Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 June 1877 — Our Young Readers. [ARTICLE]

Our Young Readers.

WHAT TWO BOYS DID. “ Yoc’be sure you won’t be afraid to stay alone if we don’t get back to-night?” said Mr. Kent to his two sons, Johnnie and Robert, aged respectively sixteen and fourteen, as he helped Mrs. Kent into the lumber wagon, which stood before the door. “Of course not,” answered Johnny, bravely. “ I don’t see what we should be afraid of, and I’m sure we aren't cowards, if there was anything to look out for.” “No, I know that.” answered Mr. Kent, “ but two boys like you, though you’re ever so courageous, wouldn’t stand much of a show with a good, stout man. What I was thinking of was that if they only knew I was gone, whoever stele Johnson's corn might take the opportunity and pay us a visit, to see what they could find. But I guess there ain’t any danger. Shut up the cows, and see that the chores are done early, and we’ll be back to-night, If we possibly can.” Mr. Kent clambered into the wagon and told the oxen to “ git up,” which they proceeded to do after the slow, cumbrous way peculiar to cattle. “Be sure and tend to the fire,” called out Mrs. Kent, as they drove througt the “ bars” into the road. “ I always feel scary about that when I’m gone, boys are so careless.” Mr. and Mrs. Kent had started for “mill.” “Going to mill” was quite an event in those days in that section of country. Wheat had to be taken fifteen miles to be ground, and farmers' who lived on the frontier, as Mr. Kent did, went only as often as they were obliged to. It generally took two days, as there were no horses and the roads were bad; but by getting an early start, and by driving home after dark, the task was sometimes accomplished in a day. Mrs. Kent had not been to town for two years, and as her husband had promised her five bushels of wheat to “ trade out,” she accompanied him on this expedition, to do what seemed to her an extensive shopping. Settiers were few and far between in those days, in that tract of country where Mr. Kent had located. His nearest neighbor was some two miles away. This neighbor was the Johnson Mr. Kent had spoken of as having lost some corn. Considerable thieving had been hjard of among the settlers, and almost everybody Jiad lost something. As most of them had but little to live on, they bad nothing that they could afford to lose, and great excitement was aroused amone the pioneers, and everybody was anxious to discover who the thieves were.

Johnnie and Rob busied themselves about the house and barn all day. When night came they attended to the chores, and then began to make their preparations for supper. During the day Johnny had shot a partridge, and they concluded to roast it. “And we’ll have some potatoes and johnny-cake,” said Rob, “ and that’ll be good enough for anybody.” Accordingly' they put some potatoes in the ashes of the fire-place and covered them over with hot coals. Then they hung the partridge over the fire, and Johnnie volunteered to keep watch of that, and give it the proper basting, which he had heard his mother say roasted fowls always required, if Rob would make the johnnycake. Rob was willing enough to try his hand at this branch of cookery, but he had some misgivings about his success. However, he went at it, and soon had it baking before the fire in the old tin oven which housewives used in those days. “I tell you what, Rob,” said Johnnie, as he turned the nicely-browning partridge round, “we’re goiDg to have a jolly supper. Just smell this partridge, will you? Ain’t it going to be good?” “ I guess ’twill!” answered Rob, whose mouth had been watering for a slice of it for half an hour back. “ Ain’t it ’most done?” “ I guess so,” answered Johnnie. “You look at the potatoes, won’t you?” Rob scratched away the ashes from the potatoes and announced that they were done. I ought to have said before that the house was divided into two rooms below. Oue, in front, was a sort of sitting-room, and contained the bed which Mr. and Mrs. Kent occupied, while the boys slept upstairs. Up-stairs, also, was Mr. Kent’s granary. H? had thought it safer to store his wheat and corn in the house. Thieves would be less likely to get to it there without being found out. The second room below was used as a kitchen and dining-room, and it was in this room that the boys were cooking their supper “There!” declared Johnnie, at last, “1 do b’lieve this bird’s oone. You set the table, Rob, and I’ll take up the victuals." Just as he said this ibe boy# started, for thev heard steps at the front door. They looked at each other in alarm. Who could their visitors be? “ I’m going to see who it is,” said Johnnie, bravely; “maybe its some of Johnson’s folks.”

But their visitors were none “of Johnson’s folks,” as lie discovered on opening the door between the two rooms. Two men harl come in, and he saw at once that they were strangers. They were rough, brutal looking fellows, and the boys felt that they had anything out pleasant visilors to (leal with. Where’s your folks?” demanded the foremost man, as Johnnie looked into in*; room. “Gone to mill,” answered Johnnie. “ Why ? Do you want to see father?"’ “Not much, do we, Elder?” laughed the man who had asked the question. “ Wall, not pertickler,” answered the one addressed as “Elder,” withachuckie. “I’dlike to see some o’ that supper I smell, though.” “ SoM I," said the other. “See here, you youngsters, when’s your folks cornin’ back?” “I don’t know,” answered Johnnie, from liis position in the doorway. “Father said maybe he’d be back to-night, and maybe not.” “ I guess we’re safe enough in stayin’ to tea,” laughed the man. “ We’ve come to borrv some o’ that corn you’ve stowed away ud lott,” and here the men chuckled at what they evidently considered a highly humorous remark. “ Now, while we’re gettin’ it put up, you just put some o’ that meat an’ things you’re a cookin’ on to the table, an’ we’ll take supper with you. Be spiy, ’cause we‘ can’t stay all night, an’ we won’t have any feolin’, you mind that!” The men went up the ladder leading to the chamber, and Johnnie and Rob looked at each other as if questioning what they should do. “ 1 tell you what. I wish we had Johnson here," whispered Rob. “ Them’s the very l men that stole his corn, I’ll bet anything.” “ I wish we could trap ’em some way,” said Johnnie, thoughtfully. “ Everybody

