Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-10-26

~ ls-at is. somebody after them
nams Lets see out!' cried Cynthia.
e.asping the gun, flying to the kitchen
window, and peering out froal a hole in
the blind. ' . A'Ae 4"
~oh, Cynthia, come back; we shall, h.
mnfdered-I know We shall! Only
isten,' walled Becky, as she covered
nef head with the blsnket. while tho
ela'ter in the smoke-house became
louder.
l am going to shoot right through
.he window. Father worked too hard
Ter ralse them hogs, Ter let some good
1or-nothin', onery critter pack off the
meat. [ don't want to kill any one. hut
Just scare em away Do get up, Becky.
an stand near me- pleaded Cynthia,
iesolutely, aiming the gun in the direc-
tlon OF the open smoke-house door and
pulling hard on tberusty trigger,
les, I'm a-comin'; we'll die to-
sether,' returned Becky, as she
Jumped from the depths of the ample
feather-bed and took her stand beside
Cynthia.
With closed eyes the two girls stood
there trembling like aspens. After
several trials the gun went of. the
charge tearing down the window blind
and knocking Cynthia PROSTATE. She
got up in time to see old Uncle Nose
Ashworth, a worthless negro who
haunted the neighborhood, dash out
OF the door, holly pursued by pet calf
which had had the freedom of the
premises.
ooh, me! De las hour done come
for ole Nose; Oh, Missy Ghost, do let
dis niggar off dis onct, an I'll nebber
lay de weight OBJ my ham on anything
'longin' ter anybody else, so long as I
libe! o, sabe an presarbe us!" groaned
the terrified negro, kneeling upon the
frozen ground, while the calf nosed
curiously about him. It'll Tess to
Massa New in dc mawnin' eff yo'll lemme
go;' and without waiting longer he
was OFF with the speed of the wind.
We'll not try to sleep any more;
father and mother may come soon if
there is other company at the Widges."
said Cynthia, taking up the gun and
standing it in it's old place.
Becky laughed and cried by turns
until 4 o'clock, which brought Mr.. and
Mrs. New home.
well done, darter, you've saved
them hams, as that thievin' raskil,
Nose, had 'em all packed ready ter
take off. OF course he had help. I
wonder now that We could have had the
grit ter shoot off grandfather's gun. 1
hate tel try it myself, KNOWN that it
has trick Of kickin' powerfully"
"It did kick me over, father, an I
knew what it would do, but wanted to
save them hams, knowin' what a trouble
them hogs We're ter ye," said Cynthia,
laughing, as she thought of Nose and
his fright.
IL WIS lIlC uOlSc llIG CALL ulttlL6
which aroused us, and then Becky was
wakeful," said Cynthia. Then they
talked it over around the hot coffee,
ham and eggs that Mrs. New prepared
for their early breakfast.
Bright and early Nose came to "'fess"
his crime, driven to do so by the fear of
the vengeanceo of the sghosts, " which he
had mistaken the white-clothed figures
Of Cynthia and Becky for.
Use dead niggar, sure, onless yo'
pardons me, Massa Newt" groaned
Nose, as he told OF the plan to 'tote all
dem fine hams away"
As Farmer New conjectured, Nose
had confederates, but their plans We're
spoiled by the pet calf arousing the
girls. At the first shot the other
thieves fed, leaving Nose to his fate.
Nose, fully believing in the super
natural, never dared to offend in like
manner again, and 'them hams We're
never again molested.