The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-22


during which the crunching Of their feet
in the snow and the persistent bowling
Of the wind was all that broke the spell,
" that they put great deal Of response
bility on young women in this part Of
the world"
"A good deal Of it is forced upon them,
and a good deal they assume themselves"
said Eanice Barlow. composedly. u am
willing to admit that / have taken a
heavy responsibility on myself tonight p
~Ehg'
"And think, she added. turning her
calm gray eyes upon him with light As
steady as that of the ianterns "that you
know what il Is
The stranger looked surprised. Il
wonder he said to himself, III am all
alone upon this midhight road with
mad woman. Il begins to look unpleas-
antly like it."
Understand added Miss Barlow,
"that if / take you home to night and
shelter you, must have your promises
The deuce you must r cried the young
man, waxing more and more uneasy
-Oh, | say, now, this isn't fair :"
"Never to repeat the offencer'
Il won't, if / know myself"
"To turn over new leaf from this
time forward" she pursued, vigorously
The new career question again I'm
blessed if Snow what all this means"
gasped the solitary passenger, breathing
hard, as he breathed all as once the fly
ing shrouds of snow, the keen tooth of
the west wind, and the lperpIexing prob
lem put forth by the fair guide. For fair
she was, he could see as much as that for
himself.
"Enuivocation is entirely useless" said
Eunice, severely. You know perfectly
well what mean. l have given you
chance for freedom for what is still bet
ter, fame and character. See to it that
this chance does not pass unimproved"
Mad ,' muttered the stranger to him
self, very mad~ Entirely hopeless
case, should say. | wonder if there re-
ally was telegram, or if that is a part
of her brain disorder? wonder if Ia
better keep on with her, nobody knows
whittier, or cut and run for it, snow
storm and alp"
There Is no mitigating your ofiense,"
grsvely procee led Miss Barlow Mind,
| assert that at the very beginning. But,
as l said before, am willing to give you
one more chance"
"Very kind of you, I'm sure,p hope
lessly murmured the young man. "But
would it be considered intrusive if were
to ask what the offence is2"
"You have basely absconded with your
employers money" said Eunice, with
the freezing sternness of idealized jus
tice; ''in other words you are bank de-
faulter.p
mo, Pm not" stoutly asserted the
stranger. 81 beg pardon for contradict
ing you, but that is all mistake from
beginning to end will stand a great
deal, but l won't stand such names as
that"
"This is scarcely fair return for my
treatment of you" said Eunice, with
some contempt. Deceit added to crime
-"
'Oh, come, now, won't you give fell
low chance ?" uttered her companion.
AS the school books say, Strike, but
hear I've nobody's money but my own,
and not too much of that. don't know
anything about your banks nor their de
faulters. I've only been in your country
two weeks, and think it's the snowiest
climate going My name is Ernest Tin
SALON, and | was TO have been met at the
station by Colonel Copley, of the Four
Hundreta Cavalry"
Eunice Barlow gave little shrek of
amazeinent. "Sir Ernest Tinsallon I" she
cried. "The Englishman who was COM
ing out here to hunt buffalo, and
follow up the line of the Pine River But
you have alighted at the wrong station
you should have stopped at Pine Bar
racks, seven miles beyond here.
Il heard the conductor bawl out some
thing about pine of one sort or another"
said the young Briton. Il was dead
asleep, and didn't stop to discriminate,
and scrambled OFF So have made
mistake, have l But all the same, it's
awfully good of you to offer to conduct
me to place of Christian shelter"
And 1 have madea mistake, too" said
Eunice, with u gasp. Just before your
train came in there was message wired
TO Big Pine station-a message TO detain
bank robber who was said TO be on the
train. was all alone, but could have
locked him in the ticket Office perfectly
well. We western girls are prepared for
any emergency" she said, with some
pride. But was 50 sorry for you, you
looked so young and innocent; and
determined 70 give you one more chance
-"
"For a new career" interrupted the
stranger, with gust of laughter The
key TO the puzzle see it all now. Don't |
you know, was beginning to think you
must be lunatic. And how disagreea-
bly, near came to being locked up, after
all And the bank fellow, whoever he is,
seems to have got off scot free. Really, |
now, if ever man had a genuine guar
ding angel, you are one" he added, as /
Eunice led the way into pretty little /
sitting room, hung with the last of the |
Christmas evergreens, and all aglow with |
the red carpet and curtains, where fire |
of logs burned on the open hearth, and /
cozy meal was spread on the table.
Sir Ernest Tinsallon slept in the spare /
chamber that night, was called by star
light, and breakfasted at 6 O'Clock the !
next morning with the telegraph opera
tor and her mother. and afterward ac-
companied her to the Big Pine station, /
plunging through white masses of snow
drifts, and sliding, school-boy fashion, I
across the mirror-like surface of the fro
zen brooks. Mr.. Pettyclove was there
with his face tied up in a spotted silk /
handkerchief There were also several I
telepranls awaiting the hand of the op- I