Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-10-29

! N.Y. Dut uhu q Iull view OF the lat-
tice. waited until my patience was
beginning TO wear out, and then fan
! cled that I heard some slight sound
outside under the fortochka 1t was
so slight that at first was not sure
whether 1t might not be merely fancy
but after little pause heard it again
| louder and mere distinct. | sat still
as a mouse and kept a very sharp look
out.
Slowly and gradually something
raised Itself before the opening. 1t
was head; but in the uncertain light
could not say whethor it was a hu-
man head or that of some brute crea
ture. Whichever it might be, | could
see enough of it to know that it was
such a wild, haggard, unearthly look
ing thing as | had never looked upon
before. Any quantity of shaggy hair
was hanging about it. and its only
features seemed to be eyes, Eyes it
had past all mistake. Never did see
anything like the way in which it
glared at our good provisions within.
l have seen what a famisned wolf
looks like, and should hardly think
famished wolf worth comparing
with that creature. 1t was ravenous
after what it saw. Up beside the head
came two bunches of long claws,
which wrenched at the wooden lattice
as if TO tear it down. But they wsre
too weak. The strips held fast. And
the thing fell to with It's teeth to gnaw
way through.
While the creature was thus engagS
ed | contrived to slip quietly from my
corner by the door, and catching up a
big stick, went out at the back of the
house. | stole round as noiselessly as
| could toward the window. There
were, as / said, youag fir trees on that
side Of the house, so that with little
care it was not difficult to approach
the place uuobserved. When | got to
within few yards, / saw that the
man - for the creature was man -
was still hard at work, trying to force
way in.
dropped my stick and made rush
at him, and had him before he knew
anything about it, He struggled hard
desperately, may say. But, bless
you he'd not the ghost of a change
with me. lam tolerably strong man
still, as men 90, and was younger
then. | could have undertaken three
such as he an d thought nothing of il.
The poor wrech had no sort of condi
ton about him-he was mere skin and
bones-no muscle at all. He was
nothing but walking anatomy, with
very few rags by way of covering
and only very few.
All that hi gained by his struggle
was a good shaking, for gave him
one that made every tooth In his head
chatter; and then laid him fiat on his
back.
had been long enough in the coun-
try to gain some knowledge of Russ
STA. could use it pretty freely to our
mill people; and | must own that for
terms in which to BLACKBOARD set of
lazy r9scals. as most of those fellows
are. Blllingsgate isn't a patch on it.
SO l could make my prisoner un-
derstand me. Now, then, my
friend" said to him, "you needn't
take the trouble to show any more
fight. You see it won't pay. So Just
get up and march quietly off with me
to the ouchastock'-the ouchastok
being, as you perhaps know, equiva-
lent to the police station in English.
But instead of getting up and doing
as he was told, like a reasonable being,
the creature contrived to wriggle it,
self upon its knees and hold up its
hands, while it begged of me in the
name of the Virgin and all the saints
not to hand it over to the politzia. 1t
would rather be killed outright, and
was ready to be beaten as much as
pleased.
my ragged friend" l said, "you
are a queer chap. Why do you OBJ
jet to the police so strongly r.
The poor wretch made no direct
answer, but only reiterated his en-
treaties that would not give him up,
| began to have some suspicion of the
quality of nay guest Il am inclined
TO think" said, that you are Meth
err more nor less than an escaped con-
Wet"
Instead of attempting to deny il he
only begged me to pity aim as be,
fore.
Russian law is terribly hard on
those who in any way assist in or con-
ceal the escape of a convict. OF that
l was aware. But though / am big
fellow to look at, and ia some things
can hold my OWE as well as any man,
| have always been poor, soft-heart.
ed fool in others. / was beginning 10
feel downright sorry for that poor
dewitt was not so much his prayers
that fetched me as his looks. "Well, !"
| said, suppose / don't give you up,
but let you go. What then7"
He would always remember me
with gratitude. lie would go on his
way at once. and do no harm 10 ray
property. He was no thief. He mad
only entered this door-this yard-to
hide himself, but that the sight of food
had overcome him he was furnishing,
and he dare not beg. He had walked,
how far he could not tell, perhaps a
thousand versts, and all the way he
had not dared to ask for food, scarce>
" to speak to a living soul. He was
trying to reach his own village, per-
haps a thousand versts further. If /