Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1884-01-31

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room in all their ghostliness to destroy
him with their devilishness.
How the little fellow trembled
Several days before, tho boys of the
village met In Squire Diedgrain's old
barn and listened with breathless inter-
est to the tales of blood and thunder
read by the squire's eldest son Jake,
from fry dime novel. Abram was a.
mong the number, and was one of the
most interested in the altogether-im-
probable stories. He had almost frigh
tened old Nanny Simmons out lob
her clos" so the good old lady said,
with his initiative war dlnces at all
hours Of the day Nanny used to
wonder where the chickens We're disap-
peariug to lately but the mystery was
made only too plain one day when A
BRAN, covered from head to foot with
feathers, entered the room with terri
BILE noise resembling a steam fog whis-
tie, flourishing bloody hatchet and
blood-freezing looking bowie knife al
most as big as the boy himself. He Of
ten wished to meet "Hid SONS blood
drinkin' injun DAT took real scalpS -
he wished to annihilate some great
liendlsh buccaneer or renegade. 1t
seemed, too, now, that he was to have
his wishes consummated.
Standing, almost breathless, near the
the lamp, which had burnt very low,
Abram listened trembling to the crack.
a-creak of the window, which was
being slowly opened flom the outside.
Suddenly terrible crash of glass
sounded with awful distinctness
through the room, shattered TO the
floor, torn from its slender fastenings
by some ruthless hand without. Then
shaggy head with beard. covered face
lit with bloodshot eyes glared ominous-
ly through the aperture, and voice that
appeared to come from the searching
eyes said In a husky tome
"All's o, K, Bill Old 'oman's
out, aud not SOULS nome but the lit
tie nigger and we'll soon finish him il
he squealS ! AS you be lighter than
me, yer'll AYE ter 60 in through this
winder and open the door for me.
Hurry up, Bill, fore the little mig
starts ter yell his lungs out. There
that's 1t Now, as yer in, hurry up
and break open the door ~
"Yer needn't make such fuss a
bout it !" said the man addressed as
Bill, as he approached and opened the
door. As it swung open on its hinges
it admitted the owner Of the shaggy
head. Quickly closing and locking the
door again, he approached the trem-
bling boy and commanded in a terrible
voice.
"Git US sumthing to eat, niger, or
I'll throttle yer, do yer hear ? If yer
does, why don't yer go and do it,
hey ?"
The poor boy, trembling from head
to foot, could not do otherwise than o.
beY, and went to the cupboard and
brought out loaf of bread, together
with some mustard and ham, and de-
posted them upon the table.
"Come, why don't yer eat, Bill ?"
"If this amt eatin' what yer call it,
Jerry ?" Bill replied, as he commenc.
ed to devour huge slice of ham and
bread thickly covered with mustard.
Call it hoggishness, hey ? Ha, ha,
ha !" laughed the worthy Jerry, draw
ing flask of whiskey out of his pocket
and holding iJ up to the lamp.
After finishing the contents of the
bottle, the two men ate the rest of
their ill-gotten lunch in silence
Poor Abram stood near by hardly
daring to breathe, watching them like
wolves devour the bread and ham.
Good ting nanny amt tere, cause
uCoC OWO UlOONIullolg hllIduo WOuIu
eat her up fore she'd hab time ter
brease !" he thought.
"Nigger, come here ~ commanded
Jerry, with terrible frown on his
face.
Abram, with one finger in his mouth,
slowly came toward the man, who
made clutch at him and sent him
spinning around like top. Striking
the poor boy cruel blow on one side
of his head, the fellow said -
''Nigger, where's yer old man an
old 'oman ? Why don't yer answer I
Do yer want some more ?'
"My fArder are de-de- dead, and my
-my-mudder am out-out ter camp
me-meetin'," came the reply in sobs.
$50 the old mans kicked the bucket
hey ? Old 'oman's out ter nigger's
campmeetin', too Bill, my boy, we're
in luck J Just think of il, not a mig
ger in sight dut this little imp shet
up, ser fool do yer want ter bring
mob down on us ? Shet up, l say, or
I'll cut yer throat-stop: do yer hear
me ? Yer will ave it, will yer Take
th at and that vor-'1