Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-02-13

ages his cruelty made on the young life he
was blighting.
But his punishment was not far of.
Clarissa came in to Mildred one day full Of
excitement. ave are to be moved again"
she announced, "and this time l don't know
where. That wretch" (by this she of course
meant her beloved brother) won't tell me-"
"Why are we to be moved?" asked Mil
dred.
II rather fancy, from something he let drop,
that he has begun to think this place not safe
l don't know how far we are to move from
Sir Roxwell seabury, but I suppose we are to
60 still farther. Perhaps somebody is on your
track, my dear, and Joshua has got frighten-
ed. hope it may be sol"
Mildred knew not whether to hope or to
fear. This move might bode only increased
evil. At all events, being powerless to object,
she could but obey the orders given her to
prepare for an immediate departure
That night close travelling carriage was
brought to the door. DR.. Carey, thoroughly
armed, himself oficiated as coachman and
having fastened bis two charges in the con-
veyance, by means of paddock which he
had attached to one of the doors, the other
being nailed up, he mounted the box and
drove away. ...
1t was dark, rainy night. Heavy clouds
obscured the sky, and the wind sighed mourn
fully through the trees of thick wood into
which they entered. The road was very lone.
ly, and oftentimes barely wide enough for the
carriage to pass along. The dripping boughs,
swaying across its course, tapped in Joshua's
face and threatened to remove his hat, Sc
riously to his Inconvenience, and curses mot
loud, but Deep" frequently escaped his lips.
He found the journey, encompassed with these
difficulties, a more trying one than he had
anticipated.
Their destination was an old, dingy house
in the thickest part Of this wood, miles dis
tant from any habitation. It had formerly
been the headquarters of hunters club, but
had long since fallen into disuse. Only one
out of its three rooms was habitable the 9th
er portions of its roof and walls afording
free access to the wind and rain.
1t was near daylight when they approach
ed the spot. Joshua, finding from some land
marks which he recognized, or rather ran
against, that their journey, which had neces-
sarily been conducted at snail's pace, was
near its end, heaved sigh of relief. Vii.
lainy must suffer discomfort once in while; {;
and he had unquestionably passed very un-
comfortable night
A few rods more, and the front door would
be reached. On they crept-the horses feet
splashing in hap hazard way through the
mire, and the rain pouring down more per-
sistently than ever upon them, their driver,
and their load-when crack! went the sharp
report of a pistol through the bushes, and the
next instant their heads were seized by two
mounted men who rode out of ambush and
placed themselves as barrier to their prog
ress. The frightened animals plunged and
reared Joshua uttered fierce imprecation,
and drawing his pistol, unhesitatingly fired.
But his shot missed its aim, and before he
could repeat it with better effect, he was
seized and disarmed by one Of the men, the
other in the mean time busying himself in
unbuckling the harness and removing the
horses from the vehicle.
Clarissa had uttered, on the first alarm, q
shrek of terror; but Mildred's heart beat
high with hope. "Hushl' she cried, pressing
her companion" rm. "They are probably
robbers-they Int money, and won't hurt
us. Perhaps they will help us to escape"
Upon this suggestion Clarissa, letting down
the window, put her head out, regardless Of
the rain, and commenced loudly to cry,
"Help! help! good people, whoever you are |!
We are prisoners! Help us, and you will
get your reward"
"Will you hold your tongue, crazy FOOL"
savagely exclaimed Joshua; but the robbers,
if such they were, apparently paid no atten-
ton to her cries. With much GOODNESS and
deliberation, they proceeded to bind Joshua,
all resistance on his part to this unpleasant
proceeding proving futile; and this being
accomplished, they next advanced for the
purpose of investigating, with the aid Of a
dark lantern, the interior of the vehicle.
Mildred's momentary hope died away in
thrill of fear as she perceived the rufianly,
forbidding visage of the one upon whom the
light first fell. He shook and pulled at the
locked door, wondering why it did not come
open.
"What's here? A paddock ?" he exclaim-
ed, as he bent to discover the reason of its re-
sistance to his efforts. "a queer notion that,
to be sure! See here, Bob, we can't be mis-
taken," he continued to his comrade, who
came to his aid. "They're travelling with
locked doors. 1t must be the" The re-
mainder Of the suggestion was uttered in a
whisper.
"We're locked in," explained Clarissa.
"Do, for mercys sake, my good kind souls,
let US outp
"Hold your tongue, I say" cried her
brother, hoarse with rage, "or you shall suf-
fer for it.
"You hold yours, and let the woman alone, 7"
ordered one of the men. "We'll attend to her.
What there be two of 'em in here" he add
ed as he espied Mildred, who had not uttered
a word, but sat quietly in her corner Of the
carriage. She was very pale, and trembled a
little, but gave no other sign of alarm. She
was thinking how she might possibly be able