Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-09-15
CARRYING REVOLVERS.
Some Good Advice on a Danger
 ous and Deadly Weapon.
The Man Who Carries a Loaded Shooting Iron Is a Menace to Himself and
 Friends-ReIy on Muscle and

| Iron IS a Menace to Himself and Friends-ReIy on Muscle and | a Stout Stick.
 It was midnight. l had just gotten l off the late train from the city and was starting to walk four miles across coun- try to the village wherein I lived. l had been detained in town by business until the smaller railroad on which l usually travelled was laid up for the night, compelling me in order to reach home to take this roundabout way of l getting there.
 It was in the summer time and the country roads were deep with dust.
 Soon I left the gas lamps of the town behind me and came to the long and lonesome stretch (where for two miles there wasn't a light or a house) which l must pass before reaching my | destination.
 Here, also, the sidewalks stopped, so, of necessity, took the middle of the road, plodding through the soft and unusually thick dust.
 The sky was black with low lying clouds-so intensely black that it couldn't be distinguished from the earth, and all was as still as death. No footfall sounded In that carpet of dust, not dog parked, not frog croaked, not an owl hooted, not breeze stirred. The awful silence was oppressive and the more than Egyptian darkness was horrible.
 Beside the spookiness of that silent, ghostly tramp through the dust and over strange roads on such hideously black night there was cause to appre- | hend danger from robbers, for several persons had lately been waylaid and attacked in the very spot l was ap- preaching.
 l possessed a revolver, but it wasn't wi me, for, not expecting to be de- tained, had left it home.
 The feeling of security it would have given might have taken away some of my uncomfortable thoughts as I plod- ded along on my unpleasant journey.
 Owing to the darkness and difficulty of keeping path, I was in the middle of the road, and soon reached the drcariest part of the walk, midway be- tween the two villages, and a good mile and over from a human habita- tion.
 Suddenly a mans gruff voice sounded not three feet away. Hello, stranger" it spoke, "where yer going?" Then another voice, too, ; close behind me, said: ''What time is it?"
 | Then both the men, one at my side touching me and the other just behind, walked along with me, for l hadn t stopped when they spoke.
 The inl1y darkness was so utterly in tense that not even their shadows could I see, while the soft dust gave nc sound from their feet.
 The silent manner of their waiting for and joining me looked bad. I cer- tainly should have heard them talking together before accosting me if they were bent on no mischief. Of course l was frightened, and more , so because l could not in the pitchy blaclIness get the slightest idea o1 their looks
 But I managed to return their salute as carelessly and as fearlessly as could and then told them to keeI away.
 What for?" the fellow at my side = asked, brushing against me, don't yor like company"
 "Keep away" said I, again, 'I'vt got pistol, and warn you" i've got one, too," he laughed, rub ping up nearer, and the fellow behind me stepped on my heels.
 They seemed slightly the worse fol drink, or, maybe, only pretending, sc Sl as to get me off my guard.
 At any rate they entirely ignored m, warning and stuck even closer than be fore, at the same time trying to start conversation with me, which I had nt humor to encourage t. Being, as I have mentioned, withou lg my pistol. had no choice but to wall II along in their company, every momen expcctipg to get blow from the fellov
 behind.
 When it came-if it didn't knock m
 senseless-I intended to get one hi
 back and then run for my life, trustin to escape in the darkness.
 But to my most agreeable surprise,
 was not molcsted and soon the light
 of my native town appeared. At tn
 first crossroad my unseen and unasl1e
 for companions said: Good night,
 and vanished, and do not know ye who they were or how they looked.
 The point of my story, which locke like an adventure at first is this:
 If had not fortunately been witt
 out my pistol, 1 should certainly hay ordered them off to good and prope distance. Then the fellows, being foo
 ishly familiar and affectionately dis l. posed by drink, would have done jus
 what they did or they might have pu