The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-10-07

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listened to anything so dreadful in nv
life. Was / awake? | waited awhile.
1t was the precautionary signal, but
not the positive alarm. Rat tat-tat
went that devils tattoo on the wall,
then l knew that the danger was immi-
nent. | looked out of the window. and
it was raining cats and dogs. | shud-
dered! Still the cursed rapping of the
hammer reverberated through the
room. | huddled on my clothes. |
never had a revolver in my life, and,
had 81. ownedzone, would not~havo
known how o Shoot it off. Iwishhl c
hid notbea 50, but AWAY wa 10
mantle. Tie rapping contained Nkd
mah. Snppo ~ these were red. tru Tor
true robbers ne xt doorl Who could "a
SIMPLE, ppor, hlbffensive, unarri ia d yoiin i
m az lid me "a against wIldle dand
ofbloodfhirsty house-breakersH lr,ew
thai they wo1lfk murder me FOR interS
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 olficiousness! l was dressed some
how at last, and went slowly shiverinp
Invyt, thn al Linz oil 7
could, butt was just one of those sell
fsA bAtrdhg-houses, where the inmates
heverB tale notice of anything. L
opened the back door which led to the
garden.
1 was wet to the skin before l found
the barrel, and what was mysterious
about it was that the barrel had been
moved away from the fence. In a
minute it flashed across my mind that
did l once venture into the adjacent
garden my retreat would he cut off, and
that, as the victim of some villainous
trap, next morning | would be found
dead-dead-my skull beaten in with a
jimmy.
At last, however,. at the. expense of
several severe exooriations, Iywas 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 lagonized screams of the
victims, but there was nothing save an
appalling stiffness. Then Something
rustled, and Recovered my face with my
hands, was awaiting some crash
ing blow Upon my head. when a
stray cat bounded past me.7 No lights
were visible, / waited ten minutes, ex-
posed to the drenching of the lpitiless
storm. for it Fainednow harderthan ever;
then, feeling that the worst had come it
was all over now, and l could do
nothing, l retreated, quietly, deliberate
ly reclimbed the fence, and at last re-
gained my bed. l 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 in the milk
herself. Should she not respond to the
milkmap'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 a story of
some dreadful character, to impart to
me, and | was ready to, tell her how l
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 referred to the milk.
''If it had not been for me-" l said
you would all have been murdered in
your beds. was up and out In three
seconds after the first stroke of the
hammer was in your garden. l hope
your charming granddaughter has suf-
fered no inconvenience. / am quite
positive that they-the robbers-were
around last night, and my timely
presence scattered them"
Z "God bless my soulr' said the old Ia
dy; as she dropped the milk, land
did not know it." ..
"But you hammered away like a
first class blacksmith"
Indeed, | did not" said she; "and
my milk, that's all gone. l slept I'M
commonly well; bettsr than usual
always sleep soundly when it rains. .
Would it be beliofed that that old
woman denied the hammer incident in
.totoP Had 1 been dreaming? Was it
force. of Imagination, the teeming of a
delirious brain? A shocking bad cold
in my head ASSURED me that it had been
a reality. Va
l was quite oNt of heart all that next