Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-04-16

s%snt;ng 4 ,,istoi. ared il so close TO my
ewes that the fash blinded mo Tor q mo.
rnent. the action was so sudden
| tha surnrise so great, that for . short
t;me. too I was bewilderd, and scarcely
knew whether I was alive or deaf.
| The old horse never started NJ the re-
pcrt. and I rested my hand on the rim
al the wheel, while ] endeavored TO
gather INV scattered thoughts Inc
| tirst thing I ascertained was that the
man had lisappeard. / then hurriediy
examined under the seat, and, TO my IN
tense relief, perceived b remaining
mone7 bag still in its place.
There was a slit in it, however, near
the top. as if made by a knife-the ROD
Der probably resolving merely to pos
SEES himself of the coin, without tne
dangerous accompaniment OF the ieath-
err sack, by which he might have been
traced.
aTelI We what" said q voice close be.
aide me. as I concluded my scrutiny, 4
don't like practical Jokes like that-fr-
ing of pistols to brighten folks. YouH
alarm the whole village
aTom." | said, "Now's the time TO
AOtAAg
show your courage. A man has 3
| the Qig-or tried to do it-and has hired
at me within q yard Of my face.
Tom grew perceptibly pale at this m
formation. WAS there only onef
Then the accomplices are near. What's
to be done? Shall we arouse Farmer
Mains aud get his men to helpg -
"Not for the world, F" Isaid. II wouid
rather face a dozen shots than have my
carelessness known at the bank. liz
would ruin me for life. Let us count
the money in this bag, quickly deliver
il il il be right, and then follow the
robbers course" It was only q hum
dred. guinea bag, that one, but the
counting was nervous work. We found
three guineas wanting. We were
luckily able to supply them
from our own pockets, having Just
received our quarters salaries, and 1
left Tom there, delivered the bag TO its
destination very neal at hand, without a
word OF the robbery, and went back to
him. "Now which way did he go"
said Tom, resuming a little Of his for
mer air, clutching his pistol like the
| chief of q chorus Of bsnditti IN q melo-
drama. I told him / had been so con-
fused that / had not observed which
way he had retreated.
Tom was m old hand at poachIug-
though he was q ~clergyman's son. and
ought TO have set a better example.
al have heard o hare stir a hundred
yards, y he said, and laid his ear close
TO the frosty ground.
III he's within a quarter OF q mile L
shall hear him move" / also lay down
on the ground. We heard nothing
but our breathing and the breathing
of the horse. Hush" said Tom Mt
last. "He has come out OF his hiding.
I hear q mans step far away 10 the left
bring your pistol and let us follow"
/ took the pistol and found the hint
down on the pan. The man had fired
at me with my own weapon, and no
wonder he had fred SO suddenly, for
Tom now acknowledged to his belief
that he had forgotten TO uneock it.
Never mind" said Tom; I'll blow his
brains out with mine and you a split
his skull with the butt-end Of yours.
Tell We what It's of no use to prepare
those ~malefactors. I'll fire the moment
/ see him."
"Not until / tell you whether he is the
rohber or not"
"Should you know him do you think"
an the fash of the powder / saw a
pair of hagsard and amazed eyes which
I shall never forget" "Oh, then" said
Tom, well have a eco reward, and see
the rascal hanged besides" We set of.
slowly and noIselessly in the direction
pointed out. Occasionally he applied
his ear to the ground, and always NUT
terings "We have him we have him.
proceeded in the same careful manner
as before. Suddenly Tom said Hes
doubling. He has been leading us on
the wrong scent all this time; he has
turned toward the village" Then our
plan" I said, should be to get there be-
fore him. If We intercept him in that
way he can't escape. aud / feel sure ]
could identify him If l saw him by can
die light" "Tell We what-that's the
plan," replied my companion wei
watch at the end Of the village and ar
rest him the moment he comes in"
We crept through an opening OF TIL,
hedge and got ones more in the straight
! lane that led to the village. 1t was nov
} very late and the cold was 30 intens,
that it kept every person within doors
for we heard no sound in the Who'll,
hamlet, except, high ND in the eleal
air, the ticking Of the church clock, and
the ioud janglos of the quarters that
seemed like peals of artillery In the ex-
cited state of our minds and senses
; Close to the church-which appeared
to guard the entrance OF the village,
with its low, buttressed walls and its
watch-tower OF q steeple-there was a
wretched, ruined looking cottage, which
projected so far INTO the lane that
the space between ii and the church
was not more than eight or nine feet.
1t struck as both at the same mo-
ment that il we could find a lodg-
ment here, it would be impossible Ton
the man to slip into the village without
onr observation. After listening for a
while at the windows and doors of the
building, we concluded it was uninhab-
tied gently pushing open the door; we
climbed a narrow stone staircase and
were making for a gable-end window
which we had observed from the road
ard which commaded the whole APP
pToaoh of line village, when we heard q
voice say in a whisper, as we attained
the garnet we were in search Of: us that
you, William"
We stopped for a minute or two, and
the speakers expectation was disap-
pointed. We now placed ourselves al
the window, and listened for the slight.
est sound. We remained there listen
ing for a long time. Several quarters
bad died off into "the eternal melodies, >
far up in the church tower. and we were
beginning to despair OF seeing the object
OF search, when Tom nudged me
noiselessly with his elbow.
"Tell We what" he whispered, very
softly, there's a footstep around the
corner. Seel There's a man under
the hedge looking up at the window.
There-he moves. We must be after
him. Hellol Stop--he crosses the
lane. He's coming into this very
house"
/ certainly did seea figure silently