The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-04-30

candle in her hand.
1.-THE French are comingp she ex-
claimed. "There are at least two hun
dred of them. If they find you here
they will burn the house. Go into the
cellar quickly and make no noise. If
you make sound we are lost.
The officer, thoroughly frightened,
said in a low tone, ave will; we will.
How shall we descenl?"
The young woman quickly opened
the trap door and the six men disap-
peared, one after another, down the
little winding stair.
When the point of the last helmet
had disappeared Berthine lowered the
heavy oaken plank, thick as ia wall and
hard as steel, which was held in place
by hinges and lock, and, turning the
key in the lock, began to laugh. 1t was
a low, hysterical laugh. Then she
suddenly evinced an irresistible desire
to dance over the heads of her prison
ers.
Soon, however, she heard murmur-
ings under her feet. The prisoners
had OWNED the ruse, and presently
the officer mounted the little stair and
began to pound the trap door with his
fist. Again he cried, "Open the door,"
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Open the door,"
II will not"
The man became angry, and ex-
claimed, "Open the door, or I will
break it in."
Then she began to laugh, saying,
Break it, my good man; break it,"
and he began to knock with the butt
end of his musket against the door of
oak closed above his head, but it re-
sisted the force of his blows.
The young woman went to the outer
door of the house. and, opening it,
looked out into the night and listened.
A distant sound fell upon her ear.
Then she cried with all her might
"IIo, father"
"Ho, Berthine!" voice replied.
Presently the large shadow of man
appeared where the moonlight fell be-
tween two trees.
II have the Prussians in the cellar"
said the young woman.
"Prussians in the cellar? What
Prussians? How did they come there?"
Berthine said, laughing:-"They are
those who were here the other day.
They were lost in the forest. and 1 am
keeping them cool in the cellar"
Then she related the adventure, how
she had frightened them with the re-
port of the revolver, and had fastened
them in the cellar.
"Well, what would you have me do
at this hour?" asked the old man.
"Go and fetch M. Lavigne and his
troops. 11e will make them prisoners,
and will be glad to do il"
Eyes, he will be glad" said Father
Pichon, with a smile, as he departed.
For a long time Berthine remained
alone, with her eyes fixed on the
clock. From time to time the Prus-
SLAMS were heard battering away at
the trap door with their muskets. At
length. thinking it time for the troops
to arrive, Berthine opened the door
and listened. Soon she saw shadows
moving in the forest. They were the
shadows of M. Lavigne's men. There
were 200 of them, and each carried 200
cartridges.
M. Lavigne arranged his troops SO
as to surround the house. Then he
entered the dwelling and informed
himself of the force and position of the
enemy.
NJ. Lavigne stamped on the trap
door, calling to the Prussian officer.
The latter made no reply. Again M.
Lavigne called, but in vain. After
lapse of twenty minutes he summoned
the officer to surrender. promisingtha
the lives of himself and his men should
be spared and that they should receive
good treatment There was no sign
of capitulation. Then the command
ant arranged his plan of attack.
"Let Planchut and his men come
here" he said. Planchut, who was a
zinc worker, and two of his assistants
approached.
Tear down the cutters and the
waterspout from the roof"
In quarter of an hour fully fifty
feet of these wooden cutters were
brought. Then he had a little hole
made at the edge of the trap door and
formed conduit from the pump to
this opening.
Now we will give these Prussians
something to drink" he said.
Then he ordered number of men to
the pump, who relieved each other
every five minutes. A stream of
water glided through the conduit and
fell into the cellar. The work of