The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-02-22


SISTER bad been taken very III. and Jenn
Was left 10 keep the toll-gaie alone, b,
this vas 10; diffcult task. for scarcel
any che passed over the harrington ros
after nine o'clock. and those who al
passed through the open gate vithct
paying toll
But even IL i, had been harder. Jenni
would haze been equal TO H. She ha
lived at the toll gate ever since she WAS
baby. and knew perfectly well what
charge and how 70 make the prope
change Indeed. she had often kept th
toll gate for her father when he was q
home, and people would be apt to wonde
how so bright and pretty girl could ero'
up in 80 lonesome place. Jennie. how
ever. did not mind the loncSomeness. He
dearest wish was TO go Of to boarding
school, but 30 long ~ shs was at home ]
mattered littIe 10 her that Darlington va
three miles of on the one hand and Leices
ter ten miles on the other. and that Their
was scarcely house between. She eveI
liked the solitude and Was rather sorr,
when the telephone connecting harrington
with Leicester made connection by th,
way at the toll-gste. Before they seemed
TO be out Of the world and people coming
through the gate seemed like visitors from
another sphere; now the frequent ringing
OF the call bell reminded her that civiliza
tion was no so distant after ALL On this
particular night there was not likely to bt
even the usual number Of psssers.by. II
was dark and threatening. Looking oui
Of the door about nine o'clock Jennie
conld hardly see a hundred feet either up
or down the road. 1t would be bad
night, she thought, for the gate to get &C.
cidentally shut; anybody coming along
might run into it without warning, and
for that matter people might run into the
posts on either side. She hung lantern
on one Of the posts, and then going into
the house, locked the door and went to
bed The fact that she was alone in the
house did not disturb her in the least, aud
in few minutes she was fast asleep.
Some time in the night she was suddenly
awakened by the ringing Of the telephone
bell. She listened confusedly to hear il it
rang three times, which was the toll gate
signal, il oftener, to call up some of the
other people on the same wire. Two OF
the connections she knew were in Leices.
ter, the third and fourth was in the Bar
rington bank. the fifth in the tannery aud
the sixth in the central Office at Barring.
ton. In her bewilderment Jennie could
net at first tell how many times it did
ring; but at last she decided it was six
the Darlington central Office. That did
not mean the toll gate, and 80 Jennie pre-
pared to turn over and take another nap.
when sudden thought aroused her. II
was certainly after midnight and the cen
tral Office did not keep open after twelve
o'clock. The bank, too. was shut up and
so was the tannery; and on the whole line
she was probably the only person who
could hear the bell What il it should be
something important! Indeed il would |
hardly ring at that time of night unless it
were important. Quickly jumping out of
bed she ran to the instrument put the re-
ceiyer to her ear and called through the
Hello, hello!"
A voice came back to her SO distinct
that it seemed almost in the same room,
saying, "Hello! is that the central Office"
The tone was quick and sharp and Jennie
felt sure that something must have hap
pened.
mo sir" she called; it's the toll gate;
Tn Jennie Bartlett"
"Fell your father to come here right
away" the voice said. ats very impor.
tant."
Jennie felt sinking at her heart.
Gathers away" she said, "and I'm here
alone.
She heard the voice eXclaim something
in an impatient tone aud then the sound OF
two or three other people talking as though
there was some doubt AZ to what could be
done.
"Can do anything?" she inquired. al.
most hoping she could not
Another conversation followed which
Jennie overheard. The speakers were no
loubt near tho telephone.
"why do you want to let them get into
Darlington at alp the voice asked. "Why
not stop them at the toll gate"
"To be surel said another, iii they get
past the gate like as not they'll turn down
he Riyerton road and throw Allen oil the
rack; they can't turn off before they gel
o the gate; we are sure Of them as far rs
hat
"Tell the girl" and Jennie caught on
y confusion Of sounds.
Presently she heard another "HelloP
"Hellol" she responded.
"The Leicester bank has been robbed, :
he voice went on hurriedly. "by two men
1ith wagon and white horse. They
have driven toward harrington with Mr..
Allen and two constables half an hour be-
hind. You must"
Here the voice stopped as suddenly and
as though it had an extinguish-
er put over it. Even the hum Of the cleo
triciiy was cut of 1t was in vain that
she called "Hellor' No one answered.
Jennie felt once more the old sensation
that she was ou. Of the world. Leicester
seemed all at once hundreds OF miles
away.
But wha, was il she must or must not
dor Why had mot the connection lasted
a moment longer. when her instructions