The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-10-11
M1RRIED TO MURDERER.

At dark, Bessie Walters ran into the cot
tage, rousing her father with the news that
the smuggler's schooner was laying off
Arish Nell, and Jim Bolton had gone to
prepare the men to be ready at the News.
Sho was smart little schooner, drawing
wonderfully little water. So, the sea being
like glass, only throbbing with ground
swell, she was towed up within few hun
dred yards of the shore, and then the work
began i'll earnest.
''We've only but two hours safe to do it
in" said the leading man, ''for when the
tide turns the breeze IL get up and carry
off the fog. So push on, lads, and show
what Dorset chaps can do"
In a couple of hours nearly half the car
go was safe, each man working like two.
The tea and tobacco were slowed away in a
snug cave, long used as a hiding place the
kegs of spirits sent off to neighboring Gel
lars, some of which were in vaults least
suspected. By this time the fog had COW
cred the downs, and lay there if resting.
Suddenly through the mist and silence
came the shrek of sea gull, then another
and another.
! Every man stopped working. Every face
/ turned in tho direction of the signal, for
such it was then down through the white
cloud came figure scrambling-.jumping
from rock to rock-and Bessie Walters, her
face flushed, her hair loose, breathlessly
! stood by the men.
"Harry's gotten back fro Weymouth" I"
she said 'sthe revenue chaps ha' gotten
word and the cutters comin', and the SOL
diers too, and some of our own folks have
blown the cave"
''Then it's all up" said the captain; $50
much for your id Dorsetshire. I'll
/ give five pounds to the man who will take
us out. I'll give ten pounds. Twenty I'll
give. Thirty-forty-fifty pounds to the
, fellow who'll run ou1 of this cursed hole.
By G., believe you are all in the game,
and brought us here to sell us. But III
beat you yet. If l can't do better, I'll burn
the craft, rather than let stitch of her fall
into such id wreckers' hands Here,
Charlie, pull off,
AS he spoke, a rocket whizzed up in the
offing, and the cutter was within couple
eth be bad like to let the craft be taken, -
said man who had been watching the cap
tain's boat. '1've mind to go off with
hcr-fifty pound tarrible lot of money!
He looked hard at Bessie and Bessie
checks grew redder as she said
''SOe be as you'll goe, Cargo, III row
you off"
No further words were then spoken, but
the man walked down to the boat, followed
by Bessie.
''Supposin' git the money!" asked
George, looking around.
Bessie babe him hold his tongue till he
got it, and nodded him good night as he
scrambled up the schooner's side.
Sullenly and desperately the smuggler
, held on her way, Suddenly the trumpet
rang out:
Haul to, or we shall fire."
''Fire away - shouted the captain of the
schooner.
A spur of fire sprang from the cutter 5
| side and q round shot crushed through the
smuggler's jib, cutting half dozen ropes
in two. Still she held on. Swish came an
other shot, this time hitting the mainmaSt
and sending out shower of splinters-
! They were within two hundred yards of
each other, the cutter coming on, evidently
with the intention of boarding. Bessie
held her breath-she was thinking of Geo
Harvel. The crafts were close together
Bessie started up and flung her arms over
head with cry of dismay, for the revenue
men were boarding the smuggler. The air
A sudden thought flashed into the girls
bewildered brain. She ran down TO the
shore, pushed off her boat, and, jumping
in, rowed to the scene of action, never once