Middletown transcript., 1884-02-22

| COuIuulllIy.
Luke and l travelled together once,
and he had an ample opportunity to
display his courage. This occurred in
the days when railroads were unknown
in Arkansaw, and all long journeys
across the country were made horse
back. Luke and 1, full of life and
with prospects bright and mirth-inspir-
ing, set out for distant part of the
| State, with view to surveying and
entering rich tracts of land. Houses
along the road, if road it could be
called, were very few, and we some
times had to sleep in the open air. I
would occasionally express a fear of
highwaymen, but Luke always laughed
at me, and seemed, tony irritation, to
desire an adventure with the lawless
gentlemen of the woods.
"' What's the use of being afraid p
he said, haven't we got good pistols
"' Yes, but they might shoot us be-
fore we see 'em.'
g Have no fears on that account.
Nature did not give me good eyes for
nothing. One of my uncles was killed
somewhere along here.
"' You don't tell me so p
"' Certainly tell you so, but you
needn't be frightened, for he killed two
of them before they got him.
&C. Very little consolation to him.
Oh, no, he seemed to enjoy it, for
when found with bullet hole through
his head, he had one of the brightest
smiles on his face you ever saw
''' But am not of such a cheerful
temperament. might kill thousand
assailants and even then I would not
smile at DEATH
You wouldn't mind it after get
ting used to it,
8 never saw man who treated
grim matters as jocosely as you do. I
don't believe you are afraid of any
thing.
To tell you the truth in confidence,
old boy, Pm not. 1 never saw any
thing that frightened me, and I don't
believe ever WILL
"' You might, after a while, run
across something on the supernatural
order to bring up your hair
g. Hope SO, for 1 think the sensa-
tions Of fright would do me good.
Night, cloudy and without a star,
came on and found us near a large, old
frame house, which, upon examination,
we found had long been deserted.
didn't like the looks of the place, but |
Luke insisted that it was a regular
palace. The weather was too warm to
admit Of a fire, and after eating our
lunch, we spread down our blankets
and extinguished the candle to prevent |
the attraction of the buzzing bugs with
which the darkness without seemed to
be alive. l had just stretched myself
on the floor, when Luke, who had pre-
ceded me, exclaimed
go Great Lord, what is that ~
4" | looked up and saw two great red
eyes staring at me in livid unearthli-
ness. I actually thought my scalp |
would rise up in company with my
bristling hair. Luke erawled over to
where sat bolt upright, and clutched |
my arm with the tight grip of fear.
What can it be ?' he whispered.
"Oh, Lord, I prayed-for 1 never
beheld anything so terrible have
mercy on me-.
"'On me, too. Don't leave me out,
and could feel him tremble. After
awhile he became calmer, and said:
"' I'm going to shoot
50 did not reply. He took up his
pistol and fired. The eyes didn't even
wink. He fired again. The horrible
orbs didn't move. l covered up my
head and lay for time in smothering
darkness, and, by the instinct of fear,
L knew that Luke had followed my
example. At last we threw off the
blankets. The eyes still glared.
Luke 1 ventured to Say, thought
you would never be frightened
60 No man can face the devil, he
replied, while his teeth chartered a
fearful accompaniment to his words of
terror. 1--we seen wild cats and pam
thers, and almost every other kind of
animal, but that thing is the devil, and
I'll bet you anything that before day
he'll have his pitchfork through both
of u.s.
'' Are you sure it is not an animal p
"Of course am. An animal can't
look always without winking. It's the
devil, tell you.
If it is not an animal, am not
afraid of it, for the devil theory is not
so finely spun with me as it is with you.
1 am going to see what it is
90 Don't move, for the Lords sake.
You may not believe that the devil
visits the earth, but 1 know better
My father told me that he'd seen the
devil many time; told me this even
after he had become an old man and
had married again.
90 What sort of woman was your
stepmother p I ventured to ask.
GA regular terror, but that has
nothing to do
- Probably mats what the old gen.
tleman meant by seeing the devil p
"t For goodness sake don't talk SO
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