The mountain Democrat., 1863-09-05
An.odote. OF English HIghwaymsn

1t was at dinner s7- %sIsS %sSssS - - - - !:
Der, 1919, that Sir Thomas asked Mr.
S-th, the family lawyer, whether bis
grandfather bad not been once stopped or
Finchley Common under rather peculiar
circumstances.
"Yes, Sir Thomas said Mr.. S-th
my grandfather was n land agent, EN-
ployed by very many persons Of rank and
quality. He had engagements in mos'
parts of England, and it suited him better
to travel in his own gig than in the david
ling, rumbling stage coach Of 1877.
alt was not unusual at that time for
young spendthrifts and gamesters occa-
sionally to take the road to repieRfSh
their empty pockets, and more than one
sprig of an old, time honored trunk has
been secretly Topped off and transferred To
the plantations for having told true man
to stand and deliver.
Zone night my grandfather journied
towards London across Finchley Com
mon, then a wide barren heath, with
scarcely dwelling near it, save roadside
inn, the 'Baldfaced Stag
There were few aged hawthorn trees
scattered about the common. occasionally
atfording shelter to the 6elated and storm
o'ertaken traveller At o moment when
the sky was at its cloudiest, two well
mounted men rode from the shadow OF one
Of those thorns, aud took their stations
according to the approved mode of high
waymen, one man at my grandfather's s
horses head, whilst the other curtly re-
quested his watch and money. The clouds
passed on, and the moonlight revealed the
bright barrel of pistol in close proximi-
ty to my granddads S head. Again all was
darkness. Now my honorcd father was
not the man to be robbed without strng-
gle, and calculating upon such contin-
gency as the present, he always carried a
short bludgeon under the seat Of his gig
being OF opinion that a pistol might
hang fire, or miss its mark, and then there
would be an end of his power of resist
ance. Under pretence of complying with
the request If the rObber, he stopped
down for his trusty bludgeon, and, as he
did so, the clouds passed on, and the
moonlight fell full upou his face.
"Mr. S-th !" exclaimed the mau with
the pistol.
YES" replied my grandfather, coolly
feeling for his weapon.
"Uood night, SIR" said the highway
man, and after whispering to his compan-
ion, both men rode off at canter, leaving
granddad agreeably relieved and consider
ably astonished. Yes, astonished, for he
had recognized the voice as that of gen.
tleman with whom he had been on terms
of the closest intimacy. And to his dying
day he never mentioned their names even
to my grandmother, although she asked
him in season and out of season. His
only answer was
"They were gentlemen, and behaved to
me like gentlemen; | therefore desire to
return the compliment"
"Ah !" said Mr.. NTH, "some Of
those knights of the road were courteous
enough at times; but, generally speaking,
they were great blackguards, towards and
brutes."
"My uncle Zachary" said Mr.. NTH
fused to tell an adventure which occurred
to him. lie was very fond of racing, and
was known to bet considerable sums, and
to carry his money with him. On his
way to Doncastcr with friend, he stop
ped at an inn where he was known and
invariably slept on his way down, and was
annoyed to find that all the other decent
rooms were occupied by persons who, like
himself, were on their way to the races.
So, there was nothing to be done but to
yield up his own comfortable quarters to
his friend, and content himself, as best he
could, in garret. My unclc's friend was
a mild, nervous man, who would as soon
thought of visiting Doncaster races with
out the protection of my uncle, as descen-
ding the crater Of Vesuvius. Before he
retired to rest it was his custom to look
under his bed, and in any cupboard that
might be in the room. He went through
this examination on the night of my story,
and, all being satisfactory, my uncle's
friend raked the Goals well together in the
CRATE, extinguished his candle, and by the
light of the fire got into bed. Many per-
sons cannot sleep in strange bed, and my
uncle's friend was one; so he lay awake
for some time, looking at an eight-day
clock in one corner Of his room. The
hands of the clock, he had noticed, stood
at half past eight, and it was then eleven;
so, as the clock had stopped, my uncle's
friend thought that he should experience
no disturbance from that quarter. He
was mistaken, however, for he saw by the
freight, which played upon the polished
surface of the clock case, the door COM
municating with the weights and pendu-
lum silently opened, and then a villainous
face peered out, the eyes glaring at my
uncle'S friend, whose breath for moment
or two came thick and fast, to be followed
by profuse perspiration. The danger,
however, was too near to admit of much
deliberation; my uncle's friend jumped
out of bed, rushed to the clock, and Sc.
cured his enemy within, bawlng at the
same time, Manipulating N-r-th!
Murder! Thieves Zachary N--r-th !"
THE imprisoned rogue mads desperate
efforts to free himself and the clock case
rocked about frarfully, but the situation
was in favor Of virtue for once, and vice
met with its deserts. Assistance soon ar
rived, and from the interior of the clock
case (from which the weights and pendu-
lGm had been removed) a well.kuown d.
minutive Doncaster tout was dragged to
light-tbe man afterwards confcssing that
he knew my uncle Zachary always slept
in this particular room at race time, and
that he was sure to carry large sum of
money with him. The incensed host and
his household consigned the miserable
little culprit to the horse-trough for nearly
a quarter of an hour, and then left him to
dry in the village cage. And that was
the end of the somewhat remarkable sto-
ry."
A REPRooF.-The Rev. DR.. McFarlane,
late of Erskine Church, Glasgow, and
now of London, having, in company,