St. Tammany farmer., 1921-12-31
Daddy Took His Cue Instantly.

was impossible to breathe it, and after
q few blows had to drop the ak and
run to the breathing gap. Daddy took
his cue instantly, snatching up. the az
as I flung 1t down and hacking away
as long as he could hold his breath.
When he was forced to make bolt
for the life-savings hole In the door, I
ran in again; thus got a couple of the
floor planks loose. and .pried them out.
In the space beneath the open
cracked floor WEI found Bullerton's
chimney end; an old discarded boiler
flue, 1t seemed to be, leading up from
the bench below. From unearthing
the deadly thing to muzzling 1t with
one OF our wet blankets was the
breathless work Of only minute or
two; and with the gas-main thus shut
of, the air in the shafthouse soon be-
came bearable again, the hole we had
chopped through the floor serving as
a ventifator through which the cool,
crisp night air came rushing in re-
vivifying BLAST
silence led us to believe that the raid
ers had withdrawn to study up some
fresh scheme for getting rid of us. was
to get bar and pry our two doors
open so that the breeze might blow
through and air the place out bit.
Closing and barring the doors after
the sulphur stencil had been reduced
to a mere matchbox odor, we estab-
lished our night-watch, Daddy Hiram
taking the first trick under solemn
promise to call me at the end OF
couple of hours. This time he behaved
better, rousing me little before mid
night. He reported everything quiet,
and pointed to the sleeping dog as evil
dence that there were no intruders
within smelling distance.
"Been that-away ever since you
turned In" he said, meaning, as took
1t, that the dog had been resting easy.
You can just keep an eye on Barney.
If anything goes to stirrin', he'll know
1t afore you WILL"
Nothing did stir; and after Daddy
had gone to wrap himself in his damp
blankets, had my work cut out for
me keeping awake in fact, shouldn't
want to swear that was fulysawake
during all OF the one hundred and
twenty minutes that my sentry-go last
ed. No matter about that Bullerton
didn't spring any more surprises on us
during my watch; and when turned
the fortress over to Daddy at two
O'Clock l was able to pass the "all
quiet report back to him and 70 to
the blankets with an easy conscience.
had just dropped asleep, as it
seemed to me-though in reality had
slept like log for more than two
nours-when Daddy Hiram came to
shake me awake.
"somethin' DOM" he announced
quietly, and when sat up l saw that
the collie was moving uneasily from
one door to the other. stopping now
and then to stand mote.nless with his
ears cooked and his head on one side:
Barney hears something" I ven
tured; and moment later Daddy
broke in:
Huh It's plain enough for nv old
ears, now; It's wagon comm across
the bench"
NOW the presence of wagon on our
bench at this early hour In the morn
Ing might emean either one Of two
Numerically opposite things Our
deliverance; or the upcoming OF re-
inforcements for the raiders. We were
not left long in doubt Shortly after
the rack-rack Of the wagon wheels
stopped we heard footsteps, and the 4
hair stiffened ON Barney's back. Next
we heard Bullerton's voice, just out
side and apparently under our window
openings.
"Broughton !" the voice called; .can
you hear me7''
So well that you'd better keep out
Of range!" ! snapped back.
All right-listen. You've got to get