Middletown transcript., 1898-03-05
oFyRGHTED. 1893 81 The AUTHOR

they feared their arms would make
noises in passing through the air. Their
lips moved, conveying dim meanings.
In the sign language the girl described
the situation in the barn. With guard
ed motions she told him of the impor-
tance Of absolute stiffness. He nodded.
and then in the same manner he told
her of his two companions under the
barn floor. He informed her again Of
their wounded state and wagged his
head to express his despair. He con-
torted his face to tell how sore were
their arms and jabbed the air mourn
fully to express their remote geograph-
ioal position.
This signaling was interrupted by the
sound of a body being dragged, or drag
ging itself, with slow, swishing sound
under the barn. The sound was too loud
for safety. They rushed to the hole and
began to semaphore wildly at 1t, but
the swishing continued with serene in
difference until shaggy head appeared
with rolling eyes and quick grin.
With frantic downward motions Of
their arms they suppressed the grin
and with it the .swishing noise. In
dramatic pantomime they informed this
head of the terrible consequences Of SO
much noise. The head nodded painful
ly, but with extreme care the second
man pushed and pulled himself from
the hole.
In faint whisper the first man said,
where's Sim?'
The second man made low reply,
"He's right here" He motioned reas-
suringly toward the hole.
When the third head appeared, a soft
smile Of glee came upon each face and
the mute group exchanged expressive
glanoes. When they all stood together
free from this tragic barn, they breath
ed long sigh that was contemporane-
ous with another smile and another ex.
change Of glances.
One Of the men tiptoed to knothole
and peered into the barn. The sentry
was at that moment speaking eyes,
we know 'em all. There isn't house
in this region that we don't know who
is in it most of the time. We collar 'em
once In awhile-like we did you. Now,
that house out yonder, wei
The man suddenly left the knothole
and returned to the others. Upon his
face, dimly discerned, there was an in
dication that he had made an astonish-
ing discovery. The others questioned
him with their eyes, but he simply
waved an arm to express his inability
to speak at that spot He led them back
toward the hill, prowling carefully. At
q safe distance from the barn he halted,
and as they grouped eagerly about him
he exploded in an intense undertone,
"Why, that-that's Cap'n Sawyer they
got in yondar."
"Oap'n Sawyer 1ncreduIouny wn,s-
pered the other men.
But the girl had something to ask.
Glow did you get out of that feed boxF"
A man turned to her at once. "Oh, the
feed boxl' He smiled. "Well, when
you put us In there, we was just in a
minute when we allowed it wasn't
mighty safe place, and we allowed we'd
get out, and we did. We skedaddled
round and round until 1t 'peared like
we was going to get ootohed, and then
we flung ourselves down In the COW
stalls where it's lowlike-just dirt floor
-and then we just naturally went
a-whooping under the barn floor when
the Yanks come, and we didn't know
Cap'n Sawyer by his voice nohow. We
heard 'em discoursing, and we allowed
1t was a mighty pert man, but we did
not know that It was him. No'm'm"
These three men so recently from a
situation of peril seemed suddenly to
have dropped all thought Of it. They
stood with sad fanaa 1nnkinnr at fha