Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-01-26
A NIGHT OF TERROR.

a country whose people, l believe, have
no great liking for anybody and are par
ticularly ill-disposed toward the French.
To tell you why would be long affair.
1t is enough that they hate us like death
and that the unhappy wretch who should
chance to fall into their hands would
pass his time in no very agreeable man
ner
1 had for my companion worthy
young fellow. In these mountains the
roads are precipices, and our horses ad-
vanced with the greatest difficulty. My
comrade, going first, track which APP
peared to him more practicable and
shorter than the regular path, led us as
tray. 1t was my fault. ought l to
have trusted to a head of twenty years?
We tried to grope our way out of
the wood while it was still light, but the
more we looked for the path, the farther
we were away from 1t.
1t was very dark when we came close
upon a very dark house. We went In,
not without suspicion, but what was to
be done? Inside we found a group of
charcoal burners at table. At the first
word they invited us to join them. My
young friend did not stand on ceremony.
In a minute or two we were eating and
drinking in right earnest-he at least;
for my own part, could not help glanc-
ing about at the place and the people.
Our hosts, indeed, looked like charcoal
have taken 1t for an arsenal. There was
nothing to be seen but muskets. pistols,
sabres, knives, cutlasses. Everything
disturbed me, and 1 saw that / was my
self regarded with no favor. My COM
| rade, on the contrary, was soon one of
the family. He laughed. he chatted
with them; with an imprudence which
1 ought to have prevented he at once
| said where we came from, where we
| were going, and that we were French
men.
Think of our situation. Here we were
among our mortal enemies-alone, be-
| nighted, and far from all assistance
That nothing might be lacking that could
lead us into peril, he must, If you please,
| play the rich man, promising these folks
| to pay them well for their hospitality
| and then he must prate about his port
| manteau. earnestly beseeching them to
take care of 1t and put it at the head
| of his bed, for he wanted no other pill
| low.
All, youth. youth! how ptiful you are!
| They might have thought that we car
| ried the crown diamonds; and yet the
| treasure in his portmanteau, which gave
| him so much anxiety, consisted only of
some private letters.
| Supper ended, our new compa Mons left
us. Our hosts slept below, we on the
| floor where we had been eating. On a
| sort of platform raised seven or eight
| feet, to which we were to mount by a
ladder. was the bed that awaited us-a
nest which we had to enter by jump
ing over barrels filled with a years pro-
| visions. My comrade appropriated the
| bed above and was soon fast asleep,
with his head on the precious portman-
| teau.
| was determined to keep awake, so
made a good fire and sat myself down.
The night had almost passed quietly
enough, and 1 was beginning to be COM
| Portable, when, just at the time 1t APP
peared to me that day was about to
break, 1 heard our host and his wife
talking and disputing below me. Put
ting my ear to the chimney, which di-
rectly communicated with the lower
room, I clearly made out these words
of the husbands:
"Well, well, let's see. Must We kill
them both?"
To which the wife replied:
"Yes!' and l heard no more.
How can l tell you the rest? I could
scarcely breathe. My whole body was
cold as marble. Had you seen me. you
could not have told whether l was dead
or alive. Even now the thought of my
condition is enough. We two were al
most without arms. Against us were
twelve or fifteen persons who had 8
store of weapons. And then my com
rade was overwhelmed with sleep. Tt
call him up, to make a noise, wa:
more than l dared to do. To escap,
alone was an impossibility The window
was not very high. but under it wer,
two great dogs. bowling like wolves.
Imagine, If you can, the distress
was in. At the end of a quarter of al
hour, which seemed to be an age,
heard some one on the staircase; ant
through the chink of the door l saw tn,
old man, with a lamp in one hand an,
| kniVpS other
The crisis had come He slowly cam
in and his wife followed him. l was be
hind the door He opened it; but be
fore he entered he put down the lamp
which his wife took up. Then he cam
in, with his bare feet. His wife VIII
was behind him, said. in a smothere
voice, screening the light with her fin
gers:
= Gently; go gently"
On reaching the ladder the ma
mounted it. and, with his knife betwee
J, his teeth, he went to the head of tn
bed, where my poor young comrade la
with his throat uncovered. With on
hand the intruder took the knife, an
: with the other he seized-a ham whic
n hung from the roof. From this he Gu
e a sice and then stealthily retired a
a he had come in.
When day dawned, all the family, wit
n a great noise came to wake us "
had desired. They brought us plenty
q eat. They served US, l assure you,
capital breakfast. Two chickens forme
,. a part of it, and the hostess said:
You must eat one and carry away tt
;. other
: When I saw the fowls, there 1ashe
upon me the meaning of those ghast
words: - f-
Must we kill them both?"--lPa
Louis Courier.