: —t r - >•*! want’s ’em took up. Doo’fyou s’pose we could get ’em into the cellar, Hob ?** “How?” asked Rob, in an awe-struck tone. 1 “If we take up the ladder, of i course they can’t get out if wc get ’em down there, can they’?” said Johnnie. “ No,” answered Rob, “of course- not, ’cause it*s all stoned up inside and beaked with dirt and logs outside.” “ Well, now, s’pose we take-up the ladder and put it in the woodntaed. Then we can lean the trap-door up against the. wall and spread tills piece of old caipot 1 over the hole, and put something hesvyvon the corners of it. so it’ll lookxjuat as if it was spread over a floor. You . sec- .this hole where we go down cellar, is right square In front of the door they’ll have to oome in through to eat. Now tho minute they step on this carpet,: down they'll go, 'cause there ain’t anything to ■ hold ’em up, and if we can get ’em down there-and shut the trap-doorover ’dm, we’ve.got ’em sure, and they can’t get awayi” “ Yes,” answered Rob, somewhat doubtfully, “ but what if one of ’cmekowkl go down, and the other one didn’t?” “Bnt we’ve got to. make ’em,,’.’ said Johnnie; “von can stand there by the table, pretending you’re at work,.aud I’ll hide here by tne doory knd-iif I see both of ’em ain’t a-going .down, I’ll give>-’em a oush, and you must-pitch in and help me. Will you do it?” “Of course I will.” answered Rob, sturdilv, in spite of his misgivings. “We’d better be to work, or they’ll be down before we’re ready for ’em.” They turned the trap r door up against the partition, then they dragged up the ladder and carried it into the woodshed, then Johnnie laid one or-two light, thin strips of pine across thj opening in the floor, and Rob spread the carpet over them. One of their mother’.s flat irons on each corner held it out- smoothly, .so that any one not in the secret would never have supposed that there was no. floor under it. “ Hark! they’re coming!” said Johnnie, taking his place behind the door; “ Now, for my sake, Rob, don’t you get scared, and help me-if there’s any trouble. You be there at the table.” The men came down the each one with a bag of corn on his back. “ Supper’s readyi” said Rob, going to the door and standing there until both men were close to him, and. one on the heels of the other, .to prevent their being far enough apart to make the-plan a failure by the hindermost man. discovering the trap his comrade had falleu into before he was into it himself.

When they were, both on. the threshold, Rob stepped one side, .and the foremost man put out his foot and surqjosed he was safe in putting it down. But when he did so he discovered, his mistake. Down went the carpet ana he with it, and his comrade stumbled over hku, but clutched aj the edges of, the opening in such away that he. must have prevented himself from falling jnto the cellar, where the other had brought up - with a terrible thud, and a volley of fearful oaths, if Rob had not seized one of the flat irons and given him several unmerciful blows about the head, while Johnnie crowded the trap-door down upon him,,andifchrcw his whole weight upon it. As he had nothing to stand upon, and. could get no firm hold of anything, he had to let go his clutch and drop after his comrade. The boys dragged the wood box, upon the trapdoor, ana felt that they had Unpped the thieves. “ How pale you are!!’ said. Rob, drawing a long breath.. “ I didn’t know I got so.excited,” answered Johnnie. “ Irfeoli just as weak as a baby now.” . “ You’re sure they can?t dig out?” said Rob, as he shuddered at the sound t-i oaths and i curses coming, up from the cellar. “Oh, yes,” answered Johnnie; “you know how many loads ot stones we put in the walls, and the logs and dirt outside. They couldn!t get out in a week.” The boys hadnit much, of an appetite for supper, you may be sure.. While they were debating about what it wa3 best to do, they heard a rumble- of wheels at the door, and “ Father’s come!” criedi Rob, and away both of them ran. Sure enough, their father had come! The boys begam totelf tiieij adventure in such an excited way that for some time Mr. Kent couldn’t understand what they were talking about. When be did, he was almost assmuch. excited as they were. “ Mercy on.us! We"® all be killed!” cried Mrs. Kent, frightened half out of her senses,. “I’ll never pat root inside of that house while them men’s in. that cellar! Dear mo !: What did possess them boys to do such aaa. awful thing? I felt just as if something was going to happen! I know, they’ll) murder every every soul of us before morning!:”' But they didn’t. Mr. Kent went after Mr. Johnson, and with, his assistance the, thieves were captured, and taken to the village- w%ere Mr. Kent had been to mill. It was found, out afterward, when they came, to triad, that they belonged to a gang of horse thieves, and the corn they nadi stolen was to feed horses that they had secreted in a swamp not far oft. Johnnie and Rob were heroes for a long time after that, and you will hear the story of h©iw they caught the tnieves told in that neighborhood now, if you happen l®. visit it.— Eben B. Bexford , in In-Door-and-lhß.