The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-10-11


minute it flashed across my mind that
did l once venture in the adjacent
garden my retreat would be cut off, and
that as the victim of some villainous
trap, next morning would be found
dead--dead-my skull beaten in with
jimmy.
AT last, however, at the expense of
several severe excavations, I was over
the fence. l gazed at the back of the
house. All was still-still as death
there was lull in the storm. waited
to hear the agonized scream of the vic
tins, but there was nothing save an.
appalling stiffness. Then something
rustled, and covered my face with
my hands. / was awaiting some crash
ing blow on my head, when a stray cat
bounded past me. No lights were visi-
bic. l waited ten minutes, exposed to
the drenching of the pitiless storm, for
it rained now harder than ever; then,
feeling that if the worst had come it
was all over now, and could do moth
ing, retreated, quietly, deliberately
reclimbed the fence, and at last re-
gained my bed. 1 was miserable,
chilled to the marrow, and so nervous
and excited that never went to sleep
any more during the whole of that
wretched night.
Next morning, having recovered
somewhat from the effects of that
night OF terror, / awaited with
much anxiety the appearance of that
old lady at her door, for she always
took i'll the milk herself Should she
not respond to the milkman's call then
the mystery would be solved. But she
did turn up. / at once went to the
door, and / expected that she would
have a story of some dreadful charac-
ter to impart to me, and / was ready to
tell her how / had saved her and her
granddaughter from death, when, much
to my disgust, after having exchanged
an ordinary good-morning with me, she
was about re-entering with her milk.
"You had most narrow escape last
night" said.
"Oh, yes" she replied, smilingly;
'it's half water, and mighty blue and
thin. Evidently she referred to the
milk"
If it had not been for me-" 1 said,
"you would have all been murdered in
your beds. l was up and out. In
three seconds after the first stroke of
the hammer 1 was in your garden. L
hope your charming granddaughter
has suffered no inconvenience. l am
quite positive that they-the robbers
were around last night, and my timely
presence scattered them"
"God bless my SOUL" said the old
lady, as she dropped the milk, land l
did not know it."
But you hammered away like a
tirst-class blacksmith"
Indeed, did not" said she; "and
my milk, that's all gone. 1 slept un-
common well; better than usual /
always sleep soundly when it rains"
Would it be believed that the old
woman denied the hammer incident in
toto? Had l been dreaming? Was il
force of imagination, the teaming of &
delirious brain? A shocking bad cold
in my head assured me that it had
been a reality.
1 was quite out of heact all that
next day, and went to bed at night in
a most unhappy state Of mind. Was
my rest to be broken in upon again ?
l had hardly fallen off into a feVerish
slumber when 1 heard the accursed
hammer again. covered my head
with the bedclothes. Rat-tat-tat il
went. 1t could not be a hammering OF
my Imagination, for l put my ear &c
the wall and felt the vibrations
through the fiimsy partition. Oh, the
unutterable selfishness of that ole
woman! And what if she were robbed
of silver teapot or so or a dozen tea.
spoonsl l was desperate now.
rushed downstairs. Fortunately il
was not raining. l found my barre
Mt once, and that was reassuring.
eXcoriated myself again. l scaled the
wall and landed with a crash on the
other side on a pile of flower-pots
/ some one had carelessly placed there.
| | waited a moment for the noise tC
subside. l knew that if any robbers
were there the row l had made must
startle them. l rubbed a very badly
skinned ankle and waited and nothing
came.
Night after night went on that ac-
cursed hammeTng. Was 1 TO bC
doomed to the terrible task of discov-
ering thieves in that old lady's garden
and, what was worse, my chiyalous con
duct, my dallying with death, receive
no recognitiont Evidently there was
some mystery. l was the victim whose
sad end was being plotted
never went to sleep after that with
ont stutling cotton in my ears and al
ways in most wretched frame of mind
! was a martyr Of my disinterestedness
/ was being robbed of my sweet sleep
Life became a burden to me. The old
lady was either laboring under some
hallucination or l was crazy. There
was only one thing which made me
suffer all these tOrments. and that was
the belief that / was hero in the eyes
Of the granddaughter. ] cannot say
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