Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-12-20
OVER THU BORDER.
By WALTER BEsANT.

He asked for no more ciouts, bat kept
at respectful distance
There were half a dozen ponies, all
loaded in readiness for the road. Mathew.
Dan. and the boy they called Cuddy, vera
to conduct the expedition. the two latter
on foot, the first on pony back. There
was also pony with saddle, designed,
suppose, for me.
Now, Drusilla, said Mathew, "get up:
there is a long journey before us and no
time to spare. Observation-Disclosures,
whether we meet friend or stranger
Silence. | say, Or He shook pistol
in her face.
She drew the hood moro closely down.
and pretended to shrink In alarm. Then,
without any more resistance. she climbed
into the saddle, and took the reins from
Mathews hands
That's good beginning" he said.
May DO you have come to your senses and
know what Is best for yourself. And
bark ye, my lass. if you behave pretty.
well send Barbara to the devil. If you
don't you shall have mistress at the
mill as well as a master. Think upon
that, now"
Then the procession started. First
Cuddy; then the ponies, two by two, who
followed the boy as the sheep follow their
shepherd; lastly, Mathew, upon his pony;
Nan upon hers; and on the other side of
her Dan Gedgc, still wondering at the un-
expected strength displayed in those
kicks and that clout.
In addition to tho advantages already
spoken Of possessed by Warkworth for
the convenience of a run, should be mem
toned the happy circumstance that it lies
close to the wild lands, the waste moors
and hills which occupy so large part of
Northumberland. These moors are crossed
by bride paths, it is true, but they are
mere tracks, not to be distinguished from
sheep runs, except by the people who use
them, and these are few indeed. If you
lose the track, even in broad daylight,
you run the risk of deep quagmires, besides
that of wandering about with nothing to
guide the inexperienced eye, and perhaps
perishing miserably among the wild and
awful hills AS for the boy Cuddy, he
possessed gift which is sometimes
granted even to blind men, of always
knowing where he was and of keeping in
the right path. 1t is with some an IN
stinct. He was invaluable ON these win
ter runs, because, however dark the night.
whether the moors were covered with
thick fog or impenetrable blackness, or
even IL they were three feet deep In snow.
he never failed to find his way direct to
the point whittier they desired to go. In
general, however. the widest road, though
the shortest, was avoided, and the ponies
were driven through the country which
lies north, or northeast. of the Cheviots.
But on this occasion. so great was Mathews
desire to insure the safety of a run in
which his ponies carried something more
precious even than lace or rum, that he
resolved upon trying the more difficult
way across Chill moor, south of Cheviot.
Even on a summer day the way across
this moor is difficult to find. On a winters
night 1t would seem impossible. Yet
Cuddy declared that he could find it blind
fold. They were to cross the Border by
way of Windgate fell and to carry their
stuff to the little village of Yetholm, ON
the Scottish side.
1t was past midnight, and they had been
in the saddle for five hours and more.
when they reached the place, close to the
village of Amman, where they were to
leave the guidance of the winding burn
and trust themselves to the knowledge of
the boy upon the painless moors Here,
under the shelter of Kinney, Mathew
called halt. Dan produced lantern
and finder box. and presently got
light. Then he found some provisions in
one of the packs, and they ate and drank.
s@"You are so far from your friends now"
said Mathew to his prisoner, that you can
talk and scream and do exactly what you
please, except run away. Now you guess
what ! am going to do. Once over the
Scottish border you will be my wife by
Scottish law. If call you wife. So that
now. You know, you had better make up
your mind and be cheerful"
She made no reply.
well, then, have you got nothing to
sayf'
She had nothing.
''Sulk. then. he said roughly. "Fall
sullking till you are tired. You may think,
II you please, what your young devil of
sweetheart will say when he finds the nest
empty Alive and prospecting, is he?"
He proceeded to express his earnest
hopo that the boy would shortly be be-
yond the reach of hope. This done, he
informed Nan that tho worst part of her
journey had yet to be accomplished, and
that she had better take some meat and
drink, unless she wished to fall off her
saddle with fatigue, In which case Dan
would have to carry her. She accepted
without speaking. and. under cover of her
hood. made an excellent supper. being. in
fact. already pretty well exhausted with
fatigue and hunger When she had fin
ished, Mathew offered her bottle which
contained brandy. He was amazed to
find when she returned 1t to him that she
had taken at one draught about half a
pint of the spirit, so that he looked to see
her reel and fall off the pony That she
did not do so he attributed to the effect
of the cold night air and the long ride,
being unsuspicious how strong and sea-
soned q head was hidden beneath that
hood
Supper finished. Mathew examined the
boy concerning the road He would tell
nothing at all about it. yet he said he
knew where to find it and how to follow
1t. and, in short undertook to guide the
party without danger by as short a way
as could be found across the moor. He
was certain that he could do this. but he
would not explain how he knew the way
nor In what direction it wound among the
hills. In fact. how was the boy to de-
scribe road who knew not north from
south. or east from west. nor had any but
the most simple English at his command
in which to speak of valley or hill, ascent
or DESCENT
The moor over which they crossed that
dark night in as perfect safety as if o
broad highway had been laid down FOR
hem. and was lit with oil lanterns Ike
'ome of the streets Of London, is the
widest, suppose, In all England
The boy as before. led the way. walk
ing without hesitation. though the night
was so dark What he saw to indicate
the road no one could tell Nan. for her
own part. could see nothing at al before
her for the pitchy darkness of the night
and the continual patterinr Of the rain