The Irish standard., 1899-05-20

night. and the owner, after tracking it
many miles, had at last found it at the
home of the thief.
This stormy night was the very time
for such a theft; the rain would wash
out the wagon tracks. OF course it had
not occurred to the thieves that two
boys might be asleep under the sheet.
Greatly alarmed, began to shake
Dape, who was still sleeping peacefully.
We must do something. He uttered an
inarticulate cry of protest at being dis
turbed. ceased to shake him, fearful
that the thieves had heard him.
For perhaps an hour sat there in the
dark, rejecting on our strange situation,
and wondering what could do. Where
were those fellows taking us? How
long had we been travelling, and where
were we now?
j.. raised the sheet again. The wagon
was going through fiat woods. Now
this told something, for we lived in q
prairie country, and the nearest fiat
wood was ten miles to the west. So we
were at least ten miles from home. and
going farther. Much alarmed, leaned
over Dape again, and whispered in his
ear:
"Dape, thieves are running clear OIL
with the cotton, and us, tool"
This I repeated several times, until
he sat up suddenly, and his first whis-
pered question showed that he under.
stood the matter. l told him what
had learned.
"We've got to get into our Clothes
he said. "rhen we'll unite the wagon.
sheet at the hind end, drop out, and fol-
low the road back to where somebody
lives"
"That's easy, but if we do, why, then
the thieves get clear away with fathers
cotton and wagon"
"Well, then, we'll keep in hearing OF
the wagon till it stops. Let's get dressed
right away"
"But the men are on the front end
and they must be sitting on our clothes
You know we put 'em right against the
Sheet"
Here was predicament. If we got
out into the cold wind and rain, bare.
headed, barefooted and in thin shirts
and drawers, we must suffer fearfully
and might be chilled to death.
What if we should stay in the wagon
We shuddered as we asked each other
what would happen then. Murders are
often committed to conceal robbery
and if we did not get out the thieves
must find us on stopping.
After discussing various plans, we de-
cided to wait till we came to house,
and then jump out and run to it. So we
united the sheet at the hind end, and
kept poking our heads out to look for a
house. At this we soon got so cold that
we had to bury ourselves partly in the
cotton.
Houses were far apart, but at last the
wagon came to one. Even before we
saw it's dim form, we could hear a great
barking.
"rhat sounds like dozen dogs
doesn't it?" shivercd Dape.
ut does" shivered back. big ones
too. Let's not get out. What should we
do out there, nearly naked, in the colo
anu udIN, Will SuCIl u pdCh!
You're right; we're better off in the
wagon"
So we got down into the cotton again
and waited for house with fewer dogs
The laden wagon moved slowly, TO,
the cotton made heavy load for the
team, and before another house was
reached daylight came. We were now
more alarmed than ever, for if the
thieves should happen to look under the
sheet, they could not help discover
ing US.
Besides, it would be extremely EN-
barrassing to approach q house in
broad daylight in our present attire. In
fact, when we did come to one, and
tried to get Dape to start first, he said
"S'pose there were women? How'd
look? Not much! You may go if you
want to. I'll see this thing out right
here" To this resolve also was forced
by the circumstances.
About this time the rain stopped. As
soon as the light began to come through
any chance of getting our clothes, and
now saw that only one man was sitting
on the edge of the stretched sheet in
front. Either the other one had left the
wagon, or there had been but one, and
the talking we had heard had been his
talking to the horses. However, we
were sufficiently afraid of that one
man, armed as we felt sure he must be
And he was sitting on our clothes. All
that could be seen of them was sleeves
and legs.
WELL" said Dape. whose mind was
hopeful and fertile, 1.-THE man must live
somewhere in these woods. When he
gets home, he's sure to stop the wagon
several yards from the house, and go in
to warm up and get his breakfast
Thatll be our chance. We will put on
our clothes. jump out, and run for the
brush"
but the man or some of his family
will be sure to take a look under the
sheet when the wagon stops"
"Well, let us hide in the cotton. No
danger of them seeing us if we cover
ourselves WE'LL"
And that was what we did. We GOV.
cred ourselves completely, leaving only
little holes to breathe through.
In this position we could not hear
much, and could not see at all; but it
was not long till we felt the wagon stop.
Dape punched me, to intimate that we
were now at the thicf's home, and that
the trying time had come. We lay with.
out moving muscle.
Just then dreadful thought came to
me. Anyone looking under the sheet