The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-03-17
VOL. XIV. RISING SUN, CECIL COUNTY. MD, FRIDAY

i
| which were to modernize her green
gown. But in spite of all her precau.
tions, the first sleigh load of laughing
girls started without her, while she was
tying her fur hood over the tinfoil he'll
met.
What! gone already?' said Miss
Prout, angrily. why didn't they
wait? What right had they to go of
without notifying me?'
Don't mind, Polly" said Nine.
Morini, soothingly. Eight was all
the sleigh could carry besides the
driver. Michael says his orders were
to bring the cutter for you"
"Orders!'' shrilly repeated Miss Polly.
"But whose orders? Does Kate Kes.
ley manage this institution, or do l.
and you? Me crowd into cutter, in
deed-with a staring Irish lad like
Michael to drive! A pretty arrange
mentw
But in.spite of her indignation. Mise
Polly Prout was compelled finally to
accede to the obnoxious plan.
''Drive quickly, Michael" she said
20 her young Jehu, ''for it's getting
dark already, and don't at all like the
woods that we have to go through.
Why on earth those girls couldn't have
| waited"
But te jingle of the sleigh bells and
the sudden start Of the horse brought
Miss Prout's sentence to an untimely
termination, and away they went over
the frozen road. Not far, however.
just within the darksome limits of the
cedar woods. where the purple dusk
that still fingered in the open fields
seemed turned to the gloom of absolut.
night, tall, white figure. with black
mask covering its face, stepped forward
ind seized the horses head, while, par
TALLY hidden by the dropping ever.
green boughs, a little group of other
figures fingered.
"Burglars!' shrieked Miss Polly
Prout dropping Minerva's gilded spear
in the snow. "Assassins! Masked rob.
bers! Oh, kind gentlemen, spare.
spare my life, and all my jewelry is
yoursI and tearing her gold plated
bracelets from her wrists, she flung
them and her watch into the road
"Arrah. the saints betune us and all
Larrum! squeakel Mickey, the Irish
| lad, as he covered down in the bottom!
of the sleigh.
Descend and depart!' uttered q
deep voice. Look behind at your
peril.
"Wh-where shall we go?" suffered
Mickey.
"To the place whence you came, >"
was the stern reply. And at the risk
Of your lives be speedy and secret!'
AS Miss Polly stumbled, more dead
than alive, out of the cutter. she was
turned briskly around by the shoul-
ders, so that she was facing the wind.
ing road by which they had come,
while Mickey found himself spinning
around and around, few steps further
on, like teetotum.
"Depart! once more uttered the
warning voice. and Miss Prout and
Mickey. clinging wildly to each other,
plodded away in an agony of terror
Half an hour afterward the luckless
pair arrived, half frozen and worn out
with fatigue, at the Morini Institute,
with gruesome tale of having been
arrested by masked robbers, and hay
\ ing only escaped by the most marvellous
good luck from being murdered out
right. The gardener and two men from
neighboring farm house were at once
detailed in pursuit of the robbers, but
when they reached the scene of action,
all that they found was old Dobbin
shivering by the roadside, with the cut
ter turned over on its side where he had
dragged it into deep snow.
The eight young ladies, however,
enjoyed most delightful evening at
Evansdale, quite free from Miss Polly
Prout's malevolent supervision, and,
strange to say, expressed no sort of
surprise at her non appearance on the
scene. But they took care to leave
behind them at Evansdale eight black
satin masks and eight white sheets,
when they once more entered the
double sleigh to return home. Miss
Polly Prout transformed herself into o
heroine the next day, as she related
her adventures
And so you weren't stopped?" said
IohO w bAiO EAAAo. NOt even nlOI6StGu!
Well, we'll, how very singular! 1 really
think if we hadn't made such brave
resistance should have been carried
away by main force-a regular ub-
duction. you know" and Miss Polly
simpered.
How many rufians were there?" in
nocently questioned Kate Kelsey.
Fifty at least!'' said Miss Polly.
Great, coarse, bearded villains, with
their eyes covered by masks!''
Dear, dear, how dreadfulI cried
Ida Cotton.
And the eight fair young couspir.
ators looked archly at each other, as
Miss Polly Prout hurried off to check
The washerwoman's bill, and cried. in
laughing chorus:
What very romantic adventures
And what a very narrow escape TO,
poor Miss Polly Prout!'
Effects of Alcohol.
Alcohol is one of the strange sub
Nuhioh 1,o,