Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-12-10

happened. But was powerless to
move limb; the sensation was like that
when your foot goes to sleep.
"Can you speak ?" inquired Raleigh,
bending over me, "because if you can,
it will save me some trouble. / want
to know where you have slowed that
money
Now I began to realize my situation.
His face looked natural again and the
load was off my tongue.
"George Raleigh are you going to
rob me?" l asked, finding my voice at
last.
"Well. some folks might call it rob-
bing, but we dress up the term by call
ing it the only correct financial way of
equalizing the floating currency, so
that each one is provided for, and no
one left out" -,
"You shan't have the money; I'll
die first % I yelled, rising little.
"Ah. see-you didn't take quite
enough" he coolly remarked. "Well,
I have provided for this"
He went to the buggy, procured ropes
and gag, and knelt down beside me.
1 had but little strength yet, and he
conquered me in a moment. Laying
me on my right side, looking toward
the fence, he tied my hands, 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 sensible young law
yer soon to be admitted to the bar.
While he was speaking-indeed while
he was tying mel had caught the
sight of the white face of little girl
looking at us between the rails of the
fence. could see her great blue eyes.
There were red stains around her mouth
and on the little hand resting on the
rails. and / knew that she was some
farmers daughter searching for straw
berries. 1 could not warn her of her
danger, and feared she would be seen
or heard. While Raleigh was tying the
last knot, winked at the girl as hard
as 1 could, hoping she would see me and
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 the
other, removing all the articles, and
finally passed his hand over my bosom
and discovered the money.
cha there it is p he exclaimed,
drawing out the packages, and he was
cool enough to go at it and count out
the money. As he commenced the girl
waved her hand to me. My heart went
humping, for 1 expected she would
utter word or shout; but she sank
down from sight, and caught glance
of her frock as she passed through the
grass.
"You see, my young friend" re-
marked Raleigh, as he drew off one of
his boots and deposited some of the
bills in it, "there's nothing like trans
acting business as it should be trans
acted. Some men would have shot or
stabbed you, but its only the appren-
tees who do such work. All the gen.
tlemen of our calling do business rs
gentlemen should"
He drew off the other boot and placed
some fifties and twenties in it and then
continued:
81 have it all planned how to deal
with you as soon as get this money
disposed of around my person. l shall
lay you on your back and pour the bal
ance of this wine down your throat.
There's enough of it to make you sleep
till tomorrow night, and by that time
shall be hundred miles away. AS soon
as 1 see that the drug has taken effect L
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 be most
likely to meet with some traveller. l
want to use the horse and buggy, other
wise L would leave them for you"
How coolly he talked! He treated the
alter as if it was a regular business
transaction in which fully acquiesced.
He had me fast prisoner, and l felt
that he could do just as he pleased.
While l was thinking 1 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
burned phiz of farmer. He looked
from me to Raleigh and back again, and
I winked to him in way which he
readily understood. His face disap-
peared, and I felt that / should be
saved.
"No, old Script won't get his tin to-
day." mused Raleigh, storing away the
DlllS III MS pOCkSbS. 4Ou VIII ~ oesSA
to Law & Law, feeling put out and cut
up. But they shouldn't blame you-it
is not your way at all. True, had you
minded your bufiness on the cars and
had not been so free with stranger,
this would not have happened. 1 was
on my way to Milwaukee, and had no
thought of such rich pickings here"
"Now, in just about minute we'll
be through with this business, he re-
marked, trying to put the mouth OF the
flask between my jaws.
l rolled my head to one tide and he
did not succeed. He was jamming the
flask against my teeth, when [ caught
sound of soft step, the crash of a club,
and Raleigh rolled off my body. He
tried to leap up, but three or four far
mers struck him down, and one of the
blows rendered him senseless. Before
he came to I was free of ropes and gag,
and we had him nicely bound.
Over beyond the pasture farmer
and his hands were raking up hay.
Little blue eyes," only years old,
had wandered off after Strawberries, and
had fortunately witnessed part of Ra-
leigh's proceeding. She had hurried
back to her father and told him that ga
man was all tied up there" and he had
returned to the fence. Understanding
the situation, he and his men had
moved around so as to secure an ad
vantage. Raleigh's capture was the