Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-12-16
1T0N TERRITORY SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 49, 1876

If I were inclined to be J. suspi-
cious man" said Paul Raymohd, Il
SHOULD believe this to be a wafning-
I should regard myself as mad if I
gave no heed to it,"
1t was brilliant starligh. night,
when the trim little figure, in! h sober
gray travelling dress and veil(d face,
took her seat in the stage-coacp which
stood at the Courtfeld Statiosl await
ing the advent of all Darnellsis ale pas
sengers-starlight but cold, with a
frosty clearness in the atDk,sphere
which made closed windowsS by no
means uncomfortable,
"Only two besides the outside pas
seDger," muttered the drivtr, dis
contentedly, as he slammed to the
door and mounted to his Face be-
hind the horses, where a tS l, dark
figure already sat. 81 amt soin' to
make my fortin' on the DarEsllsdale
road, that's clear r
jamie Martin glanced curiously
towards the other passenger, "a mas
culine- looking old woman. in 5 beaver
bonuet, a green veil, and hage, old
fashioned cloak with doubls capes,
who sat nodding, with boths her el-
bows en- the lid Of the square wicker
Easket she carried in her lap.
jamie felt strangely lonely, sven the
companionship of the uncos,th old
creature, she fancied, would | p better
than utter isolation, so she stimidly
attempted to begin an acquaintance.
cit is very cold tonight" she re-
marked in a conciliatory tons, "for
the month of May" 1
"Eh ?" demanded the oldMolnan,
putting her hand inquirinslx to her
eur.
GA cold night?" cried jamie, at
the top of her little sweet voice.
"Eh?"
1t was plain that the old woman
would not be much company for
jamie, and she abandoned her social
essays in despair. Z:
Still a deaf old woman was better
than noSody at all.
jamie felt that, all alone. in the
coach, she should have been very
lonely, in spite of the nervous thrill
she experienced once or twich, when,
happening to look up, as tie coach
ratified through the gas-ligh..ed sub
urbs of Courtfield, she caught the
quick vigilance of the old .vonnan's
furtive, sideways glance, INSTANTLY
withdrawn.
Paul's dream, laughed at and for
gotten at the time, came back to her
now with strange distinctness, oddly
blended with unpleasant collections
of Lindlev Grey
"I am a goose" mentally pro-
tested jamie, "and I'll go to sleep"
But she could not sleep. Onward
rolled the numbering coach, ipast the
suburbs, beyond the few scattering
habitations that clung to the out
skirts of the little town, into the
open country woods, where the soil
tary farm-houses that they occasion
ally passed were already cl.,sed and
darkened for the night: valleys,
where the moaning sound Of lovely
streams kept up their monotone; past
them all the stage-coach Numbered
and jolted, until suddenly they
plunged into the dark recessses of a
wood, where the tall trees seemed al
most to arch the interlacin9 boughs
over the narrow road.
jamie gave a quick start; it was the
very wood that Paul had described
to her as SO wildly outlined in his
dream. :
is o mere coincidence: but I wish we
were safely out of this dismal place.
We have outlived the age Of highway
robbers and midnight prigands;
yet"
The coach came suddenly to q
stand-still. With sick sensation of
terror, jamie leaned out of the win
dow.
Through the frosty freAhness of
the night air came perceptihly to her
senses that peculiar odor ef chloro-
form. The coachman had fallen
from his box, and lay like one dead
by the roadside, the reil,s trailing
beneath the heels of the docile horses,
while the outside passenger had de-
scended, and hurrying round to the
coach door, flung it open with q
hoarse, exultant sound, like laugh.
The lantern that he carried dis
played his evil. triumphant face-in
fact, he made no attempt TO hide it
Lindley Greyw shrieked jamie,
recoiling to the further end of the
vehicle.
eyes, Lindley Grey p he answer
ed, jeeringly; "don't you fancy me
for a travelling compe uion, my
naughty, spirited young lady? It's
my turn to dictate terms, now; you
are in my power at last. Out with
you, old lady"
The old woman, tottering to her
feet, hesitated an instant on the step
of the coach. The next instant, q
blow, short, sharp and Sudden, de-
scended directly between Lindley
Grey's eyes, and he fell like log in
the road. The huge cloak fell of;
the square wicker basket ratified on
the ground.
Here, coachman, up with you r
cried = clear, manly voice to the be-