The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-06-05
That was the old deserted boathouso


Think of it-all would be we'll He
should again see the sunlight in the
fields, and the sails on the shining sea,
and Kate in her white gownl He
should again move back the straying
trcsses of golden hair from the fore.
head he should move back her stray
ing tresses with this same palm which
he was now grinding against the harsh
wood OF the oar, in desperate endeav-
or to tear his life from the trough of
the water.
At last firm earth held his limbs and
body up He no longer rocked and
swayed in all his body.
Drenched and sodden, he scrambled
up the slip. He made no effort to save
the punt. The moment she stepped
ashore she had been swept away.
81 must make that boat good to the
owner, though she has been nearly the
death of me. I'll never put my foot
aboard another craft less than five
tonner from this until | die"
Oh, what hard work it had been to
keep ones feet when staggering up
that treacherous old slip to gain its
place, with its shelter aud its security,
from the mouths of the Tipping, raven
ing waters
This boat-house was now used, they
said, by Black Billy, the gamekeeper,
as a lair from which he might surprise
poachers by night. Poachers were
many and daring in this neighborhood.
Black Billy entertained q particular
hatred against them and they against
him. Pray heaven they might not
mistake him for Black Billy, or Black
Billy him for any one of them.
No door on the boat-house. That
did not matter. 1t afforded plenty of
shelter, aud that was what one now
needed, aud 10 in the light of a
match, heap of straw, large heap
of straw, at the end far from the door.
In his saturated condition to lie
down on the straw would be to secure
illness and invite death. If he walked
briskly up and down until he became
warm and then crept under the straw
fellow would not only escape chill,
or rheumatism, but enjoy the ad-
vantages of hydropathic treatment.
Langley began pacing the floor as
rapidly as the limits of the building
and the darkness would permit. In
half an hour he had worked himself
into a glow; then he crawled under
the straw, taking care to cover him
self completely with it.
The heat of the body increased to
such q degree that he was sorely
tempted to creep forth again, but a
chill now would be disastrous, so he
lay still and suffered. He listened to
the wind roaring in the wood, and to
the fails of the rain thrashing on tho
roof. Little by little the burning
heat of his body subsided, and after
awhile he fell asleep.
He was awakened by voices. The
storm had ceased. and Langley was on
the point of struggling out and de-
claring himself when his ears caught
words which held him still.
ats hanging job, Jim," said
deep, gruff voice.
"Well, that's your affair. You
knocked him into the river" said a
high tenor voice.
"We were both of us in it, and
when he started on us twas you
clinched.
al was only holding on by his gun.
and was holding on with my two hands
when you but-ended him and he tum-
bled in. couldn't have struck the
blow for my two hands were on his
gun, Sam"
'And when l saw you in trouble
did turn tail and run away? Did II"
fiercely; cor did l shorten my piece
and let drive at him? And isn't the
dark look of his eyes turned on me
ever since?" Sans tone had become
subdued as he went on, and at the end
it had lost all its anger, and was not
addressed to Jim, but spoken to re-
lentless vacancy where the dead eyes
lived
Langley felt cold shiver down his
back. He bad been listening to the
history by poachers of Black Billy's
last encounter with their fraternity.
The man with the high voice stood
SO close to Langley that his feet were
In the straw, aud Langley could feel
the straw move when the man moved.
Yet Langley durst not stir an inch
away.
After pause, Sam, the more distant
man, the one with the rough voice,
the striker of the blow, recovered him
self, aud said as if awaking from sleep
"What are we to do?"
"Strike light aud let us see what's
in this cursed hole.
"But any one could see a light from
the river"
"And who would be on the river at
such an hour, and after such night ?"
Langley's heart stood still. Up to
this his only feeling was one of loath-
ing and horror of the presence of two
men, red-handed from murder. Now
the fearful peril OF his own position
struck him Here were two desperate
men, fresh from the most awful crime,
with no other thought than, How shall
we escape the terrible consequences?
They we're armed, they were going TO
strike light. II they discovered him {?
He tried to lie still as log.
A match was struck.
The high voice said: "What heap
Of straw l suppose it was his bed. It
LOOKS more like us if one had been
sleeping under rather than on it. Moth
ing but the straw in the shanty. There,
the match is out What are we to do,
Sam2 Twill soon be day. IA thea
tbnvtU find II in the Svat,.r - With tba