The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-01-20
Hell do no good there!"

4
HE will COON out ven he is needed.
Get up und get your sword und peestol,
und--ach, listen!"
Some one was certainly moving
around in the kitchen below us. We
heard tin pan fall to the floor and
then the creal1ing of hinge as door
was opened. .~.
dot vas de bantry door," Dolph whis-
pered to me. 1T goes sque-e-e-k like
dot. Shin, vas you scared?"
l was, but l would not say SO, and /
knew that Dolph was scared, TOO, al
though he was trying hard to be brave.
He reached out and lighted the candle
left on chair by the bedside. Each OF
us had horse pistol under his pillow,
and my SWORD: and Dolph's gun lay
across the foot of the bed. Dolph
dragged the huge old gun toward him
and seized the sword.
Suddenly there came loud knock at
our very door and disguised voice
growled out:
"Open this door!"
II will not" cried Dolph, with a sud-
den rise of anger and courage. ''You
peter go away! We vas armed to de
teet, und we hat tog!''
"Bah!" came the voice. "I'm not
afraid of your arms, if you have any, or
Of your dog, either. Come, now, know
that you two boys are alone in the
house and I'm going to come in
The voice sounded maudlin, as if it's
owner had been drinking.
"You stay oud!" cried Dolph. IF you
don'd you will"
A single heavy kick broke the light
la ch of the door, and there stood u
man with handkerchief tied over the
lower part of his face and his hat drawn
down to his eyes.
dropped down under the bedclothes
and Doiph's courage gave way in the
desparing cry of:
''Sic 'em, Yack! Take i'm Yack!"
There was a scratching, rushing
sound under the bed, and low, angry
snarl deepening into growl, as the
ugly dog I despised and Dolph loved
darted forward and bounded upward
toward the man.
The stairs were directly behind the
intruder. AS old Jack shot forward the
man stepped back, and the next instant
he and Jack were rolling down the steep
flight of steps together, the man yelling
| out in voice that was not disguised
now:
Call him off, boys! Call off the dog!
Git out, you ugly whelp-oh, OH"
Dolph's courage rose instantly. He
jumped out of bed, laid the barrel OF
the old gun across the top of the chair
! on which stood the candle, and fired.
Over went the chair, the candle and
Dolph.
All was darkness. The house rang
with the report of the gun. I began
slashing away with my sword in the
darkness, thinking the man might have
come back.
"Stop dat, Shim!" roared Dolph, as
my first blow hit him broadside on the
back.
We how heard a terrific scufae going
on downstairs. Jack was snarling
through his teeth and the man was NUT
tering frightful oaths.
''Take i'm, Yack! Sic i'm, Yack!
Goot boy! Goot for you, Yack!"
shouted Dolph..
BY the time we had lighted the candle
again the noise had ceased downstairs,
but we heard running footsteps outside
and old Jack barking and snarling as he
gave chase. =.
Presently the dog came back with
nearly half of the skirt of mans coat
in his mouth. The old dog limped and
had three knife-cuts on him.
II told you So. Shim!" cried Dolph,
clapping me on the back and talking in
an hysterical manner. ooh, I told you
so, Shin! Vat you dink Of old Yack