Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-03
STOLEN GUARDS.
How Two Texas Boys Saved Their
Fathers Cotton.
BY LEWIS q. MILLER.

| 'Dape, thieves are running clear of
with the cotton, and us, tool"
This repeated several times, until
he sat up suddenly, and his first
whispered question showed that he
understood the matter. 1 told HIM
what had learned
We've got TO get into our clothes, "
he said. Then we'll unite the wagon
sheet at the hind end, drcN out and
follow the road back to where some
body lives"
CHATS 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 trout 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,
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 con-
ceal robbery, and if we did not get
out, the thieves must find us on stop
ping.
After discussing various plans, we
decided to wait till we came to a
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 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 its dim form, we could hear a
great barking.
"That sounds like dozen dogs,
doesn't it?" shivered Dape.
''It does" I shivered back. "Big
ones, too. Let's not get out. What
should we do out there, nearly naked,
in the cold and dark, with such a
pack?"
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, for
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 dis
covering us.
Besides, it would be extremely en-
barrassing to approach a 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
so if you want to. I'll see this thing
out right here" To this resolve 1
also was forced by the circumstances.
About this time the rain stopped.
As soon as the light began to come
through the wagon-sheet, we looked
eagerly for 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 sutfi-
GENTLY 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, "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. That'll 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 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
covered 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 thief's home,
and that the trying time had come.
We lay without moving muscle.
Just then dreadful thought came
to me, Any one looking under the
sheet would be likely to raise it at the
fore end. Our clothes would be seen
then we should inevitably be dis
covered. sat up in my excitement,
throwing off the cotton.
What sound was that? A humming,
somewhat like threshing machine,
i'll the distance. But / had helped
unload too much cotton to that music
not ottorecognize Uncovering Dape's
head, l whispered:
"He's brought us to the ginl Don't