The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-04-21

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to keep both his sisters in tho hands
of other admirers for moro than two
thirds of the time, finally retired to
corner to devise with himself tho
ways and means of fresh annoyance.
Nor was it long before a bright idea
came to him.
It did not take him a great while
to effect loan of the horse and
"pongo" that had brought his own
weight to the quilting, so he would
have fair excuse for adding himself
to Harry Mapleson's turnout, and q
brief absence in the barn-yard ena-
bled him to effect certain promising
alterations in tho arrangement OF
Jim Cakes cutter. It looked all the
better for Jeff's plan that both the
sleighs were of tho most cosy and
diminutive pattern, hardly large
enough for two.
So much done, and Jeff was back
in the house just in time to call Har-
ry out from the most comfortable
quarters he had had as yet; but jeff
looked serious, and Harry came.
"Havc you heard all this about the
wolves ?" asked Jeff.
"What about them ?" saitl Harry.
"Oh, droves and droves Of them in
the woods. We must keep together
going home, and I wish we had our
guns along"
Jeff was triae taken aback at This
for Harry replied.
"Of course l have, and 80 has Jim.
You don't take US for q pair of fools,
do you? Double barrels, and plenty
of buckshot."
Jeff face heightened for a mo-
ment, for he thought Of his lent horse
and his work in the barn-yard but
his boyish recklessness came to his
aid, and he replied:
'.All right; III borrow gun of
the Elder, and I'll ride home with
you. Pop Watkins has borrowed my
turnout to take his wife home with,
for his girls want their sleigh to their
own company"
Harry again seemed much more
philosophical and don't-carish than
Jeff had anticipated, and the young
joker went off to find the Elder.
His request for gun was received
with degree of sober acquicscence
that was an awful cooler on the fun
of the thing, and the old man said,
as he brought out an enormous old
"dcer-gun" and the ammunition to
match:
. "Jeff, my boy, yer right. We folks
right round the lake amt in no dan
ger, but l wouldn't like to be caught
tonight betwixt there and Square
without weapons. That ar old iron
throws q grist O. lead.'
Jeff inwardly acquiesced as he
locked down the capacious double
throat of the big gun, and wondered
"if the old thing kicked very bad"
When the time came, as itsoon did,
for the "bce" to break up, the moon
was shining brightly among the fros-
ty trees and on the snowy hillsides,
and everything was propitious for a
ride homo. And yet, not only Jim
and Maggie, but Harry and Annie,
felt as if the whole occasion had been
} one Of cross-purposes and misunder-
standings.
Just then, however, they had q
special subject Of conversation in
hand, for half the talk among the
women in the drcssing-room at the
elders, had been about the wolves
and their doings, and both the girls
were we'll satisfied with the fore
thought which gave them an armed
escort.
The first few miles were quickly
,, skinned over, Jim Oales, with his
lighter load, gaining so steadily that
he was half the time out of sight,
ahead, in the windings Of the road.
The fences were few and far between,
and much OF the way was through
the open and now leafess forest.
Whatever may have been the cur
rent of talk between Jim and Mag
: gle, it was suddenly brought to dis
astrous termination before they had
got half way to their destination.
A little rise there was in the road,
and a rough jolt over it, and, as the
. quick strain came, snap went the
fastening Of the thrills to the cutter.
Jim jerked upon the reins, hut
those in turn gave way, and the now
free and frightened horse bounded
homeward, leaving the disconsolate
J couple sitting helplessly in tho cutter.
A moment of silent dismay follow
ed, though jim had sprung ont into
the snow. AS he stood, however,
gazing after his runaway horse, his
; ears were saluted by strange, long
vawn, mournful sound, that came
oninously through tho stiffness Of
the woods, and then seemed to be
taken mp and repeated again and
again.
: "Jim," exclaimed Maggie, "what's
that? What can it be p
J. Jim's face was deadly white in the
moonlight, and he hesitated for n
5 moment before he replied:
"Maggie Galbraith, that was the
howl of a wolf, and it sounds as il
; there was pack of them"
Jingle, jingle, came the swift, jang.
ling bells behind them, and in mo.
, ment more Harry Mapleson's cutter
, was along side.
. "The wolves! Maggie-the wolves
0 don't you hear them ?" cried Annie
: "Oh, Annie! and our horse is
@ gone," returned her sister. What
8 shall VIC do?"