Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-12-24

Then he broke from her, and started
tor the top Of the house Throuth d
Wintow in the SIoping roof tle could ip'k
far across thu hari,nr; and To-! there, by
the light of a full and cloudIesS mooG, he
saw upon this most unld'kr Cnrl+fnaS
Eye, the French trigate Terrlpie stand
ing ut at sea, Ike Il gigantic hird, "lth
all her sails e~preai, and Il taIoring ale
speeding her ON.
Z r
On the morniug Of December 24.il
Gabriel Cabot left Boston to travel L
Portsmouth, and there TO take hllDselt
wife. He started from his ~pretentIhr7
dwelling house at the foot OF beacon
Hill, attended b. his servant. Ja:o'
Ham, who was also to A t as his gcide.
Master and man were mounted on strong
horses. Cabot carried q brace OF loaded
pistols in his holsters, and the Dig saddle.
bagS Of tine servant were vel stocked
with the various requirements II me
journey.
A. the fine colonial gentleman left
Boston behind him, he drew a miniature
of $alome Cabot from his tur-llned tray
eliug cloak. and looked at il critically.
''H1mph"' he m%uttered, "her eye
DIbA-1 are certainly tOp ilEh; aih nv
moulding Of her chin seems a shade
heavy !"
\ Journey from Boston to Portsmouth
vas no trjfling affair in those old days.
The wav ltl through Struggling towns
and lonely himlet-, aud miles ot howl
| lng wilderness. 4 heavy thaw had set
! in the roads were frishtful-Speed was
impossible. All around the travellers
| stretched the December landscape, bleak
and Gismai as death.
GlhrietClbot could baguile the tedium
of his Journey only by looking at Sa'
lomc's picture, an !, II tell the truth, Of
this pastime he soon wearled.
Did he love his cousin =? No. The tive
We're almost strangers, bat he had con
sented to the Judges matchmaking, and
! pledged his word to become Silome'S
! husband on the morrow. Being an
! aon ,rabte fellow, he meant TO present
himself TO his fair betrothed by night
fall of this day.
Man proposes and God iisposes. 4
q wavside inn Gabriel Cabot timed or
salt fish and potatoes arenched in pori
fat-tha only fare O~btain1ble ~ the
place. Here master ard man changed
their mud-splashed and eXhausts'
horses for fresh animals. rhe Guagmi t
roads still compelled the travellers II
proceed at a moderate tate.
BY r,y soul = chafai Gabriel Cabot
sat this rate, Jacob Han. We shall no
see Portsmouth before midnight"
True" assented thrifty Jacob, "bu
please the Lord, we'll go iown town sir
The short Winter day began tn Iwin
die. As night approached, the ten pcra
ture fell and the ground stiffpnet. Thu
two hOrsemen had now reached IA grea
stretch of forest, where the way wa
little better than q bridal path. In de,
iance Of the thaw, urits of snow still
cleaned white here nd there IN TIL
underground. Dawn went the sun be
hind tie sranty tree bples, and darkness
gathered qIlckly.
"WoiI, IT, the full of the moon, sir,
said Jtr,b fEan-"a good time f.
travel"
"Hiri" exclaimed Cabot, suddenly
" that i that noise in the woods-tD'
bark Of a fox q"
Jacob Ham turned in his saddle Il
listen An ominous change appeared 81
his wealth r-beaten face. From tn,
depths of the pines nearby arose q howl
which was answered by another and al
other in the duSky distance.
Something worse than a fox. sir,
answered Jacob Ham cts wolves Bet
ter use the spur, and take care you don
dash your brains out agIn these trees
sill"
The spur was used, aud II NE too Soor
On the fallen pine-needles at his back
Cabot heard a Quick palter- patter-th
pack was gathering for pursuit. In tn
deep twilight he couln discern thei
gaunt gray bodies :ating, crowding, I'm
dulating through the trees.
ave must ride for sur lives, sir !.
shouted Jacob, and off they went at
tearing eailop along the obscure path
the hungry wolves yelping after.
1t was a Wild race, and the grav paCI
had the best of it. rhelrred ewes shon
ike i've Goals in the darkdess. thei
s-.-riS grew ever louder and nearer.
"Pn blessed il thew amt bound t
PICK our bones !" cried Jacob Ham.
Gabnel Cabot drew the loaded pistol
from his holsters, took careful aim an
fred
The long gaunt leader of the pack fe1
in a quivering heap another and an
other of his fellows bit the dust, but O
| the survivors came again. more furiou
than ever, their greedy jaws reddene,
now by the blood Of their fallen CON
rades.
So the two men went flying throug
the wood, loading and firing rapidly, an,
the wolves, seemingly nndiminishe :. il
spite of their losses, swept after-reslst
less and terriblel Here and there tn
ghustiy finger of a moonbeam pointe'
out the way. The cold was CROWN
intense. Presently, in mis- mad fright
Gabriel Cabot heard tho click of iron o.
the frozen ground.
MY horse has cast a shoe" he said
jacob Ham.
"Lord have mercy - answered jacob
IF he goes lame now, we're lostw
They plunged on with renewed speed
BE ready to swing yourself int tn
nearest tree, Jacob, when the gray devi
get too close" SAID Cabot. eve ca
roost in the pines, like crows, till morn
ing
but Jacob had already espied a sig
! Of delivsrancs in the distance.