Year: 1860

"Who are you (" inquired my father


"Whats that to you 7" said she.


Everything, if you are to stay in my
house; nothing, if you are not"


"What if will not tell your


"Then you must leave my house"


"Leave the housep exclaimed she; Il
should like to see anybody here try to put
me out" .


"What ifI call my men, and throw you
out neck and heels Z" 41


"You have not got any men; they have
all gone home"


"How do you know~


81 inquired at the last house on the road
before | came here. 1t is Saturday night,
and was told that your laborers all went
home, and that you lived alone"


I glanced at my father. He was pale,
but his courage ebbed not whit. He,
helpless, not able to get out of his chair,
surmised strange occurrences, for he had
received not less than eighteen hundred
dollars that very week from large wheat
sales, and he saw what was before him.
This hag was either decoy or man in
disguise, whose object was robbery. l
could see that all this was rapidly passing
through my fathers mind, but did not bow
him the ninth part of an inch. So l sat
still, as if suspected nothing but war of
words The hag had on an old quilted
hood, and an old bombazine cloak, which
reached to her feet and was belted about
the waist.


"You are woman?" said father.


"Of course l am; what do you ask that
question for I"


"Have you huSband?"


eyes"


"Where does he live?"


"In Truxton."


"Well, then, if you have husband why
do you not live at home, instead of gadding
about on such a night as this, a night fit
only for the iends to be abroad?"


"Why don't you set the North river on
frel" said she, leaping from her chair, and
springing toward my father at the back
side of my chair, and Kissing through her
teeth, "rll teach you why am here


My mother screamed and ran; my
father made an Intellectual attempt to get
out of the way, but instantly yielded, re-
solved to take what waited him; and l was
out of my seat as quick as the hag, and as
she passed me on her way to grapple with
my father, struck her with my fist a blow
under the, ear, which, but for her old cot
ton hood, would have knocked her down !;
as it was, it staggered her, and gave me
time to get the chairs out of the way, and
gather for fight


She recovered, and looking at me for a
moment, said, as if in soliloquy:


ooh, you choose to cross my path do
you? Well, see if don't settle you pretty
quickly; and thrusting her hand into her
cloak, made a motion as if she would draw
dagger.


The motion maddened me, and it brought
foam to my lips l struck her half dozen
blows as quick as lightning. She let her
dagger go, and clenched me- Her grip sat-
isfied me that had found my match, aye,
more, in strength, and that my skill as a
boxer, and my almost unparalleled ability
as wrestler, must save me. had learned
pugilism of a clever English teacher, and as
wrestling, to that day [ had never been
thrown down. knew when felt the grip
that was dealing with man. | felt that
my father and mother were relying on me,
and l grew stronger as 1 before said We
tusseled, grasped, and lot loose, struck and
parried, clenched and wrestled, till, after
various attemps, we found ourselves to
what wrestlers call "side hold" l got
the under arm, and lifted him (for it was no
longer herr threw my leg around his and
turned him. He fell on the floor like log.
l intended to break his bones, but he un-
hooked his cloak (it had been unbuckled in
the STRUGGLED and leaped up like cat l
struck him before he was balanced, stag
gered him, grappled my left hand into his
throat and struck him again, called on my
mother to open the door, and as she did SO.
pushed and kicked him out. He swore
that he would be the death of me. l told
him to take himself out of the state, or
would put the sheriff on his track, and
shutting the door in his face, walked to my
father.


Now let your doubters tell me how came
to see this matter beforehand this hooded,
cloaked man. | had seen and heard his
threats to my father, and struggled with him
in my dream, before he came to the house,
and had awakened and left my bed, to go
see to my fathers safety, and again to con-
quer him in the kitchen All the main fea-
lures of the occurrence were made known
to me before they took place, and by the
impression they made on me enabled me,
/ doubt not, to save my parents life.


TIE IMPORTANCE OF WRITTEN MEDICAL