The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-14
The GREAT VERMONT STORY !
The RAN GERS
OR,
THE TORY'S DAUGHTER.
~ JUDGE II. T. THOMPSON.
f,II I,,pI,n >.rr,
CHAPTER NH Continued.

Bart, you have silenced me. I
justice and oppression have made II
both outlaws, but not Intentional
wrong doors. Let us still abstain fror
all Intentional wrong. however tritiiup
And that leads me to observe. tina
whatever justification you may hay
for taking away the horse you prob
ably have none for carving off tn
bridle.'
lhere You are out again. Harry
mat bride, which queerly happened
to be put on Lightfoot to-day, las if i
was kinder ordered | should get tn
beast, is the very one | bought las
fall to take her off with but being $,
worked up, when | left, | forgot t,
bring it away
Upon my word, Bart. you are sue
cessfu to-day in making defences. -
Always mean to be able to do so
Harry. Nobody has any honest claim,
on me in Guilford, now, nor any OF
them. | leave 'em with every thin.
squared, according to my religion. -
Except in the matter of your gun
which you leave-not exactly won b,
your opponent-behind you: do yot
lnot?''
They are welcome to it much gooC
may ii do 'em. i has gone pretty
much where l calkerlated to get it of
among those who used me the worst
the worst though Id some rather il
had gone TO Fitch, who hunts some,
and would be sure TO try it. -
That is queer reasoning, Bart.
We'll, there is a head and tail to if,
or all that, Harry.
I What are they
! Why, the head, or cause. is, that
/ the last time | shot the piece, | over
oaded it, being for black ducks, and
the charge raised a seam, in a flaw UNI
derside the barrel, which | could blow
/ through. And the tail, or consequence,
is, that the next man who shoots it
will wish he'd never seen it, reckon. -
"Ah, Bart, Bart, your religion, as
you term it, is a strange one, But let
us now dismiss the past, and think of
the future. If you join me for the
army, what do you propose to do with
your horse sell herr
Sell herr" Why. I'd as soon sell
my daddy. if | had one. No, We'll
keep her between US. You, and Tom
Dunning, and Lightfoot are the only
friends | have in the world, Harry :
and | want we should kinder stick to-
gether. So I've been thinking up the
plan, that we ride and tie, or keep
along together and foot it by turns, to-
night, till we get to Westminster when
we will beat up Dunning, and leave
Lighfoot with him, who can take her
to some of his places over the noun
tain, and have her kept for us. Then,
if one Of us gets killed. or anything, so
as never to come back, let the other
take her: and if both fail to come,
then let Tom have her for his own. y
And Bart's plan being adopted, our
humble, friendless, and nearly penni-
less adventures left the wood, and en-
tering the northern road, set forth on
their destination, WOODBURY. first
mounting the pony and keeping some
hundred yards in advance and Bart
forming the rear-guard, under the
agreement that the latter, on hearing
any sounds of pursuit, should utter the
cry of the raccoon, when both were
to plunge into the woods, and remain
till the danger had passed by.
After travelling in this manner, and
at a rapid rate, about two hours. with
out encountering any thing to excite
their apprehensions or delay their
progress. they entered a long reach of
unbroken forest, which neither of them
remembered ever to have passed
through. But not being able to con-
ceive where they could have turned off
from the river road. which was their
intended route they continued to move
doubtingly EDWARDS some miles farther,
till the increasing distractions and
parrowness of the path, together with
the absence of the settlements which
thew must have found before this time
on the road up the Connecticut, fully
convinced WOODBURY. they had lost
their way. And he was on the point
of proposing to Tetrace their steps,
when. deserving n light some distance
ahead, emanating, as he supposed, from
the hut of new settler, he at once
to push on towards it, for
the purpose of making inquiries OF the
to ascertain their situation.
In making for the light, of which for
a while. only feeble and occasional
could be obtained through
fhe dense foliage that overhung the
devious path. they at length came to
an apparently well-cutivated opening,
about dozen acres, on one
side of which stood a small, snug look
inc stone house. built against or near
a broadly projecting ledge of rocks.
As they approached the house, their
was arrested by the loud and
earnest voice of man within, engaged
evidently, in prayer. Concluding that
the man was at his family evening de.
votions, which they had no thought OF
disturbing, they left the horse at a little
distance from the house, and silently
drawing near to the door. paused and
reyerently listened. \ confused re
collection of the srpplicant voice, to-
oether with his deep and fervid tones,
his bold language, and especially the
subject that seemed then mostly TO en-,
GROSS his thoughts, at once awakened
+ q interest and rivetcd the attention
Of Woodburn. The great burden OF
his soul was. obviously. the political
condition of mis- country. And. AFTER
viyidly painting the many wrongs
she had suffered from her haughty
onpressors. and warmly setting forth
her claims to divine assistance, he
broke forth. in conclusion, =
INV country! O my injured, op