Year: 1872

S'aSs, ioiioWcu Dy nOWl from the do,


a scufiiing SQUAD, and all was still agair


Martin cooked his Colts revolver an


rushed into the room, only TO find tn


window sash shattered to fragments an


the dog gone.


How was that state of things to b


accounted for The dog couldn't hav
jumped through the window, because th,


scuff1ing sound succeeded the crash, AM


furthermore, all the glass broken from
the window was strewn upon the floor o


the room, showing conclusivrly that til


window must have been broken from tn
outside.


Martin was nonplussed for once anc
the more he revolved the matter in hi;
mind, the more it seemed that some su
pernatural agency had been at work A
glance from the window satisfied hin
that no human being could reach it ex
cept by means of ladder for although
the tree we have mentioned stood direct
ly in front Of it. the intervening distance
vas too great for auy one to use the tree
as means of access to the window


Martin tLen concluded to examine the
J. greuad Immediately under the window
FOR traces left by the feet of ladder, OF
by anything else for he had once hun
ted mink and raccoons for living, and
his prac;ised eye could even trace a
muskrat. He was aware OF the risk
attached to such course, but that could
not deter him from seeking clue to the
disappearance Of his favolite dog lie
was Oil the point of going. out, when it
occurred to him that his duty to his EN-.
ployer. which was always a paramount
consideration in his mind, forbade that
he should take so rash a step, aud that
he had already been guilty of gross neg
ligence in leaving the broken window for
an Instant. SO he hurried back to the
room from which The dog had disappear
ed and prepared to watch there until
morning. The fate Of the dog had
warned him of the danger Of having a
light in The room, and thus making hin
self conspicuous target to any one or
anything outside so lie extinguished
the fire covered up his lantern iu one
corner of the apartment, and sat in TIE
dars with his Gneer o" the trigger of HE
pistol. awaiting further develodements
At this jnncture there was lull in the
gale, which had raved with man:acel
fgry for several hours, and Martins acute
ear heard al indisiinct sound below thai.
was evidently caused by some one creep
ing on his hands aud knees, for Martin
had often heard hunters crawling il that
manner to surprise their game.


A momcntary silence ensued, aud then
he heard the tree violently agetated, as
if some giant were ascending it for
there was no wind blowing at the time
A moment atterward, what appeared to
Martin to be the leg of burgular was
thrust through the window, an he fired
one barrel of bis revolver at it, but was
unable to fire a second, as the exploded
percussion cap had got wedged in be-
hind the chamber of the pistol so as to
prevent it from revolving


But Martin meant business so he
threw the revolver at the mysterious OBJ
ject, and then sailed in with his bowie
knife. But it soon dropped from his
psralized hand as he was jerked through
the window, and found himself in the
coils of boa constructor =?


There was & menagerie attached to
the circus, and the tent containing the
former had blown down, the pole of it
falling upon the serpent cage, and so
bending the iron rods as to let out its
inmates


Some hours afterwards the circus em
ployees were engaged in repairing DANA
ges. when they were Mortified to see the
boa returning to its cage with the insen-
sible night watchman in its powerful
folds


If Martin had offered the least resis-
tance the constructor would have crushed
every bone in his body but as he fain-
ted Immediately, it supposed he was
dead, aud was conveying him back to its
cage TO perform the process of degluti
ton at its leisure for it was already
surfeited with the dog which it had
swallowed. Upon being attacked by
the men, the boa at once dropped its
prev, and he received medical aid as
promptly as possible, but remained un-
conscious for upwards of twenty four
hours.


The morning after that memorable |
night, Martins employer was taxing
horseback rile at an early hour, when
he noticed that the front windoy of the |
warehouse had been shattered to atoms
so he thereupon entered the building
with his private key, but found no clue
to Martin, except the revolver with one
barrel discharged lying on the floor, an d
the bowie knife upon the ground outside
He forthwith made inquiries about the
neighborhood. and was informed of the
singular occurrence at the circus.


"Whas was the color of the mans /