I think it's best for me to go out there and keep a watch till the fellers come back.

Don't be a-scared, because I'll be right there, not far from the gate." He stepped out, rifle in hand.

The two women sat alone, shivering in nervous terror, starting at every little sound.
They sat they knew not how long, before the clear air of the moonlight night was rent by sharp sounds.

A single piercing shot echoed close at hand; scattering shots sounded farther up the lane; then many shots; and then came the sound of a car passing rapidly on the distant highway..