Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-04-29

"You've the Doolittle eyes. David
Don't be afraid"
The door of Marcia's room had
opened suddenly. and she stood there
with a shawl thrown lightly around
her. The next instant she cried out
"Oh, it's David-mv brother David"
The tramp of feet was heard out
side. The loci; of amazement on the
boys face gave place to one of ter
ror and Aunt Nance said quickly:
"Go in there with your sister. David g"
A moment later sin or seven rough
looking men filed into the cabin. Aunt
Nance knew them every one. She
met them standing with her back &C.
the door of the room David and his
sister had entered
lie come in here. didn't he. Aunt
Nance" said Joe lIaskn, the leader
Of the crowd I'VE seen him, ana Wa
want him. Now, didn't he come in
here?'
Aunt Name" replied fcarlcssly: &c!
don't tell lies and won't tell one now
He did come in here, Joe IIasliin. Hes
in here now and. what's moro, he's 70
In to stay in here
DO YOU know what him and another
Teller done:'
Il neither know nor care" rcplioc
Aunt Nance boldly. "but | know this
you men amt his Judges Vengeance
don't belong to YOU. 1t belongs 70
Him.
She pointed upward as she spoke.
and then she added: "You can't lay
your hands on that boy tonight He =
in this room behind me. and you arr
six or eight men to one woman. bu
there's not one of you that'll lay YOU
hands on me to move me from this
door
You wouldn't, Joe IIaskin, when
you remember how | walked three
miles in the worst snOwstOrm we hA /
last winter to nurse you back to life
and strength when you was at deaths
door with pneumony.
You wouldn't, Hi Sanders, when |
had you brought right here and took
care of you myself when you had that
broken leg last fall.
You wouldn't lay hands on the We.
man who closed your wife's eyes in
death less than year ago, Tom Leo.
som. Every man of you has set at my
table ag'in and ag'in, with or without
money-it made no difference
Touch me? Why. | don't believe |
myself could keep you from usln' that
rope you've got outside on the man
who'd lay rough hands on Aunt Nance
Afford"
mo. you couldn't" said Joe Has
kin You're right-wed make mince.
meat of him. And if you're goin' to
stand fore that door and
Il am Interrupted Aunt Nance.
"and there amt no other way into the
room"
She waved her hand lightly toward
the open door Good night" she said.
They went out into the darkness.
Before noon the next day Joe Haskin
rode up to Aunt Nances cabin. She
went to the door, and he did not dis,
mount.
"Well," he said, "if things don't turn
out queer sometimes, We got after
the wrong fellow sure enough last
night You see, there's been a gang Of
cutthroats and boss thieves lurkn'
about on Taylor mountain. The boys
got tired of 'em, and last night they
took after a couple of the sneaks
1T seems that this young fellow
told the truth when he said he didn't
b'long to 'em. He was wanderin'
along on his way to Eagle cliff and
took refuge from the storm with some
O. the gang.
1.-THE guilty ones was caught this
mornin' down in Deer gulch, and
they'd the grace to say that the young
fellow with 'em didn't belong to their
gang If you've got him in your cabin
yit you sort O. 'pologize to i'm for
the little Inconvenience we put i'm to
last night and say that Wen do any
thing we can for him now't he's out
. bad company"
He was done with bad company
from that day forth. The promise he
had made in his terror he kept faith
fully, although he did not have to go
back to New Hampshire to keep it,
Invading lines OF railroad have
ariven the numbering old stagecoaches
and their Jolly driverA to other parts