The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-17
he RANGERS,
THE TORY'S DAUGHTER.
VOLUME III.
CHAPTER VII.

natb which seemed TO extend
MM.drmoh partial opening towards the
l1pnUotan. Thinking it might possibly
p naI IN some human .habitation or at
I F"u to some place preferable to the
Fa nm forest and shelter til! the return
o PTdIayJight she resolved to follow it.
~ y. ' "he proceeded on. she began to de-
40. .' marks of the woodsmaD's or hunt
w. w. axe in the trees here entirely cut
l,~n and there girdled or denuded of
.sor bark as high as the hand could
'naeh These indications rs to the
t o% presence ofkmen appeared to
,,nw more frequent as she went on:
s'G at length she came into small
a nsninp in the forest in the midst of
mich stood roughly constructed log
bouse or shanty, with regularly
armed bark roof still standing. The
.omajns of smaller and less durable
.bantjes we're also visible in the vicin-
in Of the former. y
with a cautious and hesitating step,
Miss Hayiland drew near to this rude
.tructure. and at once deceived by the
snpearance of the unguarded loop hole
rndow and the open entrance, be-
hrp which the untrodden wild weeds
we're growing, that it was untenanted.
approaching still nearer, and peering
mo the window, she discovered in one
corner of the deserted apartment, a
comfortable looking bed, composed of
Ranches of the hemlock, which she
tightly concluded had been collected
and used by hunters. who occasionally
made the place their quarters for the
gght. Immediately concluding to
avail herself of the advantages which |
This shelter and primitive couch seem
ed TO promise for obtaining the rest
her exhausted system so much need |
ed she entered and throwing herself |
down on the soft and yielding boughs |
soon surrendered herself to the inhu- |
eDce of the grateful repose and fell |
asleep She was soon, however, awak. !
pned by what. she knew not, unless by
the feeling of uneasiness and appre-
tension, by which she now found her
self unaccountably agitated She had |
heard. or read of those mysterious init
nations by which lit is said, we some
times instinctively become appraised of
impending danger, when there is no ap-
parent cause for apprehension, and
such instances ever in reality occurred.
this might be one of them or the i'm
nression might have been unconsiouslv
received from actual sounds, which
came from foes now secretly lurking
near and which, as it is known often
70 be the case, had fallen on her slum-
bering ear, and disturbed and troubled
without fully awakening her. But
whatever the cause of the strange
0rphoding, the effect soon became too
strong and exciting to permit her
longer to remain passive. And she
arose to examine the apartment, and
see what precautions could be taken to
render it more safe against the intru-
sons Of enemies, whether they should
come in the shape of men or wild
beasts On approaching the entrance,
she discovered standing by the side
Of it against the wall. a sort of rough
door made of long cuts of thick bark
confined by withes to two cross pieces
and intended evidently as there we're
no contrivances for hanging it, to be
set up against the entrance on the in
side as a barrier against the cold, or
the unwe!come intrusion OF anything
nom without. But it had become SO
water soaked and heavy, and the end
on which it stood, so firmly set in the
ground that she found, on making the
attempt, her strength unequal to the
task of removing it, and she turned
away TO look for other means of pro
tectng herself from danger. Casting
her eyes upward, she perceived lying
loose on the beams, or rather poles,
extending across the room above several
pieces of bark, which had been left
there, probably when the roof. of the
same material, was constructed. And
It Immediately occurred to her, that, if
she could mount this loft, she might
80 dispose of herself there as to escape
the observation of any human in
tradeIs, and, at the same time be out
Il reach of any wild beasts tina, should
inter the room below. Accordingly r
gong to one corner she began to mount n
" stepping on the projecting sides of s
The logs in the two converging walls, s
ND soon succeeded in reaching the &
Oft and forming. from the bark a t,
'Iece OF flooring sufficiently strong and 4
'Ioad to bear her weight and screen her p
eTson from observation. Upon this e
he extended heref face downward, r.
With her eye placed to small aperture d
enable her to see what might happen Z
D the room below, and silently, but d
'lth highly excited expectation, await p
d the event. But what event did she Il
zpect: She could not tell: and yet c.
he was wholly unable to divest herself s.
the continually intruding idea that il
fearful was about to occur; "
nd impelled by the singular appie- "
tension, she could not help listening d
Or sounds which might herald the APP
reaching evil. For some time how a
Yer, no sounds reached her ears, eX- 81
Apt those low, mingled murmurs 1
inch are peculiar TO the forest in the n
ILLNESS of night. But at length her il
ulckened organs were greeted by some Il
'lse which she knew was out fan d
ed one; and the next moment the p
Iunds of human footsteps became dis, "
nctly audible. Presently she heard b
1lces at the door, and then saw two Ell
irk forms cautiously entering the room Il
'Iow. After walking around the 81
lartments and thrusting the muzzles a
thelr guns into corners, with the >
parent purpose of ascertalnlng fe
neither any one was concealed within. al
ey approached the pile of boughs 81
lore described and gave vent to their n
tsfaction at finding SO good bed' II
a short gutteral UGH which pro ST
AIMED them TO the trembling listener di
70 k.. II. nF