Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-04

/ NoaA ~ "a rOu 10 tht-s lfidt
in that coach you will find man you
hardly expected to see. Go and look ~
With that Mrs. Bland famed herself
quite composedly ,and went to her ROOM
went to the coach, not understand
what the woman meant. Some three
women got out of the vehicle, followed
by an old gentleman, who had TO be
helped out-evidently an ihvalld. On
the box by the driver was man, who,
as approached, lit a fuse, and with 1t
his cigar. His face | did hot recognize.
| then felt some little curiosity to find
out what Mrs. Bland meant about the
man 4 hardly expected to see.' did
peer into the coach. | was aided by
David, who, with Il lantern, was look
ing for parasol one of the lady pas
sengers had left. There was man,
apparently asleep. Though it was sum-
mer, handkerchief was thrown par
TALLY over his face. One glimpse was
enough. Though his whiskers had
been cut, and his reddish hair stained
black, it was the face Of George Har-
land, the assistant teller OF our bank.
He looked at me in an agonized way,
then put his fingers to his lips and said
i'll low, broken voice: MY Coo, Hen
ry. am thief trying to escape-to
escape. L know they are after me-"
Then he shuddered. IL am MADEIRA
zy-haye lost my head. And yet yor
are here: Do not betray me"'
''To Dickerson'sI !" cried the driver,
and of went the coach. From Dicker-
sons l knew that small fishing boats
ran to Martha's Vineyard and the Mas
sachusetts coast. 1 stood appalled,,
dazed and speechless.
Mrs. Bland met me on the veranda
with some flowers in her hand, which
exhaled luscious perfume. The odor
quite sickened me. Ladies and gen.
tlemen," said the good-natured. famil-
lar landlord in his shirt sleeves. at
isn't down on the bill of fare, but we
have been quite short of fruit, peaches
and sich, for the last three days, and
nary boarder has grumbled. L came
| across a fine lot of fruit this afternoon,
and they is sot in the dining room, and
do You all jess go in and help your
self" Mrs. Bland was near me, and
clapped her hands with childish glee,
Notwithstanding her pricked finger
''Will you take me in 2" she asked quite
naturally.
had no heart for peaches, still / Of
fered the woman my arm. There was
group of noisy boarders at long ia
Bile, but, through David's care, Mrs.
Bland secured small kitchen table. on
which was placed a dish OF peaches,
flanked with huge half moons of water
melon.
"You saw him 2" asked Mrs. Agnes
Bland, pairing peach with a silver
pocket fruit knife, which she drew out
from her pocket ''Dear me, the juice
of the peach gets into my finger, and
really stings."
Saw him, Mrs. Bland, For Gods
sake, what does this all mean?''
81 like cling stones better than free
stones. | should be so much obliged
to you if you would pare a peach for
me. My fingers make me so awkward
"Are you a Nemesis, Mrs. Bland:"
"a what? don't know what that
meansr'
"Explain"'
"Oh, the man il. the coach. Now, |
sir, listen. The .$2S 2S.67.-korrect, you |
wrote on that bill of mine gave me the
clue to your handwriting. Mr.. Bland |
there is a Mr.. Bland-sent me down |
here after you. Those figures and
K-o-r-r-e-c-t cleared you. There were |
no figures like yours in the altered ac-
counts. George Harland was thief. |
was glad when l could congratulate
you on your luck"
Luck, Madam! What do you meant |
''You were the only gentleman here
all the rest of them were cads and |
muffs. Your society was not unpleas-
ant to me, and | should have so dis
liked to have been the means of bring
ing a theft to your door. Mr.. Bland
was on that coach with the driver. Y on |
may have noticed first a blue splutter |
and then red one from his match.
That meant All right, Mrs. Bland
George Harland has misapprOpriated
s75, 900 belonging 10 your stupid old
bank. and did il, clever as you are in
figures, right under your most, sir. The
papers for the last week have had an !
inkling of it-not where yCu would
look for the news, bat in personals and
advertisements. That Is why | read
the papers. Please don't go; any SYM
pathy | might have had-and | have
not much TO waste-wa really that of
thankfulness that quite decent young
man like you was safe. Mind. never
suspected you, though Mr.. Bland may
have done so. George Harland ought |
to have S50, 200 in notes, with him, at
this very moment" There was base
look of greed in the woman's face.
"You are then, Madame"
"The wife Of Mr.. Bland. lam some
what afraid" and here Mrs. Bland
smiled, showing me set of white
teeth, single black melon seed in
creasing their pearly lustre by con-
trast, .'that you do not like me as well
at least my society-as you did an
hour ago. There was a little bit of
killing disdain about the woman.
suppose the scorn on my face was man
ifest, for l made no effort TO conceal it.
Great Lord save u.s. said David,
coming in and addressing us, ''some-
thing drefful has happened-dat man
in stage coach"
"Not run away-escaped. shouted
Mrs. Bland, springing to her feet with
the latent energy of Jonathan Wild.
Her eyes had lost their pale blue sbim-
rner, and glinted like cold steel; the
burrows between her eyes took strange,
arabesque, sinister traceries. II was
dreadful face TO see.
"No, ma'am-woss nor that. lie
blow his brains out in the coach"
ssDavid," said Mrs. Bland, now as
auiet ANA unrippled as dish of milk