Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1888-10-25


The house is ON fire! The house is on
hre! was passed from one to another. as
the paleneess of death stole over thejr hor-
tor-strlcken faces
Here was new danger, aar3one that was
insurmouptable. How could they combat
this new element that theiafoes were fight
ing them with?
John was determined to know the worst.
SO he passed out at the door and round to
the corner where he could see the fire. As
soon as he emerged from the darkness
voiley OF Shots from the timber to the
NORTH greeted him, and he beat a hasty re.
treat but not until he saw huge pile of
blazing straw against the building. The
tongues Of the flames were reaching up to.
and over the roof. like some huge demon.
and the fate OF the mansion seemed sealed.
AS John turned to go puff of air struck
his lace and the flames shot up far over the
roof. The thunder began to sound moro
distinctly, and few drops of rain battered
against the house. Then came another gust
OF wind, and the flames enyeloped the man.
| sion like mantle. Then again came still
ness, only relieved by the cracking of the
| fire.
Nothing now but the Intervention of prov
idence could save the building from de-
struction.
A faint hope buoyed up the inmates.
What they had so feared in the early even
ing, they now looked to for their only help.
For an instant the entire heavens were
abaze with electricity, and deafening peal
OF thunder shook the very foundation of
the structure, and made the frightened peo-
pie crouch in terror. A mournful sound fol-
lowed like the grooming of some great mon.
ster, and then the storm struck the house.
-natA Of ha,.
opened and the rain poured down in tor
rents.
The lightning was continuous, and the
crash of thunder that followed deafcninp.
Gradually the light waned and in few
minutes the fire was extinguished For an
hour the elements continued battling above
the drenched earth, and then the storm de-
parted as quickly as it had come, and the
people who were thus providentially saved
by the opportune interference of nature be-
heved that God fights the battles of the
just"
The bushwhackers must have had SIM
liar thought, for they skunk away and left
the prosecuted people to enjoy another
quiet night.
Our friends had been acting entirely on
the defensive, but this began to grow mon
otonous, and John and Henry concluded that
unless the bushwhackers continued to press
matters, they would change the order of
things.
A few days had passed away, and our
friends had not seen anything more of their
enemies. They believed that it was only a
question of time when the rascals would
again put in an appearance, and they kept
continual watch for them.
One day two men rode up to the man.
sion gate and asked to see the proprietor.
Two guns were leyeled at the strangers
from the windows, and John with his rifle
walked out on the porch.
who are you, and what do you want?"
he demanded.
We're friends, and are huntinga place to
stop, was the reply.
Well, lay down your guns and come up
to the house."
They readily complied, and left their guns
leaning against the fence, and strolled lei
surely up the path, but kept a watch upon
the Wire Road from which they had coma
As tl.ey came up the steps one of the
strangers-who was poorly dressed, but
possessed of fair looking countenance,
with honest gray eyes, which looked I'M
finchingly under Johns searching gaze
reached out his long, bony hand and took
that of our hero with such fervor that it
made that young man vince.
Mr.. Eddles spose?"
Eyes, sir; and your name?
William Gum. Folks call me Bill,
though
Glad to me)t you, Mr.. Gum. If you
are friendly gum you are perfectly well
come, but we don't want any SON of "a gun
here these times, John remarked, seeming
ly in play, bat wholly in earnest.
+. 1t am correctly informed, you have
been over Jhe Wire Road great deal lately,
and hapD reason TO believe that we have
travelled the same road before, the stranger
replied, paying no attention to the light re-
marks 81 our hero.
A few quick flashes of the hands of the
two m,n, and there was mystic tie, con-
ddenc), established between them that
nothing could shake.
John then turned to the other stranger,
who stood smiling at the actions of the two
mer, before him.
And this MANI" John asked.
He's all right vouch for him." the
stanger answered, and the three entered
Il house.
.yTrA