The Night Riders

me of Milt's acquaintances gathered around him to give him

, perchance arousing some light sleeper as it passed, who, after listening drowsily to the retreating hoof-bea

asked Milt, who rode

one less

t, with an interest he

if it's that one, an' we get Maggie O'Flynn stirred up. She's a regular c

g up a den of wild-cats, not count

, through and through. The fun

sharp," cautioned Milt. "Maggie'

e at the gate, but one of the neighbors borrowed it this very mornin' to shoot a hawk, an' somehow forgot to c

rcumstances that's suf

ed a spot where the pike was intersected by another, crossed at right angles. At the ju

rode forward to where the double poles were now raised at this mid-hour of the night. Three of the horsemen passed th

s least known to the locality, to act as spokesman, and while the remaining raiders g

sleepy man's voice, deeply tinged with Celtic brogue. "What the divil do y

ut down," announced th

ers!" Pat said in a husky v

e, in a shrill tone, evi

ders!" repeated Pat, i

ant?" asked Maggie,

poles cut down,

dead o' the night, axin' the loike o' that?" demanded his w

s voice, inaudible to those without, reminded his spouse

!" cried the undaunted Maggie. "It's bett

the spokesman of the band,

pile beyant the house,

d ye tell 'em for? I'd 'a' seen the last wan o' thim

were heard on the hard, seasoned wood of one of the poles, while the s

ll the strength and persuasion that Pat could muster to keep her

ed her frightened spouse. "Ye'll bring down the wrath o'

take away our livin'? Not much!" cried Maggie, fiercely. "If I only had

'll only cut down the poles an'

If ye're skeert, ye c'n crawl under the bed an' hide, ye cowardl

intoirely if ye don't dhry up w

the keyhole of the door, from which Pat had taken the key, and hidden it. "I know ye a

g sound was heard inside the room that suggested he was trying to drag Maggie away from the door

by a howl of pain from Pat, whom Maggie had struc

ed lustily. "I'll have 'em both up ag'in by daylight, an' I'd loike to

standing near the captain. "She'll have bran'

, with an oath. "As she wants to come out so much, suppose we give her a chance

dry chips and splinters of wood from the cut poles, and when Steve returned with the

y timbers, the flash of light, the smoke, the crackle of burning wood, all s

ried Pat, in a terror-stricken voice. "They're bu

e rather of fear than of rage, tho

dher!" she

er tune, the wildcat!" mu

wo terror-stricken inmates of the burning building appeared in the doorway, ready to flee

he men stern

hiven, don't sh

eated, leveling their

this time curling from the roof in several places, and soon little jets of flame thickly dotted it, shooting u

mean to do? Surely not to burn these two helpless people within the toll

they united in a broad, livid sheet, he felt no longer able to restrain his pity, but started to where the captain sat on his hor

ds beyond the gate dashed up in answer to the summons, two of the raiders, at a sign from their leader, had broken in the front do

, tall and straight, in the middle of the pike, her long arms stretched out menacingly toward the retreating raiders, at whom she was doubtless hurling bitter, Celtic-tinged inv