News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-06-01
A Romance i'm Real Life.
BY JAMES OTIS.

BY JAMES OTIS.
Robert Myron was the son of an En-
glish tenant-farmer, who in the yeal
1913 found his family expenses increas
ing so much faster than his income thai
it was absolutely necessary to decrease
the former, since the latter could not be
made larger.
In the hope of being able to assist his
father in some way, Robert came to this
country. and failing to find employment
near the metropolis, walked from town
to town until when near Rochester, N.
Y, he was hired as a farm laborer by
Judge James E. Berry. During six
years young Myron worked Industrious
ly, sending nearly all of his earnings to
his parents, and then came the sad news
that both father and mother had died
on the same day. After recovering from
this shock, it was but natural the young
man should begin to establish home
for himself, and quite as natural that
his love should go out to the daughter
of his employer, who plainly showed
her preference for the young man who
had SO devoted himself to his parents.
But Judge Berry, while he recognized
in Myron an invaluable farm laborer,
had not the same views regarding him
as son-in-law that Miss Bessie had,
and the consequence was that the lovers
when they found it impossible to alter
their fathers opinion resolved to elope,
and build up for Themselves home in
the far West.
In 1858, with but few hundred dol
lars and the judges curse, the young
couple were married, and settled at
Green Lake, Michigan, where, at the
beginning of the year 1862, they were
in reasonably prosperous circumstances,
with two children to make glad their
humble log cabin. Their farm was sit
uated several miles hom any settle
ment, and although the Indians were
rising against the whites in many por-
tions of The State, neither Mr. nor Mrs.
Myron felt any uneasiness, because
they believed they had succeeded in es-
tablishing the most friendly relations
with such of the "forest children" as
they came in contact with. Therefore
they were by no means alarmed when
one day five Indians stalked gravely
into the cabin just as the MONDAY meal
was being served. 1t had ever been
Mr.. MyTon's custom to invite such yisi-
tors to partake of food, and on this, as
on other occasions, they readily &C
eepted the invitation but, greatly TO
the surprise and uneasiness of their
host, instead of placing their rifles in
the corner of the room, as usual, they
held them between their knees, the
muzzles of the weapons showing just
above the edge of the table.
MIR. Myron was too well versed in
Indian customs not to know that such
action on the part of his guests meant
mischief. With the view of showing
them that he understood the meaning
of this breach of hospitality, and in the
slight hopeof intimidating them he arose
from the. table, took from the rack on
the wall his rife and fowling- piece, and |
examined them to show they |
were loaded. Why the savages did not |
attack him then is one of the inexplicable
things in Indian warfare. Instead of
making any hostile demonstrations,
they stalked gravely out of the
house, disappearing behind a clump of
bushes.
For the moment Myron believed he
had wronged his guests, and that they
had taken umbrage at his movements
when their intentions were peaceful.
Still holding his rifle in his hand, Myron
stepped to the open door for the pur-
pose of ascertaining whether his guests
had really departed. When the farmer
appeared on the threshold, the report
of rifle was heard, and MyrCn fell,
with dangerous but not necessarily
'atal wound in his side.
Women who live on the border, where
they are constantly menaced by danger,
learn early in life that they must deny
themselves woman's privilege of faint
ng. When Mr.. Myron fell, his wife
'prang to his defense rather than assist {
lnce. 10 close and barricade windows
md doors was but the woIlA e = ,oor,apt s
where everything was prepared for
woman turned 6 gf a then the I! heroic
husband and children. The fathers n
wound bled but little, and save to stanch
he blood, the devoted wife could not
I'D him, except by piling the bedding
Iround him in such a way that in
lifting posture, he could face the closed
loor. The temporary safety of the
hlldren was secured by fastening them
n the cellar, where they would be
eyond the reach of any bullets their {
ate visitors might send and after she
ad perfected her plan of defense, she ,
egan to assume the offensive.
BY removing the mud that filled the
revices of the logs at the end of the ,
ouse, loop-holes were formed, and ,
trough these the husband and wife :
egan an assault upon their foes. With
IS rifle Myron shot one of the ,
indians, and at the same time his wife :
He'd another with the fowllng- piece. 8
y this time the foe, finding their in 4
ended victims more tenacious of life I
ian they had supposed, resorted to I
ratagem to accomplish the massacre. q
4 the field was cart half filed with +
ay; in the stable-yard stood a yoke of E
zen quietly eating. To fasten the
limals to the cart and not expose them f.
Ives to the deadly aim of those in the
'use was difficult task, but one that g
q Indians finally accomplished. To II
It the load of hay against the building, n
at it might be set on fire, was still f,
ore difficult, and in this case I'm. f.
for before it could be done Ic
til husband and wife had shot an h.
envy, while the fifth and. only re- Il
lining one sought safety in pre- cipitate b
yht. Il
hach moment the conflict lssted the dl
sband grew veal er, and medical aid bt
I'D NOT be procured without jour- tb
? of hundred and eighty miles. To
verse this distance, there was no wi
er mode of conveyance than the he
cart. In this rude vehicle Mrs. hi