Middletown transcript., 1897-06-26

and the hosiler stood there waving b
lantern excitedly.
Come out hertl The Mollies- tn
Molly MaguiresIn he yelled.
They all rushed ont and acrnss to til
shed that stood some distances from I'll
house.
! When Ezra saw the big doors, that ha
been so securely locked and chained
standing open, he knew what had hap
pened. Taking advantage of the nois
and merriment in the tavern, robbers
had broken in and stolen his polk.
| So it was; every fine, fat porker hat
been taken. The hosller had happened
out in time to see wagon start of
from The froEt of the shed aud driy,
up the road at a mad pace.
TITS regular Molly Mcguire
trick" said the men. shaking thei
heads.
Trembling with rage and excitement
Ezra got out two of his horses, and was
for starting at once in chase of thai
wagon.
The men endeavored To restrain him.
''Do you think I'm going to let a lot
of sneaking thieves steal my meat and
never turn my hand to catch 'em2''
shouted the excited youth. "Not muchl
-we'er not-built that way in Deep
water"
"Not muchI" said Paul and Peter
Apple.
"Not muchI" said Little Jimmy.
"That's all right" said Welliver,
the hostler, who had once been a Deep
water lad himself; "but you don't
know Molly Maguires the way We do
down here,"
Listen to me-" said the landlord in
loud, husky whisper, that sent shiv-
ers down the boys backs. If you was
to start now after them that's just gone
down that road with your pork, we
might as well go to work mailing up
pine box to send you home to your dad
dy in. You'd be shot before you went
ten rod. 'Mollies' always has men
posted to pick off any what sets cut to
pursue; and shooting man in the
dark is meat and drink to them. 1
tell you he glanced over his shoulder
fearfully-"we're none too safe here. -
Instead of pursuing the thieves Ezra |
and The hostler galIoped off TO the town
to arouse the police. As they rode un-
der group OF trees by little bridge |
there was flash, a report, and the
whiz of bullet passed their heads.
"What'd | tell you?" exclaimed
Welliver, the hostler.
Ezra made no reply his teeth were
too much. The bullet had
past his ear and left u hule in
lis hat-rim.
The next morning at daybreak Ezra
at alone in thu I'D, cl ,erless bar
DOM at Tie Sun wal ing for the others.
D get up.
He had been out all night with Potts
lille police OIL fruiIless aud, it SEEM
d to Ezra, trlhing, perfunctory
earch for the stolen pork,
Alone there in in he gray dawn the
oy acknowledged himself bea en- and
lrel clled. 1t seemed 10 him all his
life must be failure owing to the mis-
arrying of this first venture. The
hought of going home empty.handed
lade hirh groan aloud. They had all I
cen counting SO much on the money
hose hogs would bring. There was 1
ig doctors bill to be paid. and the
est was TO send hi. crippled sister Pol
! TO The hospital in Philadelphia where [
be might be made we'll and strong as {
be had once been. /,
Poor, patient, tender little Polly;
ow disappointed she would bt! L
"I'll get that money somehow be. /
)re go home, l WILL willl'' Ezra G
hi pered TO himself. ''Aud III never
lay on the fiddle again-never any !
ling but hymn tunes," +" he added. t
After breakfast, instead OF hi,ching C
is horse, Ezra walked IF toward The y
'wn alone. He had matters to at v
nd to-" he told the others. The truth {
as he could not persuade himself t. o
art hume. Ee wandered aimless!y
dig thinking Of d b hIndrtd impossible o
ht mes for vengea: ce on the Molly
aguires. forming hundred impossi- a
g plans for winning back wllaI he had b
st. Iii
Suddenly The ground und bis feet d
emed to rise and r ck 10 and fro, and RI
lere came an ominous, bnoming snund
lat Jared the broad mountains. Ezra Il
as half stunntd by the shuek aud 81
ood sill, saying to himself, slupidlyi Ii
An earthquake-an earthquaktp' O
Women and children ran out Of the HI
arped and wrecked shanties along
o road. shrieking and ringing their a
Inds. They all rushed frantically up a,
lane that led to the shaft of one of !,
e eollitrits, and Ezra realized there
ID been an explosion in the mine. He
n With the rest aud made one of the y
cited group about tie mouth of the :
aft. e
Men came running from the town, $
ID screaming, hysterically women =
armed eyerywhere. In five minutes !, 4
ere were hnndreds crowded around -
e iron railing that enclosed the mouth =
the shaft. A tail young man with
pale, grave face elbowed his way =
rough the crowd and engaged In earn = :.
! conversation. with the engineer Of y
e hoisting machinery. ~
Here's the superintendenil' "The :.
ung superintendent" yelled the -
,wd. and the woman shrisked louder
IN before. "