The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-06-08
Selett STORY.
KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD.


said Will.
And drawn. said Harry.
'.Aad quar,ered, Tom added, raefully.
III will be a case OF riding 10 Tyburn,
doubtless said Dick.
Il can hear the gibbei chain elankiag.'
said Ned.
Nonsense cred Jack. iii you were
eaugh, ws coald explain everything.
"Explain sad get hanged for sn abdHe'
ton, gr5uled VIII. II don't see how that
would mend matters"
Do no. imagine. dear reader, that am
going 10 tell you iew story Of vulgar life
because have alaeady brpgga, Tom, Diek
and Harry upon the scene. The events tha,
| am aboat 10 uarrasc took place more than a
habdrca vears ago, whea ron ~e4ld hare
foand u bard master 70 get together sax
yoanz Fnnslemea. even oF the most exalted
lineage. withoai having Tom, Diek ana
Harry among them For sheso yoasg sellcws
had shs happiness 20 bc born 10 those times
which people are no~ apt 10 call the gosd
old days, perhaps becaass they know -
Rtsle aboai the says Of them, ~hsn parents
we're coaiens to give their childFca plsin,
honest Engissk names, asd did not SEEK -
show their knowledge u ancient history BY
choosing oallandisA eHes. Fer ny part, Il
bad hoy. woaId rather cal! him Dick thAn
sauiAuapalas. o. even HarIicaaass, bat thai
Is 4 matter al taste, ard moreover las aoshiag
10 Do 3ish riy story. Lest there should DC
any doabi that aF yoaGg geaslenea wefr
really very Ene fsilows 'sdeyd, it shall be
mentioned that they ali were beautiful t'e
wiss, very scFaFaIoasly powdered, and sar
mounted by three -eoruerei hats, cocked on
one side most ra1ishlyf that shsis coats and
wA;sseaa,s were Of satin, eariousiy laced and
eaabrosdeted, aal shat their silk stockings SET
Oh the most woaarrial calves eveF seen, unless
iudeed they vvFo padded. But shis aneFy
was hidden in temporary sciiPss under Aosg
riding coats " sou1bte haed cloth; for TIE
afternoon wAs cold aud frosty, and eaissns
Wind wns blowiag IN the boys faces, Those
faces. by the hy, were adornea With hii4e
rouad patches of black sticking plaster. This
was Tor eaat.silishmeal merely, and did 40,
betokea aay undue haste 10 shaving, Tor 70
F tell The truth. the ehias Of some Of The yoaag,
s.ers stood - ye, in no nesd Of that operation.
I These SIX yoang bucks wsre ssroliihg one
winter afternoon over She broad, bossder
covered, and ai that time almost desolase
heath that stretched faF away nosshward and
westward fsoa Taabriage Wells. The Toad
+ Rock vas not, ia those days, an object Of
wonder and interest," 50, II men wished 10 be
alone, they could easily find solitude upon tbs
+ common. even in more genial weather. The
fragment Of conversation THAI has been Fe-
corded sho~s plaluly enough that these youths
were discussing some desperate enterprise.
This mas explain shy they chose to walk
upon the wind swep, common rather than g
take their ease At the Families. So great was
their sense Of the euoTuaity OF the deed which
they we're plotting, shat, AS they went, 'hey
peercd cautiously roand every rock befors
they passed il, lest BY chance any stray loiterel
should ovrrhear them.
Before the nature OF the iniquity thSi wa
being haiched by these rosy faced boys can
be further disclosed, It will be necessary TO
enter into few preliminary explanations
The youth named Jack, who BY bis contempt
uoas CRY Of nonsense e. sought to silenc'
the still small voice Of conscience represented
for the time being by the haugmanl in tht
bosoms Of his eonfederates, was clearly tht
most abandoned villain Of the party; and b,
is therefore marked out, by very simple ans
natural process, as the hero of this story
We are going 10 have no second rate rascal
burdened with qualms and misgiyings, assur
you. Our villain shall defy the hangman an
all his works quite in the style that was pop
ular in the good old days. His full name wa
Jack verinder, and he was Templar, study
ing the law. Perhaps that accounted for hi
great contempt for the law sanctions. Whe
.. | say that he was studying the law, | dc
scribe his occupation in the terms used b
; Mrs. Veriuder, Jacks mother. The ide
called up in that good lady mind a vision {
her beloved Jacks pale face poring owe
musty tones at midnight, by the flicker of
? solitary candle, in his quiet chambers in th
!. Temple When she wrote to her darling SO
! she implored him not to injure his health
/ overwork; and Jack promised to obey th
parental command. Jack held that lawye
I should have a wide knowledge of huma
I nature. and be studied this subject very pa
ticularly-at balls, concerts, operas; in Il
y Mall, the chocolate houses, and at 9TH
places where men and women do most col
gregate Many a night when Mrs. Verinder
head had been long upon her pillow, and 81
was dreaming, perhaps, of her dear, studio1
boy, Master Jack would be rousing the sleel
porter at the Temple gates with a 5oistero
rat.tat of the heavy knocker, and, shall sa
staggering ?-bedwards shouting the nan
of some reigning toast at the top of his rath
husky voice. Pray forgive him, ladies, ia
was only twenty, and in those good old day
Ii he would have been set down as milks
i, if he had always gone to bed SOBER.
- But there came day when Jack no long
bawled out the name of the reigning toa