Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-07

notebook back to his pocket. but it fell
I from his shaking fingers. and MOnck-
/ ton took it up, and quietly tore the leaf
| out, and took il across t. Burnley. in
spite Of fet gie gesture the struggling
I wretch mace TO detain HIM He rave
Ben the paper; and whispered, BE of,
before he changes his mind"
You'll hear OF an accident in
! the mine before the days over" said
Burnley; and he went off without a
/ grain of remorse under the double
! stimulus of revenge and lucre.
He'll do it, cried Monckton tri-
i umphantly, "and Hope viii end his days
in the Barley mine"
These words were hardly out Of his
! lips when Grace Hope walked out of
! the house. pale. and with her ewes
| cleaning, and walkedrapidly past them.
| She had nothing on her head but awhile
| handkerchief that was tied under her
| chin. Her appearance and her manner
| struck the cOnSplratOrS with terror.
| BARLEY stood aghast, but the more resO-
/ lutte villain seized her as she passed him.
| She was not bit frightened at that,
! but utterly amazed. 1t was public
road.
"How dare you touch me you villainl"
she cried. Let me go. All, [ shall
! know you again, with your face like a
corpse and your villainous eyes. Let
! me go, or I'll have you hung"
| Where are you gOing?" said Barley,
| trembling.
'To my father"
'He is not your father; it is a con-
spiracy. You must come home with
me-"
"Never!" cried Grace, and by sud
den and violent effort she flung Monck-
ton off.
But BARLEY, mad with terror, seized
| her that moment, and gave MOncktOn
! time to recover and seize her again by
the arm.
you are not of age" cried Barley;
| you are under my authority, and you
| shall come home with me-"
mo. mol" cried Grace. Help! help!
murder! help!"
She screamed and struggled so VIC
| lently that with all their efforts thev
could hardly hold her. Then the devil
MOncktOn began to cry louder STILL
Shes mad, she's mad; help! to secure
a mad woman" This terrified Grace
Hope. She had read of the villainies
| that had been done under cover Of that
| accusation, which, indeed, has too often
prevented honest men from interfering
! with deeds Of laWless violence. But she
had all her wits about her, Woman7s
wit included. She let them drag her
past the cottage door. Then she cried
| out with delight, "Ah! here is my faith
En-" They followed the direction of her
eye, and relaxed their grasp. Instantly
she drew her hands vigorously down
ward, got clear of them, gave them
each a furious push that sent them fiv-
ing forward, then darted back through
the open door, closed it, and bolted it
inside just as MOncktOn, recovering
himself, quickly dashed furiously
against tin vain.
The quick-Witted villain saw the press
ing danger in moment. "To the back
door, or we are lost!" he yelled. Bart
ley dashed round to that door with a
Cry of dismay.
But Grace was before him Just half a
minute. She ran through the house.
Alasl the internal door was secure.
The woman had locked it when she
went out. Grace came flying back to
the front, and drew the bolt softly. But
as she did so she heard a hammering,
and found the door was fast. Unlucki-
ly Hopes tool basket was ON the win
| dOW-ledge, and MOncktOn drove aheavy
nail Obliquely through the bottom Of
the door, and 1t was immOvable. Then
Grace slipped with cat-like step to the
window, and had her hand on the sill to
vault clean out into the road; she was
perfectly capable, it being one of her
calisthenic exercises. But here again
her watchful enemy encountered her.
tie raised his hammer as if to strike
her hand-though perhaps he might not
| have gone that length-but she was
woman, and drew back at that cruel
gesture. Instantly he closed the out
side shutters; he didn't trouble about
the window, but these outside shutters
he proceeded to nail up; and, as the trap
was now complete, he took his time,
and by anatural reactiOnf from his fears,
he permitted himself to eXult little
thank you, Mr.. Hope, for the use
Of your tools" (Rat-tat.) There, my
did you really think" (rat-tat) "two
men" (rat-tat-tat) were to be beaten by
one WOman?"
The prisoner thus secured, he drew
aside with Unsuitable pride to admire
bis work This action enabled him to
see the side of the cottage he had Sc
cured SO cleverly in front and behind,
and there was Grace Hope coming down
from her bedroom window. She had
tied two crimson curtains together by
a useful knot, which is called at sea a
fisherman's bend; fastened one end to
the bed or something, and she was COM
ing down this eXtempOriZed rope hand
over hand alternately with as much ease
and grace as if she was walking down
marble steps. Monckton flung his arm
and body wildly over the paling, and
grabbed her tinger-ends. She gave a
spang with her heels against the wall,
and took q bold leap away from him in
to tulip bed ten feet distant at least.
He yelled to BARLEY, ITO the garden"
and not losing a moment, flung his leg
over the paling to catch her with Bart
ley's help in this new trap. Grace dash
ed off without moments hesitation at
| the quickest hedge. She didnot run up
to it and hesitate, like a woman, for it
was not to be Wriggled through; she
went at it with the momentum and i'm
petuS of a race-horse, and through it as
if it was made of blOtting- paper, leav-
ing wonderfully small hole, but some
shreds of her dress, and across the
meadow at pace that neither BARLEY
nor MOnckton, men past their prime,
| could hope to rival even if she had not
got the start. They gaZed aghast at one
another; at the premises so suddenly
emptied as if by magic; at the crimson
curtain floating like banner, and glow
ing beautifully amongst the green creep
ers: and at that flying figure, with her
hair that glittered IL the sun, and
streamed horizontal in the wind with
her velocity: flying to the mine to save
William Hope, and give these bafled
! cOnSpiratOrS a life of penal Servitude.
CHAPTER Xxx.
CALAMITY.
The baffied cOnSpiratOrS saw Grace
o.c&.l nd