The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-10-28

only TWO barrels or that one, and not n
grain of powder in the house.
He is brave man; bat for a moment,
terror, wild, mad, unreasoning terror fills
his soul. He shudders as he thinks of the
four villains outside the door, fastened
only with wooden button, and the tender,
weak women within, with only n wounded
man armed with half loaded pistol as
defender.
Big drops of sweat gather on his fore
head; his hands shake as il suddenly
stricken with the pal y-tha. is, for a mo-
ment. The next he is back again in the
sitting room, and not word or look be-
trays 10 his companions the anguish VIII CHI
wings his soul. On entering the kitchen
Fred reefs his mother and the girls to
keep back in the farthest and darkest cor
ner of the room, out of range of the firing
He then says: IF l am shot down, want
you all to leave this room mt once, and take
refuge in one of the chambers. Scip must
be home in an hour or two, and hope to
keep I csc villains busy for that long. But
if you see me fall, don't stop TO help me,
you can't be of any use, but leave this
room as fast as You canl" And sinking his
voice, he says, If no rescue comes, and 1
am dead-mother, Nelly, Constance; but
i" He breaks off suddenly
Constance goes mp to him. Fred, If you
are killed, we will obey implicitly. We
Will lock ourselves in, as you wish us to do,
and if no help comes-if the ruffians break
down the door-why, we can die, too"
you have taken load off my heart, !"
says Fred, smilingly, "and now well give
these blackguards something to do, directly
They won't find 1t as easy to get into the
house as they imagine.
Then follows silence-no sounds are
to be heard but the dropping of an ash on
the hearth, or the loud ticking of the
kitchen clock. Fred has Unattached the
window, under which the men are crouch
ing. The watching women can hear the
thick, heavy beating of their hearts against
their sides.
At last o loud, coarse voice calls out:
Come on, fellows, the Doc won't an
hour ago. The light is out, the coast clear.
Well have the old gals diamonds sure ter
night
"Halt!" cries Fred from the window.
zone step forward and one of you at least
is dead man"
The moon, which until then had been
hidden by driving clouds, shines out sud-
denly. -Four guns go off simultaneously.
The bullets Fly about Freds head, one
scores his cheek. He feels the warm blood
trickle down upon his neck.
Then in reply to the volley pistol shot
rings out.
There is stifed shrek, and Fred, who
has thrown open the easement, sees the
foremost man leap wildly in the air, his
arms held high up above his head. A mo-
ment later he falls face foremost to the
ground. His companions run up to him
and turn him over on his face.
"Dead-dead as a rat" said one with an
oath, that makes the trembling women stop
their ears.
Zone shot gone," mutters Fred. MAY
the next one prove as etfectual."
The man who has spoken last makes n
sudden rush for the door. He dashes it
in, but the table wheeled against it by Con-
stance prevents his immediate advance.
Then Dinah's voice is heard suddenly
everybody had forgotten her, but she has
descended from the upper regions, a Won
derful figure in her night-gear
She holds gun in her hand which she,
it is evident, intends using as n club, and
shouts: "Hi, yer look yere. Yaller Joe, yer
done come one step niyah and I'll knock
yer head off yer-sure as you're born!"
The man, startled at this unexpected op-
ponent, hesitates, and Fred calls out, "Go
back, or I'll fire!"
1.-TWO can play at that game, young fell
Ter, f" returns the other, and fires.
There is a shrill yelp of anguish. The
bullet has gone wide of its aim and hit
Nap, nesting in Constances arms. "Ohi
my pet, my poor little Napp Fred hears
her cry. Dinahs gun, used as a club, de-
sends at this moment on the ruffian's
head whose shot has proved so fatal to Nap.
He staggers back, blinded and giddy,
against his companions. Just then the
tramp of heavy feet is heard coming along
the lonely road.
1t is Scip with q dozen of his friends re-
turning from the prayer meet ng. They
are singing as they march along. AS they
come nearer the words of popular negro
chant
Rain fall, and wet Sally Lorton,
Rain, fall. and wet Sally Lorton"
are plainly to be heard. Never did the
richest strains of PATHS delicious voice
awaken such rapture in Fred's heart as the
strains of this rough, uncouth negro hymn.
1t tells him of escape from death for his
womankind, it whispers hope to his heart,
but a moment before given over 10 darkest
despair, for just now he had fired his last
charge and missed his aim.
The three men have fled, leaving their
dead comiade behind.
Dinah has run down the road, and Is
now seen returning holding tight to the
to him fast and furiously, in n dialect alb
solutely unintelligibe to the Northerners.
But Constance has retreated to corner,
and sitting on rickety wooden chair is
weeping unrestrainedly over the little dead
dog in her arms.
Fred looks at her in amaZement. She,
the quiet, reticent, self restrained young
woman has bent her stately head, and big
tears are splashing from long dashed lids
down upon the curly coat and small, stiff
fleming paws of Nap.
Fred is fascinated by the sight. If it
had been Nell now it would have been not
at all surprising; but Constance-the un-
demonstrative Constance.
The sight of her nece's utter despair over
the death Of her dog excites her aunt's in
dignation.
"Constancel" she exclaims, reprovingly,
show can you sit and cry that way about
your dog, when it might have been me or
Fred? You ought to be very thankful it
was only Nap"
Here Nelly interrupts hor, her blue eyes
flashing fire.
Really, aunt, a. Nap was shot in Con-
stances arms, / think the only one who
was in danger of bug shot by that bullet
was Constance herself"
Then, going up to her cousin, she says:
"Poor, little, faithful doggy, we would