National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-10-24
An OLD.TIME STORY.

An OLD.TIME STORY.
The early wears of the reign of George
III. was the time of those gallant rob-
bers, whose fine clothes, high bearing.
reckless hardihood, and frequently
good birth took away from the superb
cial observer much of the darkness OF
the crime actually surrounding their
deeds and lives.
One in particular was notorious
enough in his brief day for most of the
qualities have described, as sometimes
attributes OF these knights of the road.
He was well connected, too, his uncle
being a clergyman in high church
appointment His person was elegant,
his manner courtly, and he was rash in
an extraordinary degree. Mingling
freely in fashionable society in his real
name, his deeds of robbery were the
talk Of the town under his assumed
one His proper designation was
Richard Mowbray-that belonging 10
he road, his sole source of revenue,
was Captain de Montmorency-a
patronymic high-sounding enough. /
do not mean, however, to infer that any
suspected the man of fashion and the
highwaymaa to be the same person
that was never known till the event
which ! am going to relate took place.
Richard Mowbray had spent his
own small patrimony, years before
the period at which this narrative COM
mences, in the pleasures of the town ;
it had been melted in play faro,
horsefesh, and hazard; he had exhaust
ed the kindness and forbearance OF his
relations, from whom he had borrowed
and begged till borrowing or begging
became impracticable. He had no more
extremes of life and, moreover, when
debts and poverty stared him grimly in
the face, he knew not one useful art by
which he could support existence or pay
dividends to his creditors. What was
TO be done? He eluded Jail as long
as he could, and one night, riding on
horseback, and meditating gloomily on
his evil fortunes, he met-covered by
the darkness from all discovery-a
traveller we'll mourted - plethoric-
laden with money bags, and bearing
likewise the burden Of excessive fear.
1t was sudden thought-acted
upon as suddenly. Resistance was
not dreamed of. Mowbray made off
with his booty, considerable enough to
repair his exhausted finances and to pay
his most pressing creditors. 1t was
literally robbing Peter to pay Paul.
And so by night, under shelter of its
darkness, did the ruined gentleman be-
come the highwayman. People who
knew his circumstances whispered their
surprise when it became known that
Richard Mowbray had paid his debts,
and that he himself made more than his
customary appearance. Now this fine
gentleman was ever clad with the new
est braveries of the day and in his
double character many conquest did
he make, for he disburdened ladies of
their jewels and purses with so fine a
manner that the defrauded fair ones
forgot their losses in admiration OF the
charming despoiler, and Richard, in
both his phases, drank deep thoughts
to pleasure till he drained the Circean
cup OF its veriest dregs. Just as even
pleasure became wearisome, when
festive and highbread delights palled
upon his sated passions, and the lower
extrem g of licentiousness and hard
drinking, rufiing, and fighting, diver
slhed by the keen excitement and
threats Of danger, which distinguished
his pred atory existence, began to satiate,
anew light broke on the feverish atmos-
phere >, his life. He loved. Yes
Rchard Mowbray, the ruined patrician.
DE Montmorency, the gallant highway
man, who had hitherto resisted every
good or evil influence which love, pure
or earth-stained, offers to his votaries,
succumbed to the simple charms of
Young, unlearned, unambitious girl, SO
Youthful that her tastes and habits,
Valldlsh as they were, could be scarcely
more 50 than suited her years. Flavia
hAfdcourt had just ATTAINED her six
'eenth year-had never been to board
ing school, and loved nothing so much
even her birds and her pet rabbits
az her dear old father, an honest coun-
"f gentleman, and worthy magistrate.
rlavla had never been even to Lon
uuon, Tor Mr.. Hardcourt resided at Ave-
nrB-a retired village, about twenty
niies from the metropolis. Barring
ioA,hIuntiag and rd-drinking, the old
gentleman, on his side, took pleasure
tSniy IN the pretty, gentle girl, who,
rom the hour of her birth-which
event terminated her mothers exist
enee, had made her his constant play
Mi mate and companion. And it was to
n, mls simple wild flower that the gay
Nal; .sn OF pleasure, naughty, reckless, un-
prl1cipled, improvident, irreligious,
alu rash, presumed to lift his eyes. to
e.evate ..t,, his heart; and, oh, stranger
os o,iil - ! TO this being, the moral antipodes
sn q, ner pure self, did Flavia Hardconrt
maLS nulpehder her youthful, modest, inesti-
liable liable love. 1t must have been her
traSy. trry chidishness and purity that at
abon. ba the desperate robber-now
e,ou u' 70 commit his worst and most in
saoie ms. crime. He had accidentally
bad Mr. Hardcourt at country hunt;
bao,, with others of his companions,
10 J invited by that honest gentleman
Vi Wa rustic tete in henor of little Fla
obsernsa na'ai day-a day, he was wont TO