The Arizona sentinel., 1889-12-21
THREE BRAVE "MEN."

How They Took Care of and Protected Their Little Sister.
 "Afraid! Just like girl! Why, we'll take care of you. Nothing can happen to you with three men in the house."
 So spoke the eldest of the ''three men," aged twelve; and Dick, the sec ond, copied his gruff base tones to ask:
 ''What is there to be afraid of, I'd like to know?"
 ''Well, there's robbers-and there's bears-and there's pockerpickets, Nelly answered, timidly.
 q just wish the pockers would come. I'd fix 'em,' said Bertie. He was not much more than baby, but he looked very big, striding up and down with his battery chest on,' as his father used to say.
 Dick climbed upon chair and took down an old sword from it's nail on the wall.
 ''This is what I'll do if bears or rob- bers come along," he cried, and bran dished it in such fierce way that Nelly began to put more trust in her pro- tectors.
 ''That's rusty: I'd rather have the gun" said Fred; and taking his fathers rifle from it's corner he shouldered arms, marched to the door and presented the muzzle to the keyhole.
 ''Hi, there, Mister" he shouted to an imaginary burglar on the other side of the door, mo admittance here without leave!''
 What would Major Barrie's state of mind have been just then could he have known that his rifle was in Fred's un- skillful hands? As it was, he felt no uneasiness, believing that Bridget, the big Irish servant, would take good care of the children during his absence of a day and night.
 Biddy was not so trustworthy as he thought. After the tea dishes were washed, she went out with some ''cousins from Oirland," and left the four little ones alone. They didn't mind that at first. The three men had all the better chance to show their courage. Sitting around the fireplace, they told all the stories they had ever heard or read of wonderful adventures and hair breadth escapes. This was all very well as long as the least bit of daylight last ] ed; but by and by there was nothing but firelight in the room, and you know how such stories make you feel, told in the | freight. They began to cuddle closer together and to speak lower; and if a | coal fell in the grate, or mouse stirred | under the floor, they would all start and | catch hold of one another.
 q wish Biddy would come back" whispered Nelly at last, with a little shiver.
 ''Listen! That must be her now" said Fred, as they heard the latch of the gate click.
 ''Oh, I'm so glad" Nelly exclaimed, jumping up and running to the window. The gate was at some distance from the house, but by the light of the snow Nelly could see something that made her scream.
 ''Oh, boys," she cried, ''it isn't Biddy! It's man! It's manr' and she ran and clung to Fred.
 You should have seen our three brave men then. They tumbled, helter-skelter, out of the room, almost knocking one another down and screaming wildly. They found their way somehow to the closet under the stairs where the flour and apple barrels were kept. The apple barrel was almost full, but Fred scram- bled in and curled himself up so that nothing could be seen over the top. There was more empty space in the flour barrel, and Dick climbed in there and whispered that there was room for one more. Poor little Bert was trying l