Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

| the north side came Struggling volley.
| The weavers had fired upon the foes. who
were escalading their defenses.
| black worm with a glowing tip ap-
| preached the touch of the four-pounder-
| stand away said Will, stephen
| lowered behind. still anxious about his aim.
! There leap of flame from the touch
| hole, a laundering crack which momentar
| lily deafened us, and then there enSued an
| awful turmoil beneath, shriekng and
| moaning, oaths of rage and cries of de-
| ST air. ! looked over the battement, but
| being temporarily blinded by the tongue of
fame which burst from the gun, l could
make out nothing save a writhing confu-
sion. whirl of limbs and white faces some
! gripping and biting their neighbors in their
| agony. like crabs in a basket while the
! confused sound went up to heaven in a
| many-voiced shrek of despair.
| From the tower top there went forth no
sound of triumph. VIII Bowman and Ste
phen Sawkins were too busy making ready
for the next line of assailants. But none
| was prepared to adventure further just
| then. They had not even begun to carry off
their wounded.
| But from the other side we heard the tri-
| umphant cries of the assailants. as they
climbed up to the lower windows The
| muskets of the weavers spoke again and
again, rs it seemed without much effect.
Run, Philip cried viii. GO TO the
| corner there, and from the corner loft you
| can command the whole northern front.
We shall not need you here
For, indeed. confess that thus far had
l between the suddenness of the report and
| terrible effect of the grape shot upon the
| assailants of the gateway.
On the way to the north corner had to
pass through the great, dim weaving room,
| now dusked and terrible to me with the
| thought of the dead lying in his bier, on
| which he had lad himself living man.
Yet the ladder by which l must mount was
| Immediately hack
case and to gain my post 1 must needs
pass it.
AS l went hastily by had not meant to
look at it. Indeed, had been nerving my
self all the way to keep my eyes straight
| in front of me. But a stealthy noise some
| where in the room, and a momentary up
l 1eaping of the flames of the dying fire drew
my regard in spite of myself, to the place
| where I had seen them lay the dead man.
Then it was that 1 got the most horrid
| surprise that ever in all my life stilled and
| dismayed my soul within me.
| The packing case was empty!
| And beyond it, in the direction of the
stirring noise which 1 had heard, my eyes
fell upon a sight to alright and subvert
my reason. He that had been dead was
| standing by the great doors. swaying,
| staggering his feet, and endeavoring to
undo the great iron stanchions, that,
when pushed against from without, the
| leaves might open inward.
! l cried aloud in fear. My hands trembled
| so that / dropped my musket on the
| ground. In moment the terrifying appari-
| ton had turned toward me. l saw the
countenance of dead man come to life,
| sfreaked and blotched with blood. the eyes
| fixed and injected, staring like knots in
| window glass with an inward green light.
| Scraps of wool stuck to his dress here and
! there. with an effect incomparably bizarre
| Yet such was the strength and fidelity of
| the man in evil doing that at the first sight
! of me he Swervcd, and, steadying himself,
| with an inarticulate cry that was more
! than half a moan, he raised the knife
! r.. III, -.
| ward me with the stealthy tread of a wild
| beast.
| His mouth was wide open to draw in air
| enough 10 clear for the moment his clog
| ging lungs. His breath came in laporei
| and gurglng pants: nevertheless he had
| the resolution to pursue me, in order that
| he might finish the work for which he had
come, and open the great doors for his
friends.
/ could scarcely leap behind the empty
case before he was Upon me. L tried to
escape either way about it, but from his
swaying uncertainty of motion lie was
ready there with his knife. So l had TO
| content myself with feinting first 20 the
right and then to the left. 1 was afraid
| that ne would see my musket lying at the
| foot of the stairs, but either his glazed
eyes did not perceive 1t, or as is more prob
able he did not judge it wise for the sue
cess of his project to fire shot AT any
rate he began slowly and deliberately TO
move the empty packing case toward me to
| trap me in the corner.
1t must have been the weirdest spectacle,
and had l been able to watch it like an I'M
interested spectator the duel between the
| terrified boy lodging and doubling like
I cornered rat, and the dying man grimly re-
solved to finish his dire work, must have
been worthy of the Roman arena. Gradu-
| ally and methodicaily the dominic reduced
the space in which L turned and twist
| ed pivoting the box alternately ON one
angle and on the other. Then he would
lean over to see if he could reach me with
his knife. AT last was so pent in that
could move neither way, and as l realized
this lifted up my voice in a great piteous
cry of 'Anna-Anna Mark
The terrible streaked face. the gouted
breast, and the fingers clutching about the
knife were very near to me now. l could
see the rudy foam break in bubbles be-
tween the gray of his lips. But at the cry
of Anna Mark he seemed to pause. L
| pushed with all my weight against the case.
1t toppled and fell over against his breast,
causing him to stagger backward
Then, ere he could recover and set it up
again on edge, sharp report came from
the stairway, waking the echoes of the
sobbing cry, his knife jinged on the floor
| from his twitching hand. and he fell back
ward with all the weight of the packing
case upon him
Little Anna Mark stood on the steps near
the top with smoking musket in her hand.
Then she threw 1t down and began to
weep.
''oh, have killed man." she cried. Il
am a wicked girlr'
| l ran to her and told her that the man
| was as good as dead anyway. and that if
| she had not shot him down she did, not
/ only l, but all in the mill, would have been
| ruthlessy slain.
| Which was all very true, but did not COM
\ fort her greatly.
| Il will fight no more" she said. II never
| thought before about guns killing people.
| Having retiXed the single stanchions and
| the bolts the dominic had drawn, L picked
| up my gun. and Anna and ran up to the
| corner of the north side, from which we
| could see the whole exposed front of the
| mill. The moon had risen late in her last
| quarter, and now began to throw a pale
| light across the woods of Moreham.
| The attack had completely failed. We
| could see a few figures hurrying away
mostly in punches of three four, carrying
| their dead, while neighing of horses and
| a gathering of hoofs told that the robbers
| had made all ready for retreat.
| Presently VIII Bowman came rushing in
| "A glorious victory" he said. but 1 would
| have given whole years wages to have
! had another lick at them with the carron-
| ade full to the muZzle of slugs and rusty
nailSr'
| L told him my adventure, and we went
| down to look at the fastenngs of the great
RI