Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-10-06

Il
tempt was being made. You might
have heard the three taps working along
from house to house in the stiffness of
the night. Everybody turned out under
my lead. We made Gordon, swept
the street, and captured six or seven of
the robbers. don't remember the
number of them exactly, only that they
were the most bloodthirsty rascals
known in the annals of crime.''
The old lady, whose hair fairly stood
up by this time-or would have stood
up If she had had anyways profuse in
her thanks. Just what 1 wanted took
place. was invited next evening to
take tea, and the old lady. in person
showed me her garden, so that / might
understand the lay of the land.
Now, had reconnoitered the prem
Uses before. not that thought ANYTHING
ever would happen. but really out of
consideration for the young woman.
The fence was not very high one,
though adorned with spikes. To facili-
tate my climbing, | rolled big barrel
near it. could step on that and then
with slight effort could scale the fence.
l showed my plans of succor and the old
lady approved of them / bought a
tack-hammer, presented. it to her, and
explained to her, in detail, the method
of signaling.
The tea was very pleasant one, and
the young lady agreeable. 1 went to
bed that night quite happy and quite
forgot all about the signals. In fact,
week or so elapsed and nothing oc-
CURED to break the quiet of that really
peaceful neighborhood. :.
am sound sleeper generally. but
on certain night not long afterward
there was such a terrible storm of wind
and rain, with rafting of windows, that
my usual rest would not come. At last
went off into a half-dreamy doze,
when suddenly close TO my earl was
awakened with start heard the
three ominous taps on the wall! Inever
listened to anything so dreadful in my
life. Was L awake? l waited awhile.
1t was the precautionary signal. but
not the positive alarm. Rat-tat-tat
went that devils tattoo on the wall,
then knew that the danger was immi-
nent looked out Of the window, and
1t was raining cats and dogs. 1 shud-
dered! Still the cursed rapping of the
hammer reverberated through the
room. L huddled on my clothes. 1
never had revolver in my life, and,
had L owned one, would not have
known how to shoot it off. wished
had not lied so, but l always was ro-
mantle. The rapping continued like
mad. Suppose these were real, true for
true robbers next door! What could a
single, poor, inoffensive, unarmed Young
man like me do against a whole gang
OF bloodthirsty house-breakers? knew
that they would murder me for inter-
fering with their legitimate business.
/ thought once would open the window
and yell: Murder! thievesr' but my
window looked on the yard. and the
wind was bowling so that had there
been whole squad of police below not
one OF them would have heard me. 1t
was dreadful to be walked up that
way, to walk to sudden death, and so
unprepared, as knew l was. | cursed
my oificiOusness! l was dressed some-
how at last, and went slowly shivering
down the stairs, making all the noise L
could, but it was just one of those sell
fish clearinghouse, where the inmates
never take notice of anything. /
opened the back door which led to the
garden.
l. was wet to the skin before 1 found
the barrel, and what was mysterious
about it was that the barrel had been
moved away from the fence In q
minute 1t flashed across my mind that
did L once venture into the adjacent
garden my retreat would be cut off, and
that, as the victim of some villainous
trap, next morning L would be found
dead-dead-my skull beaten in with a
jimmy.
At last, however, at the expense of
several severe excavations, l was over
the fence. / gazed at the back of the
house. All was still-still as death
there was lull in the storm. l waited
to hear the agonized screams of the
victims, but there was nothing save an
appalling stiffness. Then something
rustled, and | covered my face with my
hands. L was awaiting some crash
ing blow upon my head, when a
stray cat bounded past me. No lights
were visible, waited ten minutes, ex-
posed to the drenching of the pitiless
storm, for itrained now harder than ever;
then, feeling thatifthe worst had come it
was all over now, and / could do
nothing, retreated, quietly. deliberate
ly reclimbed the fence, and at last re-
gained my bed. was miserable,
chilled to the marrow, and So nervous
and excited that l 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 in the milk
herself. Should she not respond to the
milkman's call then the mystery would
be solved. But she did turn up,
L at once went to the front door, and
expected that she would have story of
some dreadful character 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 a
most narrow escape last night" / said.
"Oh. yes" she replied. smilingly;
Its half water. and mighty blue and
thin. " Evidently she referredto the milk.
IF it had not been for me-" l said,
you would all have been murdered in