The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-19

4 driven them llgEb over one OF the buried
bushes, which had thus caused the over
throws
IF Hugo's FIRST care was TO disehtangle
T Clara from her position; the next was to
feel for his revolver.
at is goneln he exclaimed in dismay,
/ drawing out his hand from the empty
I pocket 'sIt must have fahen out here,
I tt cannot be far of, 2 and together with
I the red nosed and obliging fellow passen-
! ger he proceeded to search the premises.
] But III vain The revolver was not to be
/ found, not in the snow. not in the sledge,
4 nor in the surrounding bushes.
/ You vilIainll now exclaimed Hugo,
addressing the squirting cpachnan. 81
+ DO believe this Is your doing You upset
us on purpose Where is my revolver"
s'Wail Wair' moaned the Hebrew, who
was sitting ON a tree stump rocking his
/ body TO and fro with an agonized express
sion. 'sCan the noble gentleman suspect
poor old Isaac of upsetting the sledge on
purpose, when he has nearly killed him-
+ self in wishing to serve the noble Pan and
the beautiful lady? Will Wall May l
never scent garlic again If my poor old
bones are not broken! and all for serving
the noble gentleman
Neither threats nor persuasion could ex-
tract anything further from the man, and
no amount of search produced the missing
revolver. With amoody brow Hugo at last
ordered the Jew to drive on, warning him
i severely against any repetition of the like
tricks.
It seemed, however. as il his suspicious
had been without foundation, as for up
ward of three hours they drove on without
further interruption. There was no more
clH
Hugo relaxed his vigilant attitude In
less than two hours they might hope TO
res n the town.
4 he forest had now become very dark,
for here the stems were of gigantic size,
and the afternoon was already well adj
yaneed. Nothing was there TO be seen on
either side but the pine stems retreating
in endless vista
Hugo had turned his head to gaze at the
: blood red. glory of the winter sun, show
ing at one point between the trunks,
when suddenly the sledge came again to
standstilI, but without overturning this
time. The driver began to descend from
his seat very slowly.
'sWhat is the rnatterg''
stGracious gentlemen, / think the left
horse has got stone in his hoofF'
''Not very likely, in this deep snow,"
objected lingo
ssThen perhaps it may be twig,"
Isaac admitted but lame he assuredly is.
May my only daughter never know hap
piness again if there is not something in
side the hoof. y
Make sharp about it, then"
But the Jew did not seem inclined to
make sharp. He moved as if cramped by
rheumatism in every limb, probably on
account of his late Inishap, and then feebly
set to work, alternately scraping and
hammering at the horses hoof, all the
! while loudly lanenting that he had
ruined good horse as well as breaking
his own bones in the service of the gentle
man.
If you do not drive on at once / shall
beat you to a Jelly, y at last roared Hugo,
losing all patience; so, trembling sorely,
the jew remounted the drivers seat. He
took another two minutes, however, TO
get fairly settled in his place, and was still
fumDling with the reins when the passen-
gers became aware that the sledge was
surrounded by half q dozen men, who had
silently emerged from behind the giant
!. stems.
WAL Waip' shsieked the jew, throw
ing down the reins. I'VE shall be MUIR
( dered and robbed. Wal, WAR;
Drive ON, in Gods namer' roared
Hugo with stentorian voice, but the luck
less coachman, apparently paralyzed by
terror, could do nothing but rock his body
and moan, "Wai! War;
Give us your money, good gentlemen,
and we shall do you no harm, - said the
3 foremost CT the band, advancing to the
( Side of the sledge, while two others had
+ planted themselves in front of the horses,
and two others were busying themselves
in cutting through the ropes by which
. Clarais Trunk was secured behind the
sledge. ''We are poor devils who are dy-
ing OF hunger aud have no other way Of
getting our Bread
Clara, trembling like an aspen leaf,
had now clttched hold Of Hugo's arm.
II am frightened, - she murmured into
his ear. Take care of me noW-and al
ways"
as'I will, y he answered, very low.
''Giye me your money, now repeated
the foremost robber, addressing himself
more particularly to Hugo, and putting
out his hand as though 10 assist him in
unbnttoning his eoa5
Hugo had grown rather pale, bnt did
not for moment lose his presence of
mind. Clara's little hand was still clasp
NY MS arm.
my fine fellows, he said, addressing
the robbers IN fluent Russian. 1--WE are in
your power, IL seems, and resistance
would be foolish. 1t is your good luck
and our bad luck which has brought us
here today. The only one among
us who has any money is this
young lady, aud she will give it to you
j am sure, il you will not modest her
further, and let US drive on quietly
Permit me, he said to Clara, gently dis
engaging his arm from her clinging grasp;
and to her stupefaction he now proceeded
to take the fur cap off her bend ''Here
is the cap; you will find the money sewed
into the lining You do not believe rnes''
as the robber shook his head suspiciously.
'Sec If | 90 not speak the truth, and he
ripped up portion of the lining, diselos-
ing the rainbow eoiored bank notes 10 the
amount Of 100 roubles.
The man now eagerly grasped the CAP,
and his companions bent over him ex-
aiming the booty; the two men holding
the horses relaxed their grasp 1or q mo
lnent, afraid OF coming too short in the
partage.
Hugo saw his opportunity, and quick
rs lightning he had swung himself on 10
the drivers seat, and snatched the rsins
from the moaning jew. One stroke Of
the whip had caused the horses to plunge
-t.Io u Il. ~