Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-05-27
"One likes to observe all the niceties

perhaps some mature masquerader OF
the opposite sex might perceive in her
some greater attraction than the youth.
full roses and girlish graces nf the
eight graduating girls.
Stranger things have happened.
complacantly thought Miss Polly, as
she stitched away at the satin rosettes
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 off
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 staring Irish lad like
Michael to drive! A pretty arrange
ment!"
But in spite of her indignation. Miss
Polly Prout was compelled finally to
accede to the obnoxious plan.
'Drive quickly, Michael" she said
to her young Jehu, "for it's getting
dark already, and 1 don't at all like the
woods that we have to 60 through.
Why on earth those girls couldn't have
waited"
But the 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 absolute
night, tall, white figure, with black
mask covering its face, stepped forward
and 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
yours!' 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
harrum!" squeaked Mickey, the Irish
lad, as he covered down in the bottom
of the sleigh.
Descend and depart!' uttered
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
warming 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 hav-
ing only escaped by the most marvellous
good luck from being murdered out
right. The gardener and two men from
a 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 a
heroine the next day, as she related
her adventures.
And so you weren't stopped?" said
she to the girls. Not even molested?
Well, we'll, how very singular! I really
think if we hadn't made such brave
resistance should have been carried
away by main force-a regular alb
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 dreadfulr' cried
Ida Cotton.
And the eight fair young couspir-
ators looked archly at each other, as
Miss Polly Prout hurried off to ch eek
the washerwoman's bill, and cried, in
laughing chorus:
What very romantic adventure!
And what very narrow escape for
poor Miss Polly Proutr'
A servant girl puzzled Philadelphia
druggists clerk for moment by ask
ing for dozen Queen Ann pills.
Nearly 100 diffarant nocb;naa bauo