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Show 188 R 0 E B U C IC. "Yon flogged hin1 to 1n:1ke hitn confess 7" ' Of course "re dio." ·On the extorted coufcs ·ion of :1. negro you proreecl to thi outrage, then!" ""\V e know his story's true." "Ilo\v can you kno\v it? If you are so sure of jt, go to a n1agistrate and get a legal ·warrant. Sh:1mc un sueh lawlessness!" " Colonel, it's no use talking. vV e are bound to have hi1n out." "Then you n1ust take 1ne first. Beware! You nre in more danger than ~Ir. Pahner." At this mon1en t scremns of \Vomen were heard in the house. During the parley one of tho be iegers, tmnpted by an unfastene l sa ·h, entered a back window. llurrying forward in the d:1rk, he opened the door of ~Ir . Pahner's chatnber and rn he<l in. The ladies scremned,_ and 1\I.r . Pahner ran to the parlor in \\'"hich the gcntle1nen ·were, follo,ved by the intruder. A soon as he appeared, ~Ir. Pahner fired a pi. tol at hin1, but missed hin1. The intruder attempted to seize tlw t gentlen1an, at the smne ti1ne brandi 'hing a knife. As he turned to\vard JHr. Palmer, Colonel Fair£1.x grasped hi1n round the body, lifted hin1 from the floor, carried hitn to the front \Vindo,v, which had been opened, and hurled hirn out. Ile {ell heavily to the ground, and lay there, stunned by the fall. All this pa sed so rapiuly that l~ariB ~toou still at the ~pot fi·o1n \vhich he had hold the parley, and was waiting for ~ orne explanation of the noise ·within the house, when he saw his co1nrade hurled frotn the \vindo\v. lie i1nagined that the n1an had been kill d by the pistol-shot. lie wa. afraid to approach the window. lie withdrew· to a 1nore ren1ote part of tho nOEBUCK.~ 180 grounds. After waiting a short titne in vain for his fallen comrade to rise and follo,v him, he began to consider that tlte hon:o ·was prepared for defence, that the defencG \vas resolute and n1ight be dcRperat e, tlnt it \Vas conducted by a citizen of unblcn1ishccl reputation ancl great influence, and that in the end 111c penalties of ]a,v n1ight be enforced. lie th rcfore \Vhistlcd the signal of retreat and drew off hi~; forces. ~oon aJtenvarcls the 1n:1n \Yho had been thrown fr01n the \Vin<low cr:-twled away and followed his comrade~. At fir.'t it •ould not be known how :Gn· they hacl gone nor how soon they n1ight ret urn. I t \Vas so1ne time before the alann of the ladies snbsided. To as.'urc them of ·afoty ancl to re.i't another attack, jf another should be n1ade, Colonel Fairfax remained until a late hour of the night. \Vhen all danger appeared to be over, the colonel, no\v anxious for the security of his o'vn hotne, 1v:-t about to depart. The ladies were profu. ·e in expres. ions of gratitude to him. 1Hr. . Paltner pnicl out a Beat Jittle speech, redolent of fine senti1nents and garnished with scraps of Latin. Even ~Ir. Palmer so far overcmne the restraints of habitual reserve and conscious turpitude as to thank the colonel qnite \vannly. lie nccon1- panied him out of the door and dct:-tincd hin1 n. minute or two on the portico to 1~epcat his gratcfnl word . \Vhile he "ras thus etnploycd, a pi tol ·wa~ fireu jn the shaclo\v of one of the pillars of the portico. A n1onlcnt afterwan.1s a. negro 111:-tn rushed fron1 the pillar and ai n1ed a blo\v 1vith a pistol at l\Ir. Palmer's head. Colonel Fair£1x, tln·owing np hi~ arm, intercepted the blow. The negro, foiled in both his murderous attempts, ran past and soon disap- • |