The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-12
RAvENNA, O.. WEDNESDAY, APRIL IL, 1893.

started without her, while she was
tying her fur hood over the tinfoil he'll
met.
"What! Gone alreadyp" said Miss
Prout, angrily. "Why didn't they
wait? What right had they to go off
without me?"
"Don't mind, Polly" said Nine. Mo-
rini, soothingly. Eight was all the
sleigh could carry, besides the driver.
Michael says his orders were to bring
the cutter for you."
"Ordersi" shrilly repeated Miss Pol
ly. "But whose orders? Does Kate
Kelsey manage this institution or do l
and youp Me crowd into a cutter,
indeed-with staring Irish lad like
Michael to drive! A pretty arrange
ment."
But in spite of her indignation Miss
Polly Prout was compelled finally to
aocede to the obnoxious plan.
"Drive quickly, Michael" she said
dark already, and I don't like these
woods that we have to go through.
Why on earth those girls couldn't have
waited"
But the jingle of the sleigh-bells and
|
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 lin
| gered in the open fields seemed turned
to the gloom of absolute night, tall,
white figure with black mask cover
ing his face, stepped forward and
seized the horses head, while partially
hidden by the dropping evergreen
boughs, little group of other figures
| fingered.
"Burglars!" shrieked Miss Polly
Prout, dropping Minerals gilded spear
| into the snow. "Assassins! Masked
robbers! Oh, kind gentlemen, spare,
spare my life, and all my jewelry is
| yours!"
And tearing her gold-plated brace
let's from her wrists she flung them
and her watch into the road.
"Arrah, the saints betune US and all
harrum" squeaked Mickey, the Irish
lad, as he covered down in the bottom
of the sleigh.
"Descend-and depart!" uttereds a
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"
Half an hour afterward the luckless
pair arrived, half frozen and worn out
with fatigue, at the Morini institute,
with grewsome tale of having been
arrested by masked robbers and having
only escaped by the most marvellous
good luck from being murdered out
right. The gardener and two men
from neighboring farmhouse were
at once detailed in pursuit of the rob-
bers, but when they reached the scene
of action, all that they found was old
Dobbin shivering by the roadside, with
the cutter 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. But
they took good 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 her.
self into heroine the next day as she
related her adventures.
"And so you weren't stoppedP" said
she to the girls. Not even molestedp
Well, well, how singular! 1 really
think if we hadn't made such brave
resistance I should have been carried
away by main force--a regular abduc-
ton, you know" And Miss Polly
simpered.
"How many ruffians were therep"
innocently questioned Kate Kelsey.
Fifty at least" said Miss Polly.
Great, coarse, bearded villains, with
their eyes covered by masks!"
"Dear, dear. how dreadful!" cried
Ida Cotton.
And the eight fair young conspirators
looked archly at each other as Miss
Polly hurried off to check the washer
woman's bill and cried, in laughing
chorus:
"What a very romantic adventure!
And what very narrow escape for
poor Miss Polly Prout!"- Boston Bud
get.