Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-09-19
CHAPTER III.

boffeTlng-fH ram Cpcn5l bLrblSuL iuo . soIb VI
Kitchen, 30 although / entered In a most un-
dignife1 way, In fact on my hands and
knee. was we'll established in the center
Of the room before the man and woman
ssnerged from behind the door. where my
uccess. ul assault had thrown them
stood I'D and faced them. They we're
couple Of ordinary, respectably-attired
country people. The man, sturdy, strong
built. buil-necke1 rascal, stood sowing at
me, and concluded making up his mind Is
70 what course to pursue.
NV GOOD people," l said, you are be-
having IN the most unheard-of manner
Can't Won underss and that ! mean to pay
you well Tor any trouble l give your But
whether YOU like it or not, here stay To-
NIGHT To turn me cut would be sheer muir
der"
So saving ! pulled of nv overcoat and
heosn shaking the snow out u my whiskers
Idare saw my determined attitude, my re-
srectable. a. we'll as my muscular appear
apce. impressed my unwilling hosts. Any
way. they gave In without more ado. While
the woman shut the door, thu rough which the
snowAases VI ere whirling, the man saId sui
hnly:
well. you'll have to spend the night on
chair. We've no beds hsre for ST. Anglers
,6u-S.Hlly thOsr as am WhnOrl
VERY well, my friend. Having settled
the matter you may a. we'll make yourself
pleasant Go and put my horse under cover,
and give him feed OF come sort-maXe
mash II you can"
After giving the woman quick glance, as
OF warning my scowling host lit horn Ian
tern an went on the errant suggested. l
GLADLY sank INTO a chair and warmed myself
before cheerful frs. The prospect of spend
ing the night amid such discomfort was not
sliuring, but had, at least, a roof over my
head
As rule, the more churlish the nature
the more avaricious it is found TO be. My
promise Of liberal remuneration was after
all not without It's effect upon the strange
couple whose refusal to afford mt refuge had
10 nearly endangered my life. They conde-
scended to get me some tea and rough food.
After / had disposed OF all that the man
produced a bottle Of gin. We filled our
glasses and then, with the aid of my pipe, l
settled down to make the best of night
speno in a hard wooden char.
had come across strange people in my
travels, but | have no hesitation in saying
that my host was the sullenest, sulkiest,
most boorish specimen OF human nature
had az yet met with. In spite of his recent
i'll -treatmcnt of me, ! was ready to establish
matters on friendly footing. and made
several attempts to draw him into converse
ton. The brute would only answer in mon
osyllables or often not answer al all SO |
gave UP talking as n al job and sat in 81
lenoe, smoking and looking into the fire,
thinking a good deal, it may be, of some
one should have met that morning at l. ly
mere, had the wretched snow but kept off.
al. III hat affvhf -Aup
machine which inevitabl, occupies one
corner OF every cottagers kitchen-struck
nine. The woman rose and left u.s. | cvn-
cluded she was going to bed. Ii SO l en-
We'd her Her husband showed no signs of
retiring He still sat over the fire, opposite
me. Bv this time l was drcadfuly tired ;
every bone in my body ached. I he hard
chair which, an hour or two ago. seemed all
l could desire, now scarcely came up to my
IDEAS of tho comfort | was justly entitled to
claim. My sulky companion had been
drinking silently but steadily. Perhaps the
liquor he had poured into himself mi hit
have rendered his frame Of mind more pleas
ant and amenabls to reason.
MY good fellow" SAID, your chairs
are excellent ones of the kind, but deucedly
uncomfortable i am horribly tired. II
tho resources of your establishment can't
furnish bed for mo to sleep in, couldn't you
find "a mattress or something TO lay down
before the tireT
you've got all you'll get tonight" he
answered, knocking the ashes out of his
pipe.
''Oh, but sayI"
80 do say say this. II you don't like
IL you can leave it. We didn't ask you to
come"
"You Internal beast" muttered-and
meant H. tool declare, had not been so
utterly worn out, would have had that
bullei-headed rutiau up for few rounds on
his own kitchen floor and II led to knock
him into more amiable frame Of mind
Never mind" said. "hut remember
civilitv costs nothing. and often gets re-
waried. Howeve~, if you wish to retire to
your own couch, don't let your native po-
liteness stand in your way. Pray don't
hesitate ON my account Leave plenty Of
fuel. and shall manage until the morning"
NWhere you stay, l stay he answered
Then he filed his pipe and once more re-
laIsei into stony silence
boAcred alb ut him no more. dozed of
for a few minutes-woka--dozed Off again
for some hours. | was N an uncomfortable
SORT of half sleep, crammei full OF curious
dreams-dreims from which | started
wondering where | was and how | got there
even began TO grow nervous All sorts of
horrible travellers tales ran through nv
head ltw in just such places as tnis that
unsus pee ING voyagers were stated to have
been murdered and ROBBED. by just such I'M
mitigated rutians as ray host. l can tel you
that altogether i spent a most unpleasant
night
To make matters worse and more dismal,
the storm still ragged outside The wind
moaned through the trees, but it had again
changed, and knew from the sound ON the
window panes that heavy rain had sue
ceeded snow, A. the big drops of water
found their way down the large old fashioned
chimney. the fire hiSsed and splutteret like
splteiul vixen. Everything combined t.
deprive me Of what dogs slesp / could by
sheer perSstency snatch.
l think | tried every position which an
ordinary man, not an acrobat, is capable OF
adopting with the assistance of a common
wootlen chair. even lay down on the hard
flags actually tried the table. propped
up the upper half of NV body against the
corner walls Of the room: but foun no rest.
AT last gave up all idea of sleeping, and
fully aroused myself. l comforted mvseli
by saying that my misery WAS only tempo
rary-that the longest night must come tc
an end.
My companion had by now succumbed t.
fatigue or to the combined effects OF fatigue
and 4 n-and-water. HIS head was hanging
sideways, and he slept in a most uncomfort.
able attitude. l chuckled as i looked a,
him, feeling quite sure that if such clod
was capable of dreaming at all his dreams