The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-01

IforlEInal.l


On an eminence few miles north Of
town In Alabama stands church
with a belfry. II stood there during
the civil war. In tho spring Of 1869
Dan Harkaway. young man whose
father was deacon ID fine church,
used to 80 up into the beIfry daily and
sometimes On moonlight nights 10 take
a look up the turnpike, which was
plainly visible for some miles north
ward, hoping to catch the FIRST sight 81
Yankee troops that were expected to
occupy that region. Hathaway set
great store BY this yedette system In
vented BY himself and promised I'd
warn his neighbors in time to set their
houses in order and put their silver
spoons Ia the well before the arrival Of
the enemy.
Harkaway was ia love with Nancy
Durbln, a girl who found 1t difficult I'd
decide between him and Tom Nolan.
One day Nolan overheard some ne
groes talking together about the prox-
Unity Of the Yankees, some saying that
they would come within q few hours
Nolan thought to get ahead Of his rival
and climbed to the belfry for the pur-
pose Of being first to see the enemy
approach. Harkaway had placed a
ladder on the highest door. to be reach.
ed through a trapdoor. by climbing
the ladder one could look out through
the top openings. Nolan mounted the
ladder, and Harkaway. passing below
saw him gazing up the pike.
Harkaway determined to punish his
rival for assuming privilege that he
reserved for himself and that night
went up to the belfry and creased the
ends on which the ladder stood. Nolan
thought over the matter OF the Yam
KEGS approach and concluded that II
they occupied the city they would like
" endeayor to surprise 1t ia, the early
morning before the people were awake
Therefore at the first sign Of dawn be
entered the tower. intending to watch
till after sunrise. He climbed the lad
der and, looking up the pike. saw the
Yankees coming.
He was about to descend to give the
alarm when he felt the ladder slipping
away from him. Catching the window
SILL be chung to II for few minutes
then dropped. hurting himself severely
The FIRST thing he did after getting his
breath back into his body was to ex
anime the ends OF the ladder. finding
them creased. At the same moment BIZ
heard some one enter the building be-
low and knew that Harkaway was com
ing.
'I'll pay the rascal for this" NUT
tered Nolan, and, dragging himself Il
the trapdoor. he put the prop 70 the traF
in d position that one coming into tht
beifry could scarcely help knocking Il
away. Then he lay down on the tiool
near the wall and waited Harkaway
came up and when bis head got above
the trap saw the fallen ladder and No
Ian lying On the floor. Thinking he had
killed his man. he withdrew hastily
knocking away the prop. The traT
closed with bang, and Nolan heard
his rival tumblIng down the stairs
He felt sure that the trap had struck
Harkaway on the head, and II 1t hac
not killed him bis fall doubtless had
finished the job. Nolan pulled oper
the door, crawied down the stairs, pass
ed what he believed to be Harkaway':
dead body and rushed frantically out
Of the church. Harkaway had beer
knocked unconscious, and when ht
came to himself and thought Of The
corpse of Nolan lying In the belfry hi
fled from the place as rapidly as bis
stunned condition would admit.
The same morning people living along
the line OF the pike were awakened
from their sIumbers by the clatter 81
horses hoofs and swinging sabers. fol
lowed BY the tread OF men marching
and the rnmble Of cannon. Almost be
fore the citizens could get on theil
clothes the troops had passed, and soor
tie booming Or guns could be heard be
low.
"Whar's Dan Harkawayl" asked one
citizen OF another. Wonder ct h'
hain't fell asleep In the belfry."
sTom Nolan. be was a-watchin' that
too said another.
When the excitement had quietet
down and the sun shone as peacefully
over the undulating plantations as \
had set the evening before, the two
missing men not appearing, a commit
tee went into the belfry. Finding The
ladder down, the ends CREASED and
blood from Harkaway's nose) scat
tered over the stairs. they concluded
that the two men had been playing
each other foul and doubtless one had
murdered the other or both had beer
killed. But what had become of the
bodies was a mystery
Years passed. and neither Harkaway
nor Nolan appeared When strangei
came into the locality be was sure tc
he treated to the story Of the night the
Yankees came and the two young men
who were watching for them had dis.
appeared. whether there had been q
mutual murder or the Yankees had
carried them of was a disputed point
During the eighties camp OF Con
federate Veterans was held in the VI
entity. and one day gray bearded vet
stood opposite the church, looking ~
at the belfry Another vet came ~
and asked him what be was looking at
Then two pair Of eyes met and there
was simultaneous:
by gosh!"
'Harkaway?
aReckon. NoIanY