The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-08-17

little of her.
"She was bit frightened and shy at
first, especially when she discovered. by
catching hold of my whiskers, that L
was not Martin, who shaved clean in
those days. But very soon l had got
her on the mule and explained matters
in my best Spanish, and we were creep
ing stealthily down the hill the best of
friends, and Dolores, who was not more
than seventeen, apparently in childish
high spirits at the success of our enter
prise.
But though she had done her part
so easily 1 didn't feel at all sure that the
adventure was ended. There were lights
moving to and fro at the upper windows
of the convent, and at any moment her
presence might be missed, while the
open window, with its stools and boxes
on the inside, would declare which road
she had taken.
Just at this juncture the confounded
mule, that up to this had behaved him.
self pretty decently, began to tack about
in manner simply fiendish. He was
all over the road at once, and you never
knew whether his head or his heels
would be uppermost I suppose it was
the girls clothes that excited him,
unless the beast was in league with the
priests, and was doing his best to stop
the affair-those Spanish mules are art
ful enough for anything. Added to this,
Miss Dolores was frightened, and 1 could
hardly keep her from screaming out;
and my leg, which had not done so
much work for long while, began to
ache and throb SO that could scarcely
keep up with the mules vagaries.
In vain L dug my dirk into the
headquarters of the mule; we could not
keep the pace, and soon cries and noise
behind us in the darkness told us that
our pursuers were-close upon us. At
the top of the steep vineyard path 1
seized the end of the nuns black cloak
and wrapping it round her head to
prevent her cries being heard-for she
was by this time quite beside herself
with fear-I jumped off the mule and
dashed with her into the vineyard
which edged the road on either side with
stumpy thick bushes.
"The mule, released from restraint
and maddened by last prod from my
dirk, galloped with astonishing clatter
down the narrow road, followed almost
instantly by shouting mob of people,
oil in rlIlrat1it nf xxyhot thaxy haI;axral t0
be the hereto and his captive. L could
not help chuckling as they tore by, the
old jackass leading the way at a speed
to which had been vainly urging him
all the evening.
But there was no time to be lost, for
the road which the pursuers had taken
was the one that led straight to the
Jews quarter, and it was clearly impos-
sible to try and make that port. L had
not moment to reflect, or probably L
should not have dared to do what did.
Raising and disentangling Dolores from
her heavy cloak half dragged, half
carried her across the vineyards down to
the seaboard and thence, by the quickest
and quietest road, to the steps where 1
had told the men to meet me with the
boat. 1t was lying in waiting, for the
big clock of the cathedral had just struck
ten, and without ceremony 1 tumbled
my living bundle into it, and, jumping
in after her, gave the word to be off.
"Not a minute too soon, for the quay
was all at once alight and alive with
people and lanterns. The news of the
escaped nun had just reached the town,
and saw my old enemy, the mule,
being dragged into the Plaza aud sur
rounded by crowd of gaping Spaniards
who seemed to expect he would open his
mouth and tell them what had become
of the runaway. Our boat did not
escape notice, for some one ran along
the quay with lantern and cast a long
bright flash across our course; but we
had pulled through 1t before any one
could have recognized that the dark
mass in the stern of the boat was the
lost lady, nn rel
6 My men pulled on in steady, stony
British silence, just as If their officers
were in the habit of making dash for
1t every two or three evenings week,
with some young lady or other. But i
was beginning to feel horribly uncom-
Portable as to the reception Captain
Cripps would give me and our fair visit
or, and reccollected with relief, that