Middletown transcript., 1911-11-11

by the collar Of his shirt, dragged him
ignominiously forth from beneath the
table where he had sought refuge,
sheok him as she would shake toy
dog, until his teeth ratified, and then
flung him out of t%e door leading into
the back shed. It was done so ex-
peditlously that could only gasp.
"Now inter ther hole with ye, Jed
Bungay-you an yer dorgs," she
painted furiously. "An' you uns foller
him. reckon I'm able ter handle thet
lot out thar, even If it should be Red
Lowrie and his gang"
Catching firm hold Of Mrs. Bren'
mans hand l sprang down the single
step and closed the door tight behind
us. Jed had scrambled to his feet,
and rubbing himself vigorously with
one hand, utilized the other to drag
outward a rough cupboard, which ap-
peared to be a portion of the house
itself. As 1t swung open there was re-
vealed behind it a fair-sized opening
extending into the face Of the hill. 1t
was a most ingenious arrangement,
doubtless finding frequent use In those
troublesome times. Its presence par
TALLY explained how Jed had thus far
escaped the conscription officer. Into
this hnIe we entered one at time,
aud when the heavy cupboard had
been silently drawn back into place,
found ourselves enveloped in such
total darkness as to make any move.
ment a dangerous operation. felt
the clasp Of my companions hand
tighten, and knew that her whole form
was trembling from intense excite
ment.
"Do not permit the darkness to
alarm you," l whispered softly. bend.
ing down as I spoke until | could
feel her quick BREATHING against my
cheek. "Our visitors are not likely to
remain longer than will be necessary
to get something to eat. They need
never suspect our presence, and all
we have to do is to wait patiently
until they move on. only wish !
could discover something upon which
you might sit down"
"Pray do not think me q coward,
she answered, "but I have heard Of
this man Lowrie in the Federal camps,
and / would rather die than fall into
his hands"
had heard Of him also, and Of his
outrageous treatment of women. The
memory caused me to clasp my hand
warmly over hers, and set my teeth
hard.
st may not prove to be Lowrie al
all," said soberly; 'but all these
gentry are pretty muen alike, fear
However, promise that you shall
never fall alive into the hands Of any
Of their breed"
, Before she could answer me otheI
than by slight nesting closer In the
darkness, Bungay whispered: "This
yere hole, Cap, leads down ter the
right, an comes out in a sort O. gully
bout a hundred feet back. Thar'l
light 'nough ter see ter walk by a'tel
ye turn the corner, bout twenty
feet er SO. You uns kin 60 on dowr
thar IL ye'd rather, foilerin' ther dorgs
but / reckon as how I'll stay righi
yere an sorter see how ther OIL woman
comes out
Where. where was Roderick them
One blast upon his bugle horn
Were worth a thousands men,
If you uns like ter see burned goot
fight maybe ye better stay tew-thel
or woman Is pisen If she once gifts hel
dander up."s
His voice was expressive OF grea
expectations, and ! had reason to be
Neve his faith in Maria would b
Justified. Before any of US, however
had time to change our positions w
heard the fellows come stamping
roughly into the cabin. The. thin slab
which divided us scarcely mufflet
their loud voices.
well, old woman" exclaimed one b
voice so gruff as to seem almost as
sumed, pretending to be alone, ar
you, with all those dishes sitting on
on the table; just been eaten off, toe
Have MT seen no strange party alonl
the road this morning, have ye?"
Nary one" said Maria, and
knew from her voice she was standinl
close beside the fireplace.
Are you Mrs. Bungayf"
Il peckon am, If It's any o ye
business"
Don't git nifty, old woman. or we'r
liable to give you 8 lesson In polite
ness before we leave" The leade