The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-06-24

Hawk-nosed and very hollow-eyed.
With mighty burrows I'm his stormy brows.
Long hair down his shoulders curled;
His chin was bare.
In fact. could not help sharing, to GER
tain extent, In my comrades fear; but We
were in for il now, il danger was intended.
1--WE soon learned that our host was a vi
client partisan of the South; that he had
lost two sons upon the battlefield, and
that he would have shouldered arms HIM
self il il hadn't been for the old womanl
He did not seem to consider us foes, and
Frank thought 1t necessary to express sem
timents in favor of the mans principles.
AS we were preparing to retire for the
night the door opened and stout young
man entered, shaking the water from his
clothes.
"He was a neighbor, apparently, for the
master addressed him in familiar way,
and as we followed our hostess from the
room, / observed signal pass between
them. followed by glances, menacing, l
thought cast in our direction.
"The apartment into which l was ushered
was small, with no furniture except the
bed, and without door.
"My companion was TO be in an adjoining
room. The woman made an awkward
apology for the poor place, as she called
it, and ended by saying that her sons had
once occupied the rooms, and mebbe my
friends had killed them
This suggestion came so abruptly that it
startled me. 1t was the first intimation
given that our profession was understood.
Il made some commonplace remark, and
was left alone, to sleep if | could, which
was not mt once.
81 heard the family retire; then all was
still save the patter of the storm outside.
felt oppressed, as though with the sense
of approaching misfortune.
1.-The form of our ill-looking host was
conjured up before my mind, attended by
all the yillainous circumstances and incl
dents that an active imagination could fur
nish.
AT last, after tossing about for hours, /
fell asleep. How long l lay unconscious
know not; but when | awoke it was with a
start, and my faculties were upon the
stretch at once.
II heard some one in the hall without
my room. He came with the stealthy mo-
ton of murderer stealing upon his victim.
"My knavish host was coming to
avenge the death of his sons, was the idea
that flashed into my heated brain, and
stealing from the bed began to feel about
for my weapons.
Had the assassins removed the pistols, that
they mi. Int perpetrate their meditated crime
in safety?
$50 it seemed, and taking large, strong
bladed clasp knife from the pocket of my
pantaloons, L stole toward the door, re-
solved to meet the villains, and take them
by surprise.
II reached the door in the dark, and ere
knew it had stepped outside. Some form
was before me. | could hear a stihed
breath at my side, and the next instant was
grasped by pair of strong hands.
My knife was knocked from my hand,
and | struggled with the desperation of a
mailman to prevent the blow which l ex-
pected would fall.
Il endeavored to throw my assaiant to
the floor, but his limbs seemed formed of
steel. l dealt and received several blows,
and Mt last we fell, and rolled over and over
upon the floor.
All this occupied but an instant; but j
was already becoming winded. Ay antag-
onist was too strong.
Suddenly Imade a last desperate effort,
and we fell upon the stairs, rolling over
until we reached the bottom.
"The fall separated us, aud as staggered
to my feet light appeared, carried in the
hand of my host His wife was looking
out upon us through the partially open
door of her bedroom"
$50 on, Colonel cried; "why do you
pause?'
There's not much more to tell. l had
been battling all this time with Frank, the
new recruit, and my good host was as inno-
cent of all sinister intentions as the sleepy
chickens whose slumbers we disturbed.
MY companion had gone to sleep, OPP
pressed with uneasy thoughts concerning
the master of the house, a terrible dream
had followed, and still under the influence
of the CHASTITY bag who rides our dreams,
he had risen from his bed, only to awake
to grapple in the struggle for life which
followed
1--WE rode away the next morning with
better feelings toward our rough but hearty
friends of the cabin, and did not trouble
them with the suspicion we had formed of
their character"