St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-02-23

~, saw was Farmer LOngtOp's shan
dry. With glad shout | welcomed
them, bungling out my strange news
as rapidly as | could.
The farmers jolly face went redder
than ever, if possible.
''PoOr job half killed." he exclaimed
angrily, "and an attack to be made on
me and yOu-eh, missusP Not so easy
as they expect, perhaps. Come in here,
Master Randolph; bless you, sir.
am sorry about it all. You and your
ma will be frightened nearly to death
We will drive on quicker. Come up,
Sail" and he whipped the gray mare
with vigor. Sail was amazed at the
unusual slash, and started off quickly.
Mrs. LOngton, good soul, made room
for me between her and the farmer,
wrapping me up in the folds of her ca
paciOus shawl.
''But you must not drive hOme,"
exclaimed breathlessly, "until you see
if help has come. There are three such
desperate men there, and one has
promised to shoot you and Mrs. Long
ton. Papa and more men will be ar
irving to help, and-and"-I broke
down. | could not say all would.
"There are two, Master Randie, as
can come that game" declared Mrs.
LongtOn proudly. "My husbands been
preparing for an attack many long
day. | can help too, and we will go
and see what we can do. There's one
comfort, we've no money about us,
even if we should be shot. Nancy's
gone home that's a good thing, poor
lass and then there's JOb1l want look
ing after. Oh my! | am sorry about
forgetting that turkey of yourn.
Steady, father, not too quick Sail
thinks you are angry"
! Farmer and Mrs. LOngtOn were of
the type of the good Old-fashioned
farmer, dying rapidly out. Hard work
ing. industrious people, kindly TO ev-
erybody, rich yet unassuming. | liked
them immensely, but | was in a dread
fnl state of mind as l thought of the
danger they were encOuntering in ven
turing near Greengage Manor again.
Besides, if they were hurt, what better
would mamma be ?
"YOu must not venture near the
farm alone. Oh you must not" I
begged earnestly. "NOt until the vii
layers have arrived"
81 am dying to have a shot at them,
and that's the TRUTH" exclaimed Farm
er LongtOn. "Let me get there first
and pay them out for their impudence,
alarming and injuring honest folk. My
fingers fairly itch to be pulling the
trigger" And so all my entreaties
were pOwerless. The farmer either
was not frightened or would not let
himself be, and it was easy to see tha
Mrs. LOngtOn thought more of his
word than of anybody else's, and relied
on his opinion accordingly. However,
| might have saved myself all ankle
ties. We drove up to the house with
out the slightest interruption. No
brutal faces, no harsh voices, and more,
no shots to greet us; and when we
reached the door papa met us.
"YOu have had narrow escape" he
exclaimed. "Thank goodness You are
safe. 1t is all right, Randie, my boy
mamma, too and the fellows are cap
tured."
''Tm real sorry to hear it," said Mr.. |
getting out. "Real sorry. Your hand,
missus. I'd like to have had shot at
them myself. There's my wife, bless |
her, she's gone in to see how Job is
but law, how | should have liked to |
at is better as it is," replied papa |
"They were notorious thieves desper- |
ate fellows, who stopped at nothing
two of them at any rate, and the third |
not much better. All, Randie, go in
and see mamma. She is lying down
near substantial fire. | see you are
all impatience to be off"
| needed no second bidding, but bolt
ed into the very room where, u few
hours before, jobs PROSTATE form had
lain, but was now gone; and where al
so | had hidden in mortal fear of my
life. The place was very different now.
There were plenty of the villagers
sympathetically looking on, women as
well as men. A cheerful fire burned in
the CRATE, but | scarcely noticed that
| looked at the sofa and rushed to
mamma.
"My brave boy, my good Randie,"
she exclaimed, bursting into tears
"YOu were too late to be the one to
bring assistance, but yOu did not know
that when You started"
| then learned that some time before
mamma and visited Greengage Man
or that a man from neighboring viii
lage had been sent, probably on a mes
sage by someone. He, like us, had
wondered at the lack of life and move
ment about the old farm but with
greater caution he had waited in an
clubhouse and watched. He caught
sight of the three men, and actually
saw one of them shoot Dash. That
was quite sufficient. He made off for
the nearest town and got two pO-
licemen, and another man or two to re-
turn with them. They did not want to
raise an alarm, but resolved to seize
the thieves. And it was actually one
of them whose eyes | saw glaring at
me through the hedge, where they were
waiting for their prey. The burglars,
however, did not come out again, and
the farmer was long in coming; so
creeping along stealthily, they gained
the house. Then the cOmmotiOn was
dreadful, hand-tO-hand fight, and the
odds were actually turning against the
police, when a reinforcement headed
by papa rushed in and completed the
capture.
$50 | was not too late to help, after
all, exclaimed. But, oh dear, | am
tired. Mamma, have you spoken about
the turkey yeti
81 do not think / have but Mrs.
Longton will save it, | daresay. She
will be here in minute. She amused
me just now by running off with Jobs
bottle of medicine. Poor fellow, he is
sadly exhausted but papa thinks he
will come round in time. He is, how
ever, decidedly too weak to take med
icine. If it had not been for his bid
ding me run away, daresay | should
not have escaped. My experience was
not so startling as Randie's, for never
saw the men. But ! am thankful they