The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-07-26
it iinsles like string o sleigh bellsi"

at work while she stood there her
resolution was taken.
Hurriedly tying n shawl around her
head and shoulders, she sprang out
of the house, by the back way, and
fastened through a lonely piece of
woods which formed n short cut 20
the road they must presently emerge
upon.
"They would be hidden away some
where long before l could summon
help" thought Kitty. "No-what-
ever is done must do myself"
On either side the road was shut in
by stunted cedar bushes, mingled
with the clever growth of the gleam-
ing silyer-birch, and Kitty knew she
could keep in sight OF them unseen.
"If they should see me- If they
should suspect my errand," thought
poor Kitty, with thrills of cold terror.
ooh. il would he hard to be murdered
in these solitary woods; 10 have my
master think l stole the gold, and Mr..
Silas--'
While the thoughts passed through
her mind, the ring of coming foot
steps echoed ON the hard, frozen
ground. Kitty's conjecture had proved
correct-they had taken the Hill
Road.
Onward, steadily onward, they
pushed, Kitty contriving to keep
nearly parallel with them, though she
had to fight her way through matted
vines and thorny bushes. Forum.
ately the wind had risen, and its
mournful, rustling sound throu yh the
tree-tops, hid the noise she unavoid.
ably made, else her detection would
have been little short of inevitable.
But with every preCaution the peril
was great. AS she stepped uncon.
sciously upon the fallen branch of n
decayed tree, it snapped beneath her
tread with n sharp, splintering sound !
The two men paused to listen, seemed
to consult together an instant, and
then turned quickly toward the very
copse in which she was hiding.
Poor Kitty! She sank noiselessly
down like n wounded bird, crouching
away in mortal terror. But, although
their footsteps almost touched the
fluttering ends of her brown shawl,
the gathering dusk stood her friend,
and they passed by, unconscious OF
her presence.
1t was several minutes before Kitty
dared to rise once more to her feet;
and then they were half way up
hillside, dotted with blackened
stumps, where charcoal burners
shanty, long unused. and ia ruiuous
condition, stood, with its oneunglazed
window seeming to survey the valley
Ike an eye.
Kitty saw them disapps ''''- % -
ut she saw them emers
ono -m rn,niDss s-;s,.iad .,,iX o.l any.
once more into the road. Ne\f"
And when they passed the c6, Called
watcher, the muillel, jingling N )und
that had heretofore accompanied their
footsteps was gone.
you're a fool, Billl" sulienly ex-
claimed one, as they stopped to rest
on the edge of the road, aud the taller
stopped to drink from clear little
stream, using the hollow OF his hand
as an impromptu goblet.
"No, | amt fool" said Bill, dash.
ing the bright drops away from his
mustache; "but don't see no use in
running unnecessary risks. Suppose
we should meet some one. p
"We shan't!" !"
"I'm none so sure of that Anyway,
it's best to be on the safe side, and
tomorrow night"
Their voices lowered little now,
died away into the distance, and Kitty,
standing alone in the woods, tried to
collect her scattered thoughts into
some definite point of action.
"Shall still follow them? or shall
l 60 MP and see il they have not hid
den their booty in that hut?"
For own moment she hesitated, then
she began to creep up the hillside
with weary feet and tagging limbs,
for fatigue and terror were beginning
to tell upon her slender frame.
Ii was nearly dark when she crossed
the moldcrinS threshold and stood in
the solitary cabin. Through the
started timbers of the roof the steel.
gray sky cleaned with unnatural light,
while the half-iecNyed boards of tho
iloor creakel and gave beneath her
weight 4 tluttoring noise in one
corner made her heart turn chill, and
the next instant she perceived it was
bur "A dusky.winoel bat. heating itself
against the beams and rafters.
She stole tremulously forward to
look into the black, yawning chasm of
the mud chimney, the only place, as
it seemed to her, where anything as
large AS the doctors canvas bag could
be concealed. And as she picked her
way board sprung beneath her feet
IA board which had been loosely laid
across two beams without any secur-
ing nail, Instinctively she stopped
and there before her, wedg.d in be.