The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-05-15

| that perhaps some mature maSQuer-
ader of the opposite sex might perceive
in her some greater attraction than the
youthful roses and girlish graces of the
eight graduating girls.
stranger things have happened
complacently thought Miss Polly, as
she stitched away at the satin rosettes
which were to modernize her green
gown.
But in spite of all her precautions,
the first sleigh-load of laughing girls
started without her, while she was
tying her fur hood over the tin-foil
helmet.
What, gone already?" said Miss
Prout angrily. why didn't they waltz
What right had they to go off without
notifying meP"
Don't mind, Polly" said Madame
Morini soothingly. Eight was all the
sleigh could carry besides the driver.
Michael says his orders were to bring
the cutter for you"
"Orders!n shrilly repeated Miss Pol
ly. "But whose orders? Does Kate
Kelsey manage this institution, or do
I9-and you? Me crowd into cutter,
indeed-with a staring, Irish lad like
Michael to drive! A pretty arrange
mentW
But in spite of her Indignation, Miss
Polly Prout was compelled finally to
accede to the obnoxious plan.
Drive quickly, Michael, she said
to her young Jehu, 'for it's getting
dark already, and | don't at all like
the woods that we have to 90 through.
Why on earth those girls couldn't have
waited-'
But the jingle of the sleigh-bells, and
the sudden start of the horse, brought
Miss Prouts sentence TO an untimely
termination, and away they went over
the frozen road.
Not far, however Just within the
darksome limits of the cedar woods,
when the purple dusk that still linger-
ed in tine open fields seemed turned to
| the gloom of absolute night, tall
white figure, with black mask cover
ing its face, stepped forward and seized
the horses head, while, partially hid
den by the dropping evergreen boughs,
a little group of other figures fingered!
"Burglarsw shrieked Miss Polly
Prout, dropping Minerals gilded spear
into the snow "Assassins! Masked
robbers! Oh, kind gentlemen, spare,
spare my life, and ali my jewelry is
yours!'
And tearing her gold-plated bracelet
from her wrist she flung that and her
watch into the road.
"Arrah, the saints betune US and all
harrum," squeaked Mickey, the Irish
lad, as he covered down in the bottom
of the sleigh.
descend, and depart!' uttered a
deep voice. 'look behind you at your
peril!'
'Wh-where shall we go?' suffered
Mickey.
80 the place whence you came"
was the stern reply. and at the risk
of your lives, be speedy and secret"
As Miss Polly stumbled, more dead
than alive out of the cutter, she was
turned briskly round by the shoulders,
so that she was facing the winding
road by which they had come, while
Mickey found himself spinning round
and round, few steps farther on, like
teetotum.
Depart" once more uttered the
warning voice, and Miss Prout and
Mickey, clinging wildly together plod-
ded away in an agony of terror.
Half an hour atterWard the luckless
pair arrived, half frozen, and worn out
with fatigue, at the Morini Institute,
with a gruesome tale of having been
arrested by masked robbers, and hay
ing only escaped by the most marvel
Gus good luck from being murdered
outright.
The gardener and two neighboring
men were at once detailed in pursuit of
the robbers, but when they reached the
scene of action, all that they found was
old Dobbin shivering by the roadside,
with the cutter turned over on its side
where he had dragged it into the deep
snow.
The eight young ladies, however, en-
| joyed most delightful evening at
| Eyansdale, quite free from Miss Polly
Prout's malevolent supervision, and,
strange to say, expressed no sort of
surprise at her non-appearance on the
scene.
But they took care to leave behind
them, at Evansdale, eight black satin
masks, and eight white sheets, when
| they once more entered the double
| sleigh to return home.
Miss Polly Prout transformed herself
into heroine the next day, as she re-
| lated her adventures.
"And so you weren't stopped" said
she to the girls. Nor even molested!
Well, we'll how very singular! | really
think that if we hadn't made such a
brave resistance, | should have been
carried away by main torce-a regular
abduction, you know" and Miss Polly
simpered.
"How may ruflians were thereP' in
nocently questioned Kate Kelsey.
FIFTY at least!' said Miss Polly.
Great coarse, bearded villains, with
their eyes covered by masks!n
Dear, dear, how dreadful cried
Ida Cotton.
And the eight fair young conspira-
tors looked archly at each other, as
Miss Polly Prout hurried off to check
the washerwoman's bill, and cried, in
laughing chorus:
what very romantic adventureI
| And what a very narrow nspanp for