The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-10-10

ranging from fifteen to twenty, beetle
browed, coarse-features, with jaws like
their own bulldogs, and small, dull, savage
ewes, items of that enlightened and puri-
fed democracy to which is henceforth
trusted the realm of Britain.
1t was a Saturday morning, and they
had nothing useful to do, and so were
doing mischief.
"What are you about?" asked Guide
roy again, more imperiously.
What struck him as singular was that
whilst the young men and their dogs
were in an uproar, jostling, hallooing,
swearing and yelping, from the hut not
the faintest sound came.
"Have they frightened to death what
ever it is they are persecuting?" he
thought, with difficulty keeping his horse
quiet amidst the hubbub and the menac-
ing gestures of the youths.
What are you about2" he demanded;
"answer me at once. What deviltry are
you doing?'
lie had little doubt that they had
hunted in there some poor old creature
whom they thought witch. Witchcraft
was firmly believed in on the moors, and
often rudely dealt with by village super
stition.
This Glamour ceased little while, and
one OF them called to him:
"She's shut herself in with it, and it's
ours, and we're going to burn 'em both
out; she's kept US here fooling us three
hours"
What is it? and who is she I" asked
Guilderoy, and he struck with his riding
whip out of the hand of the man who
spoke a wooden box of lucifer matches.
There was a quantity of dry furze already
piled against the wall of the hut, which,
if set alight, would have hared like
straw.
They did not reply, but some of them
roared like animals deprived of prey
which they had thought safe in their
jaws.
Answer me-" he repeated, ''you know
who am. have right to be answered
you are on my land"
"'Tis tod" one of them shouted, "and
we turned it out to hunt it with the dogs,
and we'd run it into a Granny, and she
come up and catch hold of it and tear
away, and we hunted of her then in here,
and she's feet of foot as any hare, and
she hied in quick as thought and banged
the door and barred it, and she's kept US
making fools of us three hours if one,
and she knows we'll burn her out, and
she won't give it up, and she knows we
bought it at the public at Cherriton for
we told her so, and brought it bag and
turned it down, only it run bad because
it's such little un."
"You have lost q fox-cub, l under
stand" said Guilderoy when the narrator
ceased. "But who is it that you have in
there and that you are brutes enoug.= TO
want to burn out?"
"Its the young un of Christslea," said
the youth sullenly.
who do you meanP
"'Tis the Vernon girl" cried another of
the rioters. "She's spirit she have, but
we'll break it. Well have the tod if we
have him roasted"
"You unutterable beasts I" cried Guide
roy, in the passion which cowardice and
tyranny together rouse in a man who is
both courageous and merciful. "Do you
mean to say that there is a child or a girl
in there 2'
''She went in with the tod" said the lad,
sullenly, and those around him yelled in
chorus. "How dared she go and take the
beast and spoil our sport? The tod was
ours, not hers. And she cuddled it up in
her neck as if it was baby. Well burn
her out, and then We'll toss up for her," )"
cried another voice, and the suggestion
was received with shouts OF applause.
"You are on my land, and ! am magis-
trate," said Guilderoy, controlling with
difficulty his fury and disgust as he dis
mounted, and holding his plunging horse
with one hand, with the other he struck
the handle of his whip on the door of the
! hut.
"My dear, do not be alarmed" he said
to the unseen occupant within. "These
brutes shall not hurt you. Open the
door. will take care of you. am
Lord Guilderoy, and these moors are
mine"
A very clear young voice with tremor
in il answered through the door:
81 can not open it. because if / do they
will take the little fox"
'No, they shall not take the cub, said
Guilderoy, and he turned to the men.
"You have behaved worse than your
mongrels, but / will consent to believe
that you would have failed to carry out
your dastardly and brutal threats. There
Is a sovereign for the loss of the cub; now
90 back to wherever you came from, and
do not forget that your miserable sport is
illegal on these lands. Coz
The little mob wavered, growled, and
swore under its breath; then one Of them