Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-08-22

within hearing, and you may as
well take it coolly; / am armed,you
see; you are not. Hand over the
bag.
TNeverr exclaimed Bob. 'The
mailbag is in my care-entrusted;
I'll guard it as long as Ihave breath
in my body
That won't be long, with a coarse
laugh, ifyou don't listen to rea-
son.
Bob, for reply, mounted his horse
and sat behind the mailbag.
Your life is in DANGER warned
the robber. Iintend to have those
letters, and life isn't worth much
to me. I'm in earnest; no fooling'
and he took deliberate aim at Bob
Lovic's breast.
Bob was unarmcd, and he loved
life dearly, but he was no coward
1t was useless to try to overcome
the robber. lie had only his fists
rather useless weapons under the
circumstances; but he Showed
fight and as the robbers anger
kindIed he fired. The aim was good.
The little ball of lead lodged in
Bob's coat, just where his heart
should have been, aud Bob stag
gered.
He was shocked rather than hurt,
and in that moment Of excitement
he remembered having heard that
it was often so in mortal injuries.
Probably he had receivedhis death
wound. and the robber would walk
off with the mailbag, where Bob,
we'll knew reposed the money which
energetic Dick Dorr had sent to
take his poor old mother from the
alms-hOuse, and other trusts were
in that leather bag-the humble
hopes and dreams OF those who
wrote the letters twined around
them.
The doctor and his infdel tract
had done Bob Lovic little good; but
he was honest and kindly yet.
I'll fight while have drop of
blood left he said to himself. and
help may come and the mailbag be
saved, even if die
He leaped from his horse and
sprang upon the highwayman with
such vigor that the man tumbled
from his saddle. Then Bob strug-
gled for the pistol, and gaining it,
knocked the rullian senseless with
the but end, and sat down on his
bosom to keep guard, expecting to
die every moment, but praying that
help might come before the robber
recovered consciousness.
About that time a party of young
men. who were out on a coon hunt,
came mp with haring torches, and
a score of dogs at their heels. They
all knew Bob well, and the most
jealous were for dispatching the
robber; but the voice of the ma
iority were for binding him and
carrying him to the city, to meet
his reward at the hands of justice,
and with this party Bob agreed.
He felt weak and his breast ach-.
ed, and he expected every moment
to feel the faintneSs Of death steal
ing over him; for there was the
round hole just over his heart, and
the bullet must be somewhere. y
few unpleasant misgivings, which
proved that his opinions of the tu-
ture were not so fixed as they
might have been, troubled him, and
he sighed little US the newcomers
questioned him.
TThe bullet went in here he said,
touching the hole. i don't feel any
pain, and must be bleeding inward
ly if at all, think
He unbuttoned his coat cautious
ly, and out dropped Annie Wesley's
Bible, with the bullet deeply i'm
bedded in its cover.
The tears came to Bob's eyes,
and the others stared, for he had
been in the habit Of boasting of
his infdel opinions and it was odd
enough that he should wear BIZ
bic next to his heart. But every
one was too glad to find him unhurt
to care for much else, and so they
gave three cheers, and started to-
ward the city with their prisoner.
Bob followed, leading his horse,
and keeping his eye on the mail
bag, and on the way he thought
what he thought may be OWNED
from the fact that six months after,
Annie Wesley found her lover by
her side at church, and heard from
his own lips that he had not half so
high an opinion Of his own smart
ness and that of his doctor friend
as formerly, and he believed she
was right after all.
And so they were married, and
for many years have been living
very contentedly in their little cot
tage on the outskirts of Madison.