The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-01-11

mentioned the room 90 hcr mistress.
asking VII, " was kept locked, hut re-
ceNcl M satisfaction An . that she
spcrulated a great deal about tho room.
telling the ncll hands that she 'slect
ci Missy Ahorn had hn'nt locked up
In dat ROOM The settlers. or rather.
their wives. who knew of the closing
Of this room piticl the poor woman,
whose husband had doubtless been tor
tnred and burned NJ the stake ny the
ayagcs aud would never return They
assumed that she hoped her husband
would come back To her and she wish
ed him Ia find his room ready for his
occupation
Two years passed, during which
Mrs. Ahurn worked her fnrn rs well
as she could, aud her neighhors an their
return from their hunting expeditions
always supplied her with meat for the
coming winter ana spring. But II was
forlorn country IN which 10 bring up
| children. and she was often tempted
| 10 remove to Indiana or Ohio, where
she would have facilities for giving
! them an education. Finally she rcsoly
ed one autumn that II no iidlngs came
from her husband during the winter
she would sch her plantation and her
negroes. keeping her horses, and,
mounting her children and herself on
them. wonld 20 90 some point on the
river bank onpeSilc Ohio, cross the riv
or and makc Some IN one ~ the VII
lagos Of that slatc.
The winter passed without the return
Of her husband or any news OF him
Friendly ludinns came and went TO and
from the settlement, and the widow
never failed f. inquire II any of them
had knowledge Of a white man she de.
scribod to them, Hut none of them
could Give her any news Of him. In
the spring she began her preparations
for removal.
One night when she had tut her chill
drcn 10 bed she concluded 10 ride over
10 the house Of n ncighhor 10 whom she
hoped to sell her plantation II was
stormy uioht, but she was anxious to
get an Offer for the property and was
not deferred by the weather During
the evening n band OF friendly Indians
came into the settlement and were soon
wandering about in search of what
they could steal One OF them appear
ed at the kitchen. where Martha, Mrs
Aborn'S maid of all work. was at work.
the doorway. She was wiping n plate.
which she straightway dropped on the
floor. and 1t broke In pieces. The saw
age In cultural tone peculiar 10 the
Indian said
Me want bed. Ne good Indian. Me
no hurt anybody"
Martha got up enough courage to tell
The redskin that every room but one
was occupied by the children and that
was locked. The Indian Mortified her
~ walking into the kitchen. taking
up tallow dip and proceeding to OK
mine the house. Seeing the children
sound asleep in their beds he held the
'andlc over each one Of them In turn.
living n grunt Of satisfaction nj the
light OF their rosy faces. Martha foi-
owed him at Il distance. her complex
on wearing the sickly light yellow of
frightened negro. She saw him go
nto her mistress bedroom, and when
Ie came ont he had key IN his hand
iong 10 the empty chamber. he I'M
Dckcl the dor and said to the womane
"Mc sleep here. You no tell"
He ACCOMPANIED his words with
avase look that tied her tongue com
letely She wished 10 tell Of the In
ian who had gone into the only va
ant room, but did not dare. lie would
1rely know that she hal told aud
Ould tomahawk her. When her mis-
'ess returned it was evident that The
egro had experienced great scare:
ut, though Mrs. Aborn tried to induce
pr to tel what had frightened her.
er efforts resulted in failure AS soon
; Mrs. AborD had gone to her room
artla went out and reported the In
ans presence in the house. But she
as either not believed or those she
Id, considering that the group Of
u men who had come 10 the village
ere friendly, did not think the mat
r worthy Of their attention. especial
as the Aborn house WAS closed for
q night.
slumber finally reigned over the set
'ment. Martha slept in one of the
gro cabins and early In the morning
turned 10 the mothers abode, dread
z 10 find both her and her children
ordered. Entering the kitchen, she
mt from there into the other por-
ms Of the house, and, finding every
ng quiet. the older children asleep
their beds and her mistress Stun.
ring with the smaller ones, shs made
her mind that the savage was less
Irderous than she had supposed him
be and get about getting breakfast.
PRESENTLY shc heard cry. Terrified
t the Indian, after al, was about to
1ahawk her mistress, she ran out Of
kitchen into a passagcwny There
saw Mrs. Aborn IN the arms Of tho
lian. whose face had lost its coppery
, during the night Mrs. AbOrn's
d was hanging limp on the Indians