The Newtown bee., 1891-12-18

that vein of British gold which was sup
posed to end in the Golfers of Crosby the
spy.
For long the wolf had prowIed ia the
track of the peddler. He knew that the
latter lived in an humble house retired
among the hills, or rather that his aged
father lived here, almost in solitude, with
all the externals of poverty, for the son
was an infrequent visitor to place which
the outposts of the Continentals often
visited in the hope of experimenting him.
Somewhere about this shanty, the brig
and reasoned, Enoch has stored his gains,
both ill-gotten and honest. Did the old
man know their whereabouts? If so,the
task of getting them would be an easy
one. To visit him at nightfaN and put
him to torture--it was the common way.
But if, perchance, he should be ignorant
of the hiding place, that labor would be
in vain; nay, worse than vain, for the
scout would know that the wolves were
after him and would be armed against
them. For this reason alone-certainly
for none of mercy-the old man had not
been molested. But the cowboys lay on
watch for Enoch.
One stormy night, when the belated
equinoctial was stripping the forests of
their Summer clothing and sending all
honest people under roof, younger son
of the Smiths who had been watching
the Crosby house rode to his fathers
camp and reported that the spy was at
his home. Good - said the giant with
an oath. ''Let us turn patriots for the
night, my lads, and in the name of liber-
ty we'll wrest from this two-faced dog
the proceeds of his infamy. Wen turn
it over to George Washington's treasurer
-ahem later on"
Smiths precious sons laughed at the
old mans waggery, and soon the grim
quartet, armed to the teeth, were silently
threading the high grass that cucumber
ed the desolate stretches of what was
once the Boston road. Above the waist
of the leader was a stout rope, which
Claudius sometimes loosely called his
persuader.
But a great surprise awaited them at
CroSby's house, for, when the little party
crept into the small clearing which sur
rounded it, they found that another party
bound on the same errand had anticipat-
ed them. The SINNERS had outfooted
the cowboys for once.
For moment, Claudius Smith almost
lost his head. But it was not for long
With n of canton ha led the u
to one of the windows of the house and
, there he and his sons beheld a drama
, such as no stage ever produced.
In a corner of the room, covered by the
J muskets of seven men, clad in some rag
, ged semblance to the soldiers of the Con
| tinental army, was Enoch Crosby, the
| spy. They were uncouth, bearded crea
] lures, looking much like the tramps OF
= our present day, and they were as neal
t to soldiers as the average tramp is to {
good citizen and honest man. In short
g they were Skinners-the vilest of the
= vile, to whom the war WAS only an ex
: cuse for robbery and in whose mouth;
e the words of patriotism with which they
5 sometimes accompanied their demands
Y for pillage were the baldest blasphemy
When the eye of Claudius Smith fel
t upon the leader of this gang of cut
). throats, he uttered a low ejaculation. !
/, was a man he had long been looking for
man who for some previous fault haC
: been tried, convicted and sentenced to
death in the heart of the King of the
Cowboys. Had he known what ven
geance lay near at hand, the chief of til,
/ SINNERS would not have laughed so lout
when Enoch Crosby, with an accen
S which would have moved a heart o
= brass, said, "Gentlemen, my father lie
a dying in yonder room. | pray you lie
l me go to him and close his eyes in peace
If it is my body that you wish to give uI
= to the Continentals, give you my wore
7 of honor that L will go with you. In thu
= name of God and of your children, lie
me pass!"
'',ro hell with the old manr' said tn,
; Skinner tiercely. "'Where is the gold
you Jew? Where is your accursed gold
Quick, or we'll put you to the torture, a:
we have put many another dirty tory who
refused to give up his money to the cause
: of liberty!''
AS he spoke, the Skinner pointed to the
rope wound around his own waist, for il
was no rare thing in those days to string
:, up an obdurate man and let him down
again, or to blister him with Goals, until
in anguish he gave up the secret of his
buried treasure. Enoch knew all about
it, but it was not of the torture that he
thought. Even then the weak, sepul
chral voice of the father whom he idoliz
. ed sounded from the adjoining room.
''Enoch! Enoch!''
Eyes, father,n said the spy. Pull VI
yonder corner BRICK" he added to the
ruffian, ''and you will find all L have
Take it if you will, but let me go to my
father in the name of heaven"
''Oh, no, you young fox," said tht
Skinner with harsh, unfeeling laugh
as one of his followers pried up the Gilt
and disclosed pile of golden guineas
sLet your beggarly old man die like {
dog if he wishes''-
The next instant Enoch had sprung
upon him and hurled him to the floor
Two muskets were discharged, three bay
onets were in the wall just back of where
the spy had stood, but Enoch was toe
quick for the wielders of them, and the
next instant he was kneeling beside the
dying man utterly oblivious to the Skin
ners and their doings.
But what is this? Bang! bang! Foul
SINNERS roll upon the floor before the
well aimed muskets Of the cowboys