Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-04-22

were standing stifilly, with tails stretched
straight out and heads raised.
A swift intuition came to Elisabeth.
She knew, as definitely as though she
could see the skuking forms, that there
were Indians hiding in the cornteld.
Nevertheless. she poured a little Of the
water from the pals, that she might not
spill any on her dress and went slowly
up the path with her burden, without
change OF color or a tremor of muscle.
Captain Wincoln used to say he would
willingly give half of his army Of Is men
for one man with the nerve of Elisabeth
Tosier
Before two hours had passed Elisabeth
had warned every family in the village.
White-faced women, carrying curious,
clumsy weapons in one arm and sleep
ing babies in the other, few lettering
old men, and frightened children came
| silently through the woods on the north
side of the hill, up to fosters fort
Elizabeth let them in through a little Sc
| Cret entrance at the north side of the
house simple cupboard In the wall
had an opening into a tunnel which end
| ed after a winding journey Of some 10
or u feet, in a tangle OF wild blackberry
vines Nobody in Newichawannock had
known OF the existence of this entrance
before this day.
The big south door was already bar
red and chained Elisabeth set the wom-
en- at work closing the heavy shutters of
the windows and fastening them with
the iron bars her grandfather had brought
from England. She had not dared close
the shutters before the women arrived
! lest the Indians observe the act and know
they We're discovered.
In each side Of the upper part Of the
| house were two windows mere loopholes
elisabeth selected seven women who
seemed less nervous than the others and
stationed one of them, with a rifle at
! ifng l. 4. s..l.
manded a view of the cornfield. This she
took herself. Aside from the continual
strange behaviour of the cattle. nothing
was to be seen all the afternoon
The women accepted Elisabeth's COM
mand meekly. Those stationed upon the
rejecting portion. built after the man
ner of the early fort-like houses. kept
watch like trained soldiers The women
below got some supper and ate il as
Elisabeth ordered, though with such
trembling and quaking the Mistress Tro-
sier's sanded floor received an undue
proportion of the savory porrdge The
old men. however, sat rebelliously in
corntr and refused to eat They had ex-
Iected to assume command.
Elisabeth's aunt, who kept the house,
climbed up the steps to the girl and car
ried her some porridge. She was frail
nervous woman. whose adherence of dirt
was only eQualled by her dread of saw
ages. She had sat for the last hour in
the chimney corner, signing over her
ruined floor and wrnging her long hands
until they Were sore and red Now she
watched Elisabeth drink the porridge.
wonderingly. Elisabeth made a wry face
as she handed back the bowl
There was sugar in the porridge and
Elisabeth did not like sweetened things
me trembling aunt went down the steps
TO the lower part comforted. She felt
that there could be but little danger else
Elisabeth would not mind so small a
thing as sugar.
At dusk, shadowy forms came creep
ing up over the south meadow. At the
same time flames shot out from Philips
Mill, half a mile down the river Tho
savages came on boldly They knew
there was not a fighting man left in the
village. They did not know that the
quickest girl in the Maine woods was
made ready to Outright them
Elisabeth waited until the dark swarm
OF saVages were within few rodes of the
south side OF the house. Then she fired
Her nrst shot hit the foremost, her sec
ond the hindmost, Indian The redskins
drew back. spread out, and began to en-
circle the house. Elisabeth had instructed
the others what to do in such a case
zach woman, watching from her loon
hole, fired at the first groveling shadow
she saw. The women below handed nm
loaded muskets and rifles as fast as thev
could the women above fired continuallv
me mouse was sitting with smoke ans
sulphur. All the women but Elisab.th
prayed. she had more faith in her wits
than in her piety '
AFTER some time, nobody could tell lust
io" iohs' the Indians retreated to the