The Washington times., 1894-03-25

sent, leaving US HIS suauts duu MS Shoounb
irons. Benign providence! I feel it In my
veins. now tingling with the eXcitation SO
beautiful day has put me in, that there will
presently come some one whose necessity Is
not SO great rs ours. In the interests OF lib
erty and equality, we must relieve his person
of its valuables ere We release him. l trust
he will not resist. sincerely trust SO. But
if he does" He looked at Billy's employ
ment ''Is 1t clean?'
''Slick as grease" was BiQy's answer.
Benign Providencel''
1t was rs if in response to Lingo Dams de-
vout utterance that the eastern hilltop became
at this moment slightly clouded with fine
powdery mist Then the forms of two persons
on horseback appeared upon the slope; II was
evident that their ascent of the farther side
had been accomplished at n canter. Even at
that distance. so clear was the day, the breath
from the horses nostriis could be seen rising
about them like halo. At the first sight OF
them Lingo Dan. smiling unctuously, said:
"Ah, Billy, our prey approaches.
"One?"
'No; there are two of them They are rid
ing. One is a man; the other woman.
They are young. Judging by their present
lettering and the interest each exhibits in the
other, should say they were lovers"
''No good-they ain't!' Billy gave the rifle
a last vicious wipe and laid in upon shelf.
Haste, my boy. is dangerous indulgence.
L u L tliluh VIC dEC III RdihhsoAAy
good luck. Such slight observance OF the
ways of my kind as / have been able to take
taught me that in certain walks of life young
man never permits himself the company OF a
young lady without being sure he has money
in his pocket. Yonder young man Is OF that
walk in life. There are, you see, SO many
possibilities, so many contingencies, that to
provide ones self with money before provid-
ing ones self with companion is merely to
prove ones appreciation OF the world we live
In; this applies TO n ride Of an hour as well as
to marriage for life.
Billy was apparently used to such lengthy
PHILOSOPHERS. for he replied, as if unconscious
of the others wordy efforts: 'Say! How
about getting away?"
sEasy-ridiculously easy After obtaining
the reward of our exertions, We drift gently
down the slope to the railway, and presently,
boarding freight, turn our faces TO the
Golden West. l have observed ledge OF
rock, from which we can easily propel our
selves on to the moving cars while The train
is toiiing up the steep grade of the cut. We
will not be found-if we ever are until many
miles have been traversed; an alibi will be
complete"
But our tracks from here to the cut?"
''Billy, you are singularly slow. Do you
see that cloud on the horizon? Before night
it will snow; out footmarks will be utterly
wiped out"
Oily cOusluclcu u uoueut. 1ucu AiC Sdiu,
triumphantly:
''But the impressions will harden this sur
face; they'll get on to us if ever they sweep
away the new fall OF snow"
Lingo Dan shrugged his shoulders.
"Whence the inspiration of that remark
know not. think you must have been read
ing Conan Doyle. Well, you can be quite
this part OF the country. Dear mel
At this last exclamation Billy looked
curious. whats up?" he asked.
For an instant or two Lingo Dan made no
reply. He was looking intently ut the high
way on which the two riders We're approach
ing. In point OF fact. the occurrence that at
tracted his attention was singular enough.
As they rode slowly. side by side, down the
slope of the road that came to the shanty
from the east, the young mans left arm
slowly disengaged itself from the reins Of his
horse and passed behind the waist of his hu-
man companion; their bodies and their heads
came gently, carefully together; the girls
hand went up to her chin. detaching the veil
and relegating it to her forehead, and then her
arm encircled the young man; their faces met
in a kiss The horses heads hung down and
their feet ambled leisurely: tired after their
hill-climbing canter, they took this respite
thankfully enough. 1t was kiss that lasted
longer than do most kisses; the adventurous
circumstances and the perilous nature OF their
position tended to fill both these riders with
the advisability of making the most Of bliss;
to them the kiss was but an inflnitesimal in
slant of happiness; to any one not concerned
in it, its length would have seemed an
eternity. All these things the watcher in the
cottage observed.
1T is evident" he said. presently, "that
this is no ordinary case. They are lovers,
but they are also more; they are eloping.
This complieates matters. 1t makes our
booty greater. but it increases the-h'm-the
difficulty. Yes, 1 am afraid this will be "a
what did we say in the Quadrangle?-a
mauvais quart d'neure."
"What're YOU drivin' at?'' Billy glowered
at his companion in evident disgust at his
high-hown phrases.
MY dear Billy. here are the facts: Two per-
sons, when they elope, are preparing for a
future: hence the young man lines his pockets
before he starts. He lines his pockets. how
ever. both from without and within. Realiz-
ing the risk he Is running, he puts pistols in
his hip pockets. as well as a purse over his
breast"
Il reckon that's likely"
"Thank you Your acquiescence, Billy.
soothes a Spirit slightly ruffled by the prospect
of discourtesy. For. to tell the truth, fear
we shall have to-h'm-silence these two
first, and inquire afterward. 1t would be so
Internally unpleasant. you see. if he got the
drop on us. Understand, then, that we are
not to take risks. You, Billy, will sight for
the girl; I'll take the man."
There was click as Billy sent the hammer
of lis rifle to thefull cock. Lingo Dan
stretched out his long arm. picked up the
other weapon and rested the barrel carefully
on the window-sill.
The riders were quite close to the house,
and the love in the eyes Of each shone out
with sort of spiritual brilliance. They
leaned together again and joined lips In a
long. delicious kiss.
And while they kissed two shots rang out
on the crystal air.
And old woman living on the outskirts OF
Libertytown rejoices in the peculiar sobriquet
of Mrs. Early Worm. This is one can only
suppose, due to her habit of rising at a most
infinitesimal hour, in midwinter as well as in
midsummer. As to her reasons for this singu-
lar course there is nothing but conjecture
She is said to have driven her husband to an
early grave, and then, overcome by remorse,
to have sworn to seek none but an early grave
herself However that may be. the things
that Mrs. Early Worm saw on the morning of
the Goth of February. lS9-, are facts, and
have nothing TO do with the realm of conjec-
ture.
When she arose. the world was still. in
spite of its coating of snow, very dark. There
was light. to be sure, of that curious indefl-
mite gray that distinguishes the birth of a day
in the Winter time. She was proceeding to the
woodshed to pick up the usual armful of
kindling wood for the kitchen stove, when
suddenly shesaid. Land sakes, what Is that?''
and stood stockstill in the middle OF the yard
What she saw was this: Through the gray
dawn light that hung between the earth's
white coverlