Year: 1868

This time started out of bed. ,.bathed in a
cold perspiration trembled like leaf.
had no doubt that had received supernatural
warning.


"Ben," cried, "Ben, for the third time
have been told that am wanted at the cross
roads, and am going"


And began to dress myself as speedily as
possible, listening the while to the storm raging
wilder and wilder than at any other period
since its commencement.


Ben demonstrated with me in vain. AT last
he also began to huddle on bis clothes.


"If you have gone mad must go with you
and take care Of you" he said.


"But fancy another man, going out in a
storm like this to the cross roads, because a
nightmare caused him to do 50, aud what
would you think of him. ?"


said nothing. All l could have answered
would have been:


am compelled to go; ! must &C. I dare
not refuse, whatever may be thought of me"


In ten minutes we were splashing throrgh
the mud and rain along the road. twas per-
fectly dark; now and then blazed red star
in the distance told us that lamp was beam
Ing through the rain in some cottage window,
but Otherwise we would not have BEEN con-
scious of our proximity to any habitatiOu what
ever. At last, nearing the spot where the road
from S-crosses the road to P-we were
indeed in as solitary place as can be eimagined.


The house. which abutted on the very angle
of the roads, called in familiar parlance the
Cross Roads, was the only one for some distance
in either direction, and certainly on such
night we were not likely to meet many trav-
elers.


All was quiet as the grave. WestoOi quite
still. In moment Ben broke out in one of
his widest laughs.


"WeH," he said, chow now?" VIII You
90 home now, and have another nightmare ?"


But hardly had the words escaped his lips,
when shrek broke on the air, and woman's
voice plainly coming from the interior of the
cottage, cried


Help help! help|


Ben" said 7, eve are wanted at the cross
roads" and then understanding each other,
without more words we made our way to a
window, through which light shone. A
muslin curtain draped the panes, but through
it we saw an awful sight


An old man lay on the floor, and over him
bent ruffar, clutching his throat, and hold
ing pistol to his ear, while another man
graspcd the shrieking girl by the arm-a girl
in floating night-dress-with such long gold
en- hair as belonged to the girl of my vision.
Not moment Nds to be wasted. Ben flung
his weight against the slender lattice and crush
cd it in, and, we had grapplOd the rufiano be-
fore they knew whence the attack came, or
how many foes were upon them.


I do not intend to describe the struggle in
deed, could not, if I would. But we were
strong men and inspired by the cries of the
helpless old man and the terrified girl, we scon
had one of the villains bound, and the other
lying PROSTATE on the floor.


Then Ben started for assistance, and before
morning both were in Jail. Ben admitted, as
we shook each other by the hand, that we
were wanted at the crossroads"


The old man was not miscr, but he had
saved some few thousand dollars for his old
age, and living more plainly than he need have
done, had given rise to the rumor, and SO
brought the burglats to the cross roads in the
hope Of booty.


The girl, beautiful creature Of seventeen,
was his granddaughter, and as no story is ac-
ccp,able to the lady readers without flavor Of
romance, will tell them, that she became in
after years, not my wife, but the wife of my
darling brother Ben.