Storport- it was always
constituted sort of gala day-but
the announcement of the fair of 1877
brought with it whisperings of woe to
many home. The crops had been
bad for that year, and the miserable,
half-starved tenants had been unable to
scrape together enough money to pay
the rent, so the Proctor had summoned
them to attend the sessions at Ponta-
clare in order that they might show
cause why they should not deliver up
the whole of their worldly goods.
On the eventful day, which was ush-
cred in with hurricanes of binding
sleet, ordered Shawn to bring out
the horses and car that we might drive
into Portaclare together. By the time
we started the hail had ceased to fall,
but still the wind blew bitterly, freezing
with it's ICY breath the little pools on
the wayside, and when we drove into
Portaclare I felt almost as if my blood
was frozen. It was midday by that
time, and, save for one or two decrepit
old men We had passed on the road, We
were the last to arrive. What q cath
ering there wasl The streets of the
little town were so crowded that it was
almost impossible to make ones wav
along. In the market-place bevies Of
rosy.cheeked servant girls waited to be
hlFo6s MIN 49,