The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-06-28

you will be better soon," he SAID. Come,
let me help you down."
He reached up his arms and | let go the
seat and fell into them. 1t seemed to me
as if | weighed ton, but he carried me
along without an effort, and laid me down
within a rod of fence which ran along on
one side of an old pasture. The effects of
the drugs were wearing off, and got
faint suspicion that something unusual had
happened. But ! was powerless to move
limb; the sensation was like that when your
foot goes to sleep.
"Can you speak?' inquired Raleigh, bend
ing over me. Because if you can it will
save me some trouble. want to know just
where YOU have stored away that money"
Now began to realize my situation. His
face looked natural again, and the load was
off my tongue. l also felt that l could move
my fingers little.
George Raleigh! are you going to rob
me?' l asked. finding my voice at last.
''Well, some folks might call it 'robbing,'
bat we dress up the term little by calling
it the only correct way of equalizing the
floating currency so that each one is provided
for, and no one left out"
"You shan't have the money; will die
first!' l yelled, raising little.
"Ah, l see-didn't take quite enough" he
coolly remarked. "Well. l have provided
for this.'
He went to the buggy, procured ropes
and gag, and kneeled down beside me. l
had but little strength yet, and he conquered
me in moment. Lying on my right side
| looking toward the fence, he tied my hands
behind me and then forced the gag into my
| mouth.
"There now! You see you are nicely
fixed up, and all because you acted like a
| fool, instead of a sensible young lawyer soon
| to be admfsted to the bar"
While he was speaking-indeed while he
was tying me, | had caught sight of the
white face of little girl looking at US from
| between the rails of the fence. l could see
her great blue eyes and knew that she was
| frightened. There were red stains around
her mouth and on the little hand resting on
the rail, and knew that she was farmers
| child searching for strawberries. could
not warn her Of her danger, and feared
| that she would be seen or heard. While
| Raleigh was tying the last knot, winked at
| the little girl as hard as I could, hoping that
| she would move away, but she did not go.
''Well, now for the money!" said Raleigh,
and he began searching my pockets. He
went from one to another, removing all the
articles, felt down my boot leg, and then
finally pressed his hand over my bosom and
| found the money.
'Ha! here it isp' he exclaimed, drawing
out the package. 81 don't believe that old
| Grip will see any of this today
He sat down near my head, undid the
| packages, and was cool enough to go at it to
count the money. As he commenced the
little girl waved her hand at me. M heart
went humping, for L expected that she
would utter a word or shout, but she sank
| down from sight, and caught CLEAN of
her frcck as she passed through the grass.
"You see, my young friend" remarked
/ RaIoIu1, J,o off of, nl
deposited some of the bills in it, "there's
nothing like transacting business as it
should be transacted. Some men would
have shot or stabbed you, but it's only APP
| prentices who do such work. All the real
| gentlemenof cur calling do business as gen.
llemen should"
He drew off the other boot and placed
some ''ffties' and ''twenties'' in it, and
| then continued:
81 have it all planned out how to deal
with you as soon as l get this money dis
| posed of around my person. l shall lay you
on your back and pour the balance of the
wine down your throat. There's enough of
it to make you sleep until tomorrow night,
and by that time I shall be hundreds of
miles away. AS soon as see the drag
take effect, shall unite your hands and
remove the gag. When you come out of
your sleep-if you ever do-you had better
crawl out to the road, where you will most
likely meet some traveller soon. want to
use the horse and buggy, otherwise would
leave them for you"
How cOolly he talked. He treated the
matter as if it were regular transaction in
| which 1 fully acquiesced. He had me fast
| prisoner, and felt that he could do just as
he pleased. While was thinking, saw
the little white face appear between the
rails again, but in a moment it faded away
and its place was taken by the sun-burn ed
phiz of farmer. He looked from me to
Raleigh and back again, and winked at
him in way which he readily understood.
His face disappeared, and 1 felt that 1
should be saved.
| "No, old Grip won't get his tin to-day
unused Raleigh, storing away the bills in his
pockets. "You will go back to Law & Law
feeling put up and cut up, but they couldn't
blame you; it is not your fault at ALL True,
had you minded your business on the car
and not been so free with stranger, this
would not have happened. was on my
way to Milwaukee, and had no thought of
such rich pickings here"
saw nothing of the farmer. Baleigh
finished his counting, and made up my
mind that the farmer was afraid to inter-
fere and had run away. My,heart went
| down as Raleigh got up, for saw that he
was about to carry out his plan for further
drugging me. He turned me on my back,
sat down astride of me, and then pulled out
the flask.
Snow, in just about minute We'll be
through with the business" he remarked,
trying to put the mouth of the flask between
my jaws.
rolled my head to one side, and he did
not succeed. He was jamming the flask
against my teeth, when l caught the sound
| of soft step, the crash of club, and
Raleigh rolled off my body. He tried to
leap up, but three or four farmers struck
him down, and one of the blows rendered
him senseless. Before he came to, was
free of ropes and gags, and we had him Sc
curely bound.
hands were raking hay. "Little Blue Ewes, -
only eight years old, had wandered off after
Strawberries, and hads fortunately for me,
witnessed a part of Raleigh's proceedings.
She had hurried back to her father and told
him that ga man was all tied up out there -
Understanding the situation, he and bis
men had moved around so as to secure an
advantage, and Raleigh's capture was the
result.
When the rascal found his senses he was
terribly taken aback. and cursed enough for
whole Flanders army. We took him back
l to Grafton, and when saw him again he
was on his way to serve sentence of fif-
teen years.
The mortgage was duly lifted, and the gift
which Law & Law sent Katy Gray kept her
in dresses for many year.
For myself, felt so Inundated at having
fallen into the rascal's trap, and so wrathy
at the treatment, that determined to devote
myself to thorough warfare on rogues. |
therefore joined the detective force, and
after due study, took my place as a full
fedged detective.
| LAXATIVE AND )
CaIHzR1!e,