Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-06-21

Without heed to frantic gestures
and loudly shouted words, fled back
| to the house, and sank back nearly
fainting on the sofa, with both hands
clasped over my eyes.
81 declare fort though, that was
real gritty was Betsy's admiring
comment as she hurried to bring
the camphor and red lavender to my
rescue. '.
"Mamma, will he kill us ~ whisper
ed Donald, who was a timid child and
clung close to me.
"Shall | cut off his head with my
tin sword, mamma ~ bawled Tommy,
the irrepressible.
BETSY" cried, rousing myself to
the paramount necessity of not faint
ing, 'place yourself at the window.
Watch for passers by"
Eyes 'um'
Explain 10 them our dreadful
predicament," | went on. "Summon
help the instant it appears; and
above all, keep every door easement
locked and bolted, lest that tiend in
human shape should break loose and
attack us. There's an old rifle up
stairs in the garret, isn't there, Betsy"
I added with a sudden inspiration.
eyes," um," said Betsy? 'but it
amt just in first-rate working" order,
| calculate" s. ..-.
"There isn't either stock nor lock
to it, mamma" chimed in Tommy.
81 loaded it with ashes last week.
and put in pebbles for bullets, and it
wouldn't fire off worth Il cent"
"Bnt there's the carving-knifc and
the potato FOUNDER, mamma" sug-
gested Donald.
Hooked at the clock. Only eleven.
it would be six hours ut the very
nearest, before my husband would re-
turn from the. city. Suppose that
there should be no passers by between
that time and this"
"Betsy," sad I, "this won't do.
believe my hair will turn white with
this agony Of suspense"
''Ma'am? ?" said Betsy, who had the
Shakespearism faculty of ''not mark
ing withal."
"Either you or l must go for help
| uttered distinctly.
"lf it wasn't for goln' right past the
barn door, l wouldn't mind,' said
Betsy.
"It's fastened" I pleaded.
'But them there wooden buttons
doesn't amount to anything" said
she. 'And only s'pose he jumps out
at me?'
| was just about to reproach Betsy
with having no clements of the
heroine in her composition, wheif lit
tie Donald, who had posted himself
in the garret window to watch, came
tumbling into the room with Tommy
close behind.
"NIamma! mammal" they shouted
in chorus; "there's somebody coming,
and we guess it's Deacon Gadsly on
horseback riding back from the
train"
"Stop hlm.'' gasped-"for mercy
sake stop him.
"lIe is maxim straight for the
barn." said Betsy, who had stretched
the skinny length of her neck further
out of the window than | dared to.
''IIe has heard that feller hollerin.
He is unbarrin' the big door. Land
of liberty. there comes the poor
creetur out with hop, skip and
jump. Wall, if the Deacon likes to
risk it, | wouldn't
81 have heard Of instances where
some particular individual exercised
nnhounded influence over the insane %
I said family. '.and-
At this moment 5hc deacon him.
sell knocked at the door. / made
haste to open it.
BE ye all crazy here:' said he,
with smile on his sunburned coun-
! tenance,, III ye amt, what i'll the
name ef'all creation possessed ye to
shut my son Hiram in the barn p
"Your son Hiram," | gasped fee
bly,. WAS that your son Hiram ?
II thought it was an insane man.,
"What :" roared tn deacon.
"Betsy said You shouted as you
rode by, tell your mistress to call the
children in--there IS an insane man
in the barn."
/ "Good Jerusalem ~ cried the dea-