The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-04-24

In my pocket, was strlding along the
green lanes that led farther and farther
out into the country. / was desperate,
of course, and a burning fever was
bounding In my pulses, confusing all
that 1 did 1t must certainly have been
that, combined with Ranald's influence,
that set me, Kenneth Lane, behind
hedge, with a pistol in my hand, and
murderous intent in my heart; while
the moon shone whitley ever the broad
fields and the long ribbons of road that
lay between them.
"The first that passed was man
whose face could not see. / had my
finger on the trigger. i was just ready
to spring out upon him when suddenly
well, Graham, he began whistling that
same little foolish love tune you used to
be2lways whistling, singing and play
ing at college. That made me grow
very weak, and couldn't move. 1t
brought back all you fellows so distinct
ly. By the way, wonder if he will
ever know how near that little love tune
saved his life Talk about the value of
little things, the stars might all have
fallen from their spheres, and never
have affected me as did the few simple
bars whistled by that traveller along the
moonlit road.
Ct recovered myself after a little-or
rather lost myself again-and began to
wonder at my weakness and then, just
as 1 had Strengthened myself up and
taken new hold on my resolution to do
something desperate, 1 heard the rattle
of carriage wheels far away on the
moonlit, white-ribbon road. Instantly
/ was on the alert, with every faculty
quickened i raised my pistol and ex-
amined the lock, wondering at the same
time whether my sentence would be
hanging, or transportation, or imprison-
ment for life, with hard labor. Before /
had settled the matter in my own mind,
the carriage had come nearer The
wheels were rattling furiously. Who
could it be driving at such break-neck
speed Then suddenly it came in sight
and at the same moment ] heard the ter
rife screams of women, saw that the
driver was missing from his place, and
that the horses were running away.
In an instant, forgetting everything
else at those cries of distress, 1 dropped
my pistol and sprang into the road
Just for moment the startled horses
paused, and in that moment / seized the
bits. Then commenced fierce battle
with the frantic, plunging steeds. / was
thrown down, trampled upon, but
clung to them with despairing energy.
Ten minutes ago, my only thought had
been to take life; now, my only desire
was to save it. So it was; / clung to the
horses and kept them there, until felt
stronger hands assisting mine, and then
the wild struggle, the broad fields, and
the white road all faded away, and left
nothing but darkness and silence.
When awoke-welI, ,boys,I thought
Aladdin's lamp had certainly come back
upon the earth, and somebody had been
using it for my benfit. If 1 had come
back to life in our own room, Ranald's
and mine, / might have concluded that
the whole affair had been horrible
dream, and so said nothing more about
it. But it certainly was surprising to
find myself in strange room, on a
strange bed, with a rosy old gentleman
leaning over me on the other side, and
rosy old lady on the other, their faces
expressing the most lively solicitude,
while grave medical gentleman first
felt my pulse and the rubbed the palms
of his hands together with great salts.
faction. Nor was my astonishment de,
creased when the rosy old gentleman
said:
go The dear boy has come through
Allow me to take your hand, Doctor
We owe so much to you
"Whereupon he shook HANDS very
heartily with the doctor, and then with
the old lady, and they all seemed ex
travagantly glad of my recovery.
4" 1t was astonishing, too, in the days
that followed, while was lying ther'
, too weak to move, to see how l wa
: waited on and made much of by tn,
whole family. They told me after {
while how had saved the lives of tn
l rosy old lady and her daughter, VIII,
t were in the carriage that night and hov
: / was dragged out from under tn
1 horses feet, bruised and bleeding, an,
with my left arm broken; how 1 wa
/, brought there and never recovered con
! sciousness, but went of into raginI