night and day, and to prevent her abduction by me, Mr. Scheimer had
two or three men in the house to stand guard at night. Sarah was
locked in her room, which is precisely what we had provided for, for
no one in the house supposed that she could escape by the window.
There was a big dog on the premises, but he and I were old friends,
and he seemed very glad to see me when I came on the ground on this
eventful night. Sarah was watching, and when I made the signal she
opened the window and threw out her ready prepared bundle. Then my
man and I set the ladder and she came safely to the ground. A moment
more and we would have stolen away, when, as ill luck would have it,
the ladder fell with a great crash, and the infernal dog, that a
moment before seemed almost in our confidence, set up a howl and
then barked loud enough to wake the dead.

Forthwith issued from the house old Scheimer, two of his sons and
his hired guard-a half dozen in all. There was a time then. The girl
was instantly seized and taken into the house. Then all hands fell
upon us two, and though I and my man fought our best they managed to
pound us nearly to death. The dog, too, in revenge no doubt for the
scare the ladder had given him, or perhaps to show his loyalty to
his master, assisted in routing us, and put in a bite where he
could. It is a wonder we were not killed. Sarah, meanwhile, was
calling out from the house, and imploring them not to murder us. How
we ever got away I hardly know now, but presently we found ourselves
in the road running for our lives, and running also for the carriage
we had concealed in the woods, half a mile above. We reached it, and
hastily unhitching and getting in we drove rapidly for the bridge
crossing over to Belvidere. That beautiful August night had very few
charms for us. It would have been different indeed if I had
succeeded in securing my Sarah; and to think of having the prize in