Year: 1875

simply to remove the silence and re-
straint, spoke to the landlord.


Anybody stopping here for the
night, landlord2"


Nobody but travelling parson,"
answered the landlord, sullenly. "He's
going, into Tennessee to try for biz
ness"


What's his name 2" was Beach'snext
question.


Name-name p was the landlords
answer, as though thinking. '.Let me
seel Guess it's Graham, or suthin' O.
that | Yes, it's Graham"


May be Mr.. Graham would come
in and have little talk with u.s."


The landlord went out to bring in
Graham. In a few minutes they re-
turned, Graham making an awkward
bow as he entered, and saying some-
thing awkwardly that at once struck me
as unlike. q clergyman for however un-
educated were the travelling preachers of
those days, they were all men who knew
and practiced the amenities of life, and
were ut ease in whatever society they
were thrown. The sergeant gave him
and then welcomed him to the hositali-
ties of the supper.


The evening soon passed away, with
no desire to prolong it, for Graham
quickly showed himself an ignorant man,
without conversation. The landlord
was recalled, and a request was made
for our rooms.


had scarce got into my room and
commenced undressing myself, when
my door, which had no fastening, opened,
and in walked the sergeant, carrying his
haversack, and without his lamp. L was
surprised, and made some expression
Of it.


Hush man, if you know what you
are about ! We're in den of thieves
and murderers shall stay here to-
night, and sit in that chair %


opened my eyes wide. The ser
geant directly examined the door, and
found it without fastening but the latch :;
and then the other, leading into q side
room, which was In the same condition.
Without addressing another word to me,
he went, III business-like way, to his
haversack, and took from there, first, q
pair of holster pistols; and secondly,
the barrel and stock of carbine, sepa.
rated for ease of carriage. The last he
put together in few moments, and
loaded with brace of balls the first
he examined carefully, reprimed, and
handed me one of them. Then taking
the lamp. he set it carefully on q stool,
halfway between the door and the chair
on which he proposed to sit, and then
coming up to me, issued his orders.


" You take up your position on the
bed, and watch that door, pointing to
the one leading from tho side room.
Don't fire until I have done 80 and
missed, and then take the best chance
you can get"


Why, you don't think, sergeant,
that those two men will attack us 2" I
asked, deprecatingly; for though I did
not like the way the landlord acted, I
had no thought there was any danger.


Those two men !" he whispered,
frowning. "Two for all we know,
there are dozen in the house. That
landlords wife was no woman. It was a
man, as certain as I am |"


A shudder ran over me Mt this, for I
instantly remembered that the woman
had q sharp and masculine look, that
added much to the unpleasantness of her
being in the room below. L kept still
some time thinking of this, and within
fifteen minutes distinctly saw the door
had been hidden to watch open, and
the shadow of head cast upon the wall.
The sergeant was within my line of sight,
and with the movement of the door /
could see his carbine rise, and hear the
click of the hammer. A moment
elapsed, and the door slowly closed, and
once more all was still. lay perfectly
quiet, not daring to speak to the SER
geant, and so another hour rolled past.
Then, once more, that door opened as
before, and once more the shadow ap-
peared, once more The carbine rose, and
the click was heard, and once more as
silently the shadow disappeared, and the
door was closed.


IL was long and weary night that we
watched without speaking, and not
wlthstanding the danger, I could not
sometimes avoid falling into a few min
ntes' doze, from which, every time that
would start up, there sat the sergeant,
1mmovable rs statue, his carbine rest.
ing on his knee, and facing the door.


Morning came at last, the first streak
OF daylight, and we began to stir. The
agreement with our driver was that he
was to be with us at daylight, whether il
continued to snow or not. The drift was
deep, but it had ceased to fall, and
punctual to his promise, the man was
before the house with his wagon.
thought he gave start of surprise as we
made our appearance at the door. AS on
the night before, the sergeant declined
the cooked dishes and coffee, and calling
up the cold fowl and few moro eggs.
we made our breakfast.


Keep your eyes open, md your
htnd on your pistol all tue time, but
under your coat!" was Beach's whis-
pared injunction to me, when we had
finished eating, and were about going to
the wagon.


No sooner were we seated in the vehi-