Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-08-12
A Special Constable.

| Especial Constable.
Two women, sisters. kent the toll. l.bar a.
a village in Yorkshire. 1t stood apart from
the village, and they often felt uneasy at
night, being lone women.
| One day they received a considerable sum
OF money, bequeathed them By asrelatiye.
and that set the simple souls all ina flutter.
They had friend in the village, the
| blacksnith's wife: so they went and told
her their fears. She admitted that theirs
was lonesome place, and she would not live
there, for one, without a man. Her dis
course sent them home downright miser-
able.
The blacksmith's wife told her husband
all about it when he came in for his dinner.
"The foolsP' said he; show is anybody to
know they have got brass in the house?''
swell" :" said the wife, .they. make no
secret OF it to me; but you need not 90 for
to tell it to all the townApoor soulsp'
ssNot l." said the man: 'tbut they will
publish it, never fear; leave women folk
alone for making their own trouble with
their tongues
There the subject dropped, as man and
wife have things to talk about besides their
neighb0rs! a. Al4%lA al&1al ID Az
The old women at the toll-bar, what with
their own fears and their Jobs comforter,
began to shiver with apprehension as night
came on. However, at sunset, the carrier
passed through the gate, and at sight of his
friendly face they frightened up. They
told him their care, and begged him to
sleep in the house that night. "Why, how
can I?' said he; '1'm due at; but I
Will leave you my dog" The dog was a
powerful mastiff
The women looked at each other express
sively. "He won't hurt us, will hep" sigh
ed one of them, family.
mot he," said the carrier, cheerfully.
Then he called the dog into the house, and
told them to lock the door, and went away
whistling.
The women were left contemplating tho
dog with that tender interest apprehension
is sure to excite. At first he seemed stag
gered at this off-hand proceeding of his
master; it confused him; then he snuffed at
the door; then, as the wheels retreated, he
began to see plainly he was an abandoned
dog; he delivered a fearful howl, and flew
at the door, scratching and barking furious
w.:
The old women fled the apartment, and
were next seen at an upper window, scream
ing to the carrier. 'Come back. come back,
John! He is tearing the house down.
"Drut the varmintr' said John, and came
back. On the road he thought what was
best to be done. The good-natured fellow
took his great coat out of the cart and laid
it down on the floor. The mastiff instantly
laid himself on it. 'sNow," said John,
sternly, s1et us have no more nonsense;
you take charge of that till come back,
and don't ye let nobody steal that there, nor
yet t. wives brass. There, now," said he,
kindly, to the women, 'I shall be back
this way breakfast-time, and he won't
bulge till them
"And he won't hurt us, JOhn?''
"Lord, no! Bless your heart, he is as
sensible as any Christian; only, Lord sake,
women don't ye go to take the coat from
him, or you'll be wanting new gown
yourself, and may be petticoat and all"
He retired, and the old women kept at
respectful distance from their protector.
He never molested them; and, indeed,
when they spoke cajolingly to him he even
wagged his tail in dubious way; but still,
as they moved about, he squinted at them
out of his bloodshot eye in way that
checked all desire on their part to try on
the carriers coat.
AAoS PAOoSSeOu, thOy WOhU w DO0 OdihCi
than usual, but they did not undress; they
were too much afraid of everything, espe-
cially their protector. The night wore on,
and presently their sharpened senses let
them know that the dog was getting rest
less; he snuffed and then he growled, and
then he got up and battered about, mutter-
ing to himself. Straightway, with furni-
ture, they barricaded the door through
which their protector must pass to devour
them.
But by and by, listening acutely, they
heard scraping and a grating outside the
window of the room where the dog was,
and he continued growing low. This was
enough; they slipped out at the back door,
and left their money to save their lives;
they got into the village. Itwas pitch dark,
and all the houses black but two; one was
the public house, casting triangular gleam
across the road a long way off, and the
other was the blacksmith's house. Here
was a piece of fortune for the terrified wo-
men. They burst into their friends house.
"Oh, Jane! the thieves are comev' and
they told her in few words all that had
happened.
'La!" said she; show timorsome you areI
ten to one he was only growing at some
one that passed by"
4Nuy1 OduC, VIC uodIu bu0 sCIdplu& Oub-
side the window. Oh, woman, cali your
man and let him 60 with us.'
''My mamie is not here"
'Where is he, then?''
81 suppose he is where the other work
husbands are, at the public
house," said she, rather bitterly, for she
had her experience.
The old women wanted to go to the pub
lic-house for him; but the blacksmith's wife
was courageous woman, and, besides, she
thought it was most likely a false alarm.
ssNay, nay," said she, 'last time / went
for him there got fine affront. I'll come
with you," said she. 'Ill take the poker,
and we have got our tongues to raise the
town with, suppose" So they marched
to the toll-bar. When they got near it they
saw something that staggered this heroine.
There was actually man half in and half
out of the window. This brought the
wife to a stand-still, and the
timid pair implored her to 60 back to the
village. 'Nay, nay," said she, ''what for?
l see but one-and-hark! it is my belief
the dog is holding of him." However, she
thought it safest to be on the same side
with the dog, lest the man might turn on
her. So she made her way into the kitchen,
followed by the other two; and there
SlgnC met Iner eyes JnaJ changed all
their feelings, both toward the robber and
toward each other. The great mastiff had
pinned man by the throat, and was pull.
ing at him, to draw him through the win
dow, with fierce but muffied snarls. The
mans weight alone prevented it. The win
dow was like a picture-frame, and in that
frame there glared, with lolling tongue and
starting eyes, the white face of the black
ymifn THAR fri
husband. She uttered an appalling scream,
and flew upon the dog and choked him with
her two hands. He.held, and growled, and
tore till he was all but throttled himself;
'hen he let go and the man fell. But what
struck the ground outside like lump of
cad was in truth lump of clay. The man
was quite dead, and fearfully torn about
ihe throat. So did comedy end in an ap-
palling and most piteOus tragedy: not that