The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-08-04
EBENSBURG, "A. FRIDAY, AUGUST A. 1882.


coarse provender ample justice. When
was satisfied, resumed my seat once more
by the fire, and tried to enter into converse
tlon with my host, but made poor headway
He did not seem inclined to talk, and after
q while gave it up, and we sat in silence
for some time, he ever and anon stealing g
! glance at me from under his shaggy eye
, brOws, which, Ia spite of myself, made ME
feel a little uneasy, when l reflected about
the money upon me. At last, tired of this
| I told him that would like to go to bed, il
he had a place where 1 could lie down
Upon this, he rose and led the way into the
other small apartment of the cabin, and, set.
| ting down the candle, went out and closed
! the door,
! There was q rude bed in the corner of the
| room. covered with a ragged quilt, and upon
! this 1 threw myself without taking off my
! clothes NV siK-shooter placed beside me,
| where l could lay my hand upon it at mo-
ments notice, and then I blew out the can
| die and tried to sleep. But that 1 soon
! found was impossible to do. A uameless
! something Kept me awake could hardly
define it as fear. II was more Of a nervous
ness that 1 could not shake OF, try as I
would. My eyes would not stay shut, but
wanted to remain wide open and fixed upon
the wall where the freight, which shone
through the cracks in the partition against
which my bed stood, played with a weird
sort of light.
Try as | would, / could not keep my eyes
from :he wall. Did I close them, the next
minute they would be again wide OPEN
Did I turn my head, 1 would be looking
there again almost before 1 knew It. What
1 expected to see 1 hardly knew. Yet it
came at last.
Suddenly upon the wall, where the light
from the hre shone the brightest, there
appeared the shadowy hand of a man clasp
ing long and deadly-looking knife.
For moment my gaze was so riveted
upon it that could not turn my eyes but a
sound in the adjoining room broke the spell
Starting hastily up upon my elbow. I peered
through the crack that was close to my head,
and the sight that beheld caused another
thrill similar 70 that which the shadowy
hand had given me. My host. with a long
knife in his hand, was approaching on tip
toe the door which led to my room 1t was
the shadow Of his uplifted hand that had
seen upon the wall.
That he had designs upon my life could
not doubt, and, thankful for the warning !
had received, l prepared to meet him.
Noiselessly I crept from my bed. and, with
/ my siX-shoOter in my hand, stationed my
/ self at its foot. The door was noiselessly
/ pushed open, and the would be murderer
! entered the room as silently as a phantom
I and approached the bedside His arm with
/ the deadly knife grasped i'm his hand, was
/ held above the bed. and then it descended
with force that would have sent it through
the body of a man, had one been lying
there.
This was all I wanted. Surely, it was ev
idence enough to justify me in what [ did -
I raised my arm and fired. With groar
the william fell forward upon the couch
where l had lain hardly minute before -
With my finger still upon the trigger, should
another shot be needed, I struck match
and lighted the candle then, holding it out
before me, I approached the bed. The vii
lain lay motionless. My bullet had found
way through his hevrt
You can imagine how the rest of the nigh
passed to NE. With the earliest dawn.
mounted nv horse, and as good luck would
have it, rode directly toward Silby, where
arrived in a couple of hours. was not lonG
in searching out the proper officers, to whom
/ told my story, and little later l guided
them back to the cabin, where they found
all as had stated it, and at once eKCnerateC
me from blame in causing the Villains
death.