The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-15

glance before and behind him, that b,
did not consider it yet time to rejoice
And soon he stopped short, and OBJ
served
There are too many tracks in thii
road for my liking. and not of tn.
right kind to read well, either. ~
~ hope you will indulge in no un
necessary alarms, Bart - said the 9th
er, reluctant to leave the road, az she
supposed be was about to advise.
"fou, who yesterday manifested little
uneasiness, today, when we are farther
removed from danger, have appeared
extremely cautious and apprehensive,
! have thought. Why such change,
while the reverse would seem so much
more rationale"
"Wel, miss, the question is not SC
unnatural as it might be, | reckon, /"
replied the former; "and | have been
expecting you'd wonder some why |
led you on such jaunt as we've had
hut the fact was, your chance of get
ting off has been little scaly, today,
to say nothing of the shadow Of rope
that's been round my own neck in the
meantime.
6 cannot comprehend you, Bart I"
II,
| prise and concern.
''Spose so; for have held in, cause
| thought | wouldn't worry your mind
till needful, which it may be now: SO
I'll tell you the whole kink, replied
Bart proceeding to relate his last
nights discoveries. and then adding
Now a party of the enemy-fo for
saw a moccasin track just now, and
none on our side would be in such
company as that means-a party of 'em
| have gone on before us: and my notion
is that We strike off through this
bushy pasture te the left. ~
LET us do so, then. if such is our
situation, and that without moments
delay" cried Sabrey, in alarm at the
unexpected disclosure.
We'll, perhaps it amt best to fret
about it, jest this minute.' responded
the imperturbabe guide-''I kinder
want to make an observation or two
before we start" he added, ascending
an elevation near by. which command
ed view of the road both WAYS for a
considerable distance.
After glancing along the road in
'front.' moment, he turned and bent
his searching gaze in the other direc-
ton, where he soon appeared to dis
cover something that both interested
and disturbed him.
at is. by Herod ii is the whole
main body, Germans and all. at their
rations, within a mile of us. and their
pickets on the move in this direc.
tion!' he at length exclaimed. hastily
quitting his post of observation.
Hurrying down to the side of the
startled maiden, he sprang to the near
est length of the fence. here enclosing
the road, and graphing, with main
strength, the topmost of the heavy
poles of which it was composed soon
effected breach sufficiently low to al
low the horse to leap over without en-
dangering the seat of the rider
Here, go it. Lightfoot. gently
there you are Now Off with ye. as i'll
the divil was at our heels - cried
Bart, as the horse with her fair bur
den, dashed lightly through the breach.
and cantered off in the direction indi-
cateed by the finger of her master
Pauslng to replace the fence, lest !
the opening should attract the notice |
Of those coming on behind. Bart rapid |
~ followed, and, in another minute, |
the fugitives were safely screened from |
observation by the thick foliage of the
different clumps of bushes, which they |
managed to keep between them and |
the road they had just quilted.
There is house, said Bart. mus
ingly, after they had proceeded while
in silence there is house about a |
half mile ahead. ard nearly the same
distance from the great road. with |
woods between, which is a place |
called at when ! came down. and |
which | had been all along calculating
To turn off to, for short stop, as we
might shape our course to do now, if |
not somewhat risky
"A little rest and refreshment would |
certainly be very acceptable, said the
other, "if it could be safely obtained. |
Who lives there?"
well. some folks
"Loyalists?'
Tories, dye can? No, not by a
jug full"
'Who are they, then. sir?"
1.-The man." said Bart. glancing up
to his wondering companion, with an
odd air of shyness, as he provokingly
persisted in his evasions-" the man is
one of Warmers sergeants, and sort
of relation to somebody that | thought
likely would be visiting at his house
by this time. And-and | guess we'll
venture there, considering. he added,
suddenly dashing some distance ahead.
under pretence of pointing out the
way.
*From the various published ac-
counts of the massacre of Miss McRea,
we have followed, in our illustrations
of that melancholy tragedy, as far as
our limits and plan permitted us to
carry them. the one deemed by us the
most probable. By way of finishing
the details of the horrible scene, how
ever, it may be proper here to state
that Captain Jones, the strangely in
lover, having despatched, for
the reward Of barrel of rum, one par
ty of Indians after her, and then a sec
ond one, for the same reward, had
started to meet her. when, encounter
ing the murderer with the scalp.
which he recognized by the peculiar
color and length of the hair, he has
tened. in state bordering on abso
lutte distraction, to the fatal scene. A
British officer, with few attendants.
had, in the meantime, removed the
corpse to a wagon by the roadside. and
was guarding it, when the lover ar
rived to claim it. But his lamenta
lions were so terrible, and his conduct
80 frantic, that it was deemed advs
able to remove hin, and bury the re-
mains from his sight. From that
hour, the bereaved was an altered and
'uined man. And he died soon after,
rs there is every reason TO believe, of
/ broken heart.