Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-08-18

'SS8S$sSSS ing at the outer door. But
V who could it be at this
time of night? She was quite alone
in the house and the house itself was
lonely enough, small Gotta ge stand
ing back from country road; not
near any other dwelling.
Then, further, the curate had been
called to sick man three miles of !;
he might not be home all night; and
the servant, old Molly, was gone to
see her sister in the village mile
away; but Molly had the key of the
back door, and SO had no need to
knock at the front door.
What made Nina cautious was the
fact that there was trouble at Mr..
Hinton's mills, at Copeland-some
four miles distant, and there might
be idle people about; otherwi she
was not fearful; girls accustomed to
country solitude are not so timid as
their town sisters.
Yet q girl of twenty. and a very
pretty girl, too, may well hesitate to
open the house door between ten and
eleven clock at night to a possible
ruffian.
1t vas wild night, too, with a
gale of wind blowing across the
moors-the sort of night burglars al
feet.
AS the girl paused, the knocking
came again. There was no mistake
about it this time. Then thought
flashed across her mind. I" How sill
ly of me! Of course it's poor Mol
ly; she has forgotten her key )" and
she quilted the parlor, and went out
into the hall, lighted with an oil
lamp.
She drew back the bolts-there
was no chain-and opened the door
hut recoiled a step, startled, even
frightened-for a tall, slight man,
wearing large felt hat, stepped
hastily across the threshold, closing
the door behind him.
But even as he did this, he pulled
off his hat, and Nina saw a dark
handsome face, and head covered
with crisp black curls.
" Forgive me- he said, speaking
quick and low the intonation was
refined. The man, Nina could see
now, was certainly gentleman"
am flying for my life."
" Flying for your life!" the girl
repeated. amazed. She felt no act
ual fear now, her unexpected visitor
was neither burglar nor madman,
and By his speech he was Lordon-
err.
" Yes; the men at the Hinton
mills are on strike-they have fired
the mills they broke into the house
where / lodged was one against a
hundred had TO fly. Some oil
them followed me, but stay-are you
alone ?"
" Yes, no matter for thatl" The
| girls brave spirit rose to the occa-
sion. The fugutive's looks, mein
and manner carried conviction; be
was speaking truth /; she would shell
ter him. az will help you,' she went
on rapidly. Tell me who you are
Why do the men hate your"
81 am Derck Warner, the new en-
gineer. | have opposed the mems
demands. They want me to dismiss
the foreman under me,and I refused.
But ] cannot remain if you are alone.
Impossible! L"
+" You must remain ~ the girl ex-
claimed, springing past him to the
door. "They won't look fo- you
here" She shot the bolts. "Thls
way" she said, then pointing TO the
open psrlor door. He followed he1
into the room. Eff / close the shut
ter" she said, "they will see no light
they will think the house is shut
up. Are they coming this way
How many are there?"
"A dozen, at least. They arc
pretty close on my track. Let
me I"
He stepped before her and barred
the shutters, drew the curtains across
the windows, then turned to Nina.
| She saw his face full and clearly
now in the bright lamplight--a fac,
full of intelligence, with brilliant
dark eyes and the look that wins in
stinctive faith from women.
Il Yaun0 LADY, ~ ho co;d cp;ot1v