LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1816, 16 December 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE ROBBEE3 OF THE BLUE RIDGE. In the early autumn of the yoar 1539, about half au hour of sunstt, I drew rein in front of a large double log house, on the very summit of the Bl:7e Ridge mountains of eastern Kentucky. The place -was evidently kept as a tavern—at lea,?t, so a sign proclaimed ; and here I determined to demand accommodation for myself and servant Bose, a dark skinned body guird. Boseand I had been playmates in childhood and boyhood, and I need hardly say that the faithful fellow was as attached to me as I was to him, aDd on more than one occasion he had shown his devotion. There had boon a ' shooting match ' at the Mountain House that day, and as I dismounted I taw through the open window of the bar row a noisy, drunken, and evidently a quarrelsome set of backwoodsmen, e*ch of whom was swearing by all possible and impossible oaths that he was not only tho best shot, but that ho could out fight, out jump, and nnt wrestle, ran faster, jump higher, diva deeper, and cime up dryer than any other man 'on tho mountain.' ' I say, Mara Ralph,' said Bose, in a low tone, as I handed him my bridle rein, ' I don't like the looks of deal in dar. S'pose we goes up to the next house, 'tain'fc fur.' * Nonsense, Rose,' I replied ; ' these fellows are only on a little spree over their shooting. We have nothing to do with them, nor they with us. Take the horses round to the stat>lr;3, and soe to them yourself. You know they've had a hard day of it.' And throwing my saddle bags over my shoulders I walked up the narrow path to the house. I found, as I have intimated, the bar-room filhd with a noisy, turbulent crowd, who one and all stared at me without as I went up to the bar and inquired if I and my servant could have accommodation for the night. Receiving an affirmative reply from the landlord— a little red-hoaded, cadaverouslooking specimen of the ' clay-eater ' —l desired to ba at onco shown my room, whither I wont, hut not until I had been compelled to decline a score of requests to • take a drink,' much to the disgust of the stalwart bacchanalians. The room into which I was shown was at the far-end of a long two-storey structure, evidently but recently added on to the main building, which was intersected at right angle?. A gallery extended along the front, by means of which the rooms were reached. I found my apartment to be large and comparatively well furnished, there being, besides the bed, a comfortable cot. half a dozen ' splint bottomed ' chairs, a heavy clothes press, and a bureau with a glass. There were two windows —one alongside the door and the other in the opposite end of tho room. The first mentioned door was heavily barred with stout oak strips—a protection, I presume, against intrusion from the porch, while across the latter door was drawn a heavy woollen curtain. In the course of half an hour, Bose entered and announced that the horses had been properly attended to, and a few minutes later a bright faced mulatto girl summoned us to supper. Supper over, I returned to my room, first requesting to be aroused for an early breakfast, as I desired to be on tho road by sunrise. Thoroughly wearied with my day's ride, I at once began preparations for retiring, and had drawn off one boot, when Bose came in rather hastily, looked furtively over his shoulder, and then cautiously closing and locking the door. * Mars Ralph, dar's gwine to be trouble in this house, afore morning,' he said. And I saw in a moment that sometding had occurred to npset the faithful fellow's equilibrium. ' Why, Bose, what is it ? What do you mean ?' I asked, barely restraining a smile. •I told you, Mars Ralph, we'd better tribbel furder,' was the rather mysterious reply. * You seo th&t yellar gal dere told me dar would be a muss if we Btaid in this 'fouuded house all night.' By close questioning I elicited the fact that the girl had really warned him that four men whom I had noticed together were a desperate set of villians, and probably had designs upon our property, if not our lives. The girl had seen two of them at the stable while I was at supper, and by cautiously creeeping into a stall, next the one in which they stood, had heard enough to convince her that they meant mischief. Subsequently to this, she also saw the landlord in close confab with the entire party, and from his action'' judged that he was urging the men to their nefarious work. ' I tell yen, Mars Ralph, dem white trash ain't arter no good—no your hear me,' persisted Bose. I had begun to think so myself, but what was to be done ? The situation was full of embarrassment. »ud I felt that nothing could bo done save to wait and watch, and, by being on the alert, defeat their plans by a detetmined resistance, I found that from tha barred window, in which there was a broken piece of glass, a good view of the stables could be had. Then the other window. I crossed the room, drew aside the heavy curtain, and, raising the sash, looked oat. A singlo glance was sufficient to cause me a thrill of surprise, and I gave a low exclamation that instantly brought Bose to my side. Far below I could sec the faint glimmer of water' the low murmur of which came indistinctly up from the depths, while on a level with wha"; should have been the ground, I dimly saw the waving tree top 3, as they gently swayed beiore the fresh night breeze, and knew that the window overlooked a chasm, the soundings of which I could only guess at. In other words the house, or that portion of it, was built upon tho very verge of the cliff, the solid rock forming a foundation more lasting than any that cjuld be made by the hands of man. I leaned far out, and saw that there was not an inch of space left between the heavy log on which the structure rested, and the edge of the precipice; and then I turned away with tho full conviction that if necessary, escape may be made in that direction. There was nothing especially strange in this ; there were many houses so constructed—l had seen one or two mj self—and jet when I drew back into tho room and saw the look on Bose's dusky face, I felt that danger quick and deadly was hovering in the air. Without speaking I went to my saddle bags and got out my pistols—a superb pair of long double rifles, that I knew to be accurate anywhere uudor half a hundred yards. ' Dar ! dem's what I like to see !' exclaimed Bose, as he dived down into his bag and fished an old horse pistol that had belonged to my grandfather, and which I know was loaded to the muzzle with No. 1 buckshot. It was a terrible weapon at close quarters. The stables in which our horses were feeding could bo watched, and by events -transpiring in that locality we would shape our actions. I found the door could be locked from the inside, and in addition to this_ I improvised a bar by means of a chair leg wrenched off and thrust through a heavy iron staple that had been driven into the wall. Its fellow on the opposite side was missing. We then lifted the clothes press before the window, leaving just room enough on one side to clearly see, and if necessary fire through ; dragged the bureau against the door with as little noise as passible, and felt that everything that was possible had been done. A deathlike stillness reigned over the place, broken only by the voice of tho colored girl singing as sho crossed the stable yard. I had fallen into a half doze, seated in a chair nenr tho window facing tho stables, where Bose was on tho watch, when suddenly I felt a slight touch upon my arm, and the voice of tho faithful sentinel in my ear. ' Wake up, Mars Ralph ; dey's foolin' 'b -at tho stable doo' arter do horses, shuab,' brought me wide awake to my feet. Cautiously peering out, I saw at a glanco that Bose was ric;ht in his conjecture—there were two of thorn —one standing out in the clear moonlight, evidently watching my window, while the other—and I fancied it was the landlord—was in the shadow near the door, which at that moment slowly swung open. _ Ab the man disappeared within the building a low, keen whistle cut the air, and at the same instant I heard the knob of my door cautiously tried. A low hiss from Bose brought me to his side, from tho door where I had been listening. ' Dey's got the bosses out in the yard,' he whispered, as he drew aside to let n o look out through the broken pane. {To be continued.')