The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-07-12
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on his path, a hand suddenly caught his
bride and pistol was pointed at his head.

| pride and pistol was pointed at his head.
Your money or your lifep -
The words were spoken qticklyj in a dis.
gused but agitated voice, There was ju1
light enough to see that the highvaymail
was a slightly-built man Of no apparent
physical force, yet the squire remembered
his vain boast as he felt how completely he
was in the stripling's power. There was a
moments silence. The squire's hand was in
his great-ooat pocket. Did the robber think
he was getting his pdfse2 Did the squire
know he was searching for his pstol2
The highwayman spoke again in the same
strange voice, which seemed full of smoth-
cred passion and grief-"I have heard that
you would never yield to a single man" !"
The Squirc's blood boiled at the implied
taunt, but yet the pistol was terribly near his
head, and he felt that in such case neither
strength nor courage can always win the
victory.
"Nor would yield to you," he said-he
knew not what prompted him-"not to you
alone; but that other fellow looking over
your shoulder"
The robber started shudderingly and turn
ed. Swift as lightning the squire aimed his
own pistol and fired
For a moment the moorland scented illu-
minated out ofthe fiendish brightness came
a light, sharp almast girlish shrek. A sec
ond more all was darl; and quiet, and the
squire realized that he stood alone in the dim
moonlight, with dead man at his feet.
A stern man was Latymer Coran of Coran,
and he was not to be brought to a pause on
his journey because he had CHANGED to slay
thief. Nor was it the awe and horror of
bloodshed which blanched and flushed his
cheek as he rode on. No, his rigid justice
argued that the man deserved his death, only
it was not meet that such as he should havs
betrayed an honorable gentleman to deceit.
For he knew that he had verified his boast
and saved himself-by lie
That haunted him as he stood in the grim
chamber Of Wrottel clocll-house and saw the
last of his old friend, the county magistrate.
He despatched no one to the dead robber-
time enough for that when he returned in
the morning.
Then he took officers of justice with him,
and these respecting his position and the
depression in which he seemed plunged,
walked quietly side by side, little way be-
hind his horse. At last they reached the
spot where the deadly decd had taken place.
TO their astonishment little group of peo-
pie were gathered about, and as they drew
near they heard a sound of lamentation and
the squire saw hisown lveried servants, one
ofthem holding the bride ofa rderless horse.
They turned startled white face to him as he
rode up, and were silent.
"What is the matter7" he demanded, i'm
periously.
ooh he Gamma be dead the bonnie lad
die /" sobbed an old Scotch groom.
"Some one has shot Mr.. Hugh" said two
or three at once.
"Itmust have been a duel, . said some one
"lor the young master has his own pistol
with him."
The squire pushed his horse through the
crowd. On the blood-stained heather lay
his antagonist of the night belore-hs own
young grandson-the back of his head com
pletely shattered and stains of blood on his
fair, boyish face. The steward kuelt by the
corpse, disengagng the pistol from the stiff
grasp of the dead. lie looked at it with
wondering, bewildered eyes, and said; &" 1t
has never been loaded"
Then old squire understood il all he un.
derstood that his boastlul, provoking words
had aggravated Hugh to put his courage
to the test in the hope Of convincing him
that there is no trial of bravery between an
honest man and robber. And the squire
understood also that had that unloaded ps-
tol been what it had seemed, he, the Honor
able Cornn of Coran, had only escaped by a
lie!
~ did it," he said gloonily, and the two
deiercntal officers OF justice came and stood
at either side of Latymer Coran, and his own
servants fell back in horror and dismay
Alas for the twice bereaved woman waiting
and weeping, and as yet hoping,in the proud
old castle towersl
Latymer Coran was spared the ignominy
Of trial-he did not even live TO hear that
the coroners jury returned vertlct of
"misadventuro" The stout old heart was
broken.
Hugh's funeral was delayed but a single
day that his grandfather and he, "the last
of the Corans," might be buried together.
Their names, the murderer and the muir
deredj were written or one tablet. Not a
word was said of their ancient and hon0ra-
bic lineage, nor of the tragedy in which
both lives closed-only their names and
their ages, the old man and the boy, and the
texts
Gathers provoke not your children to
anger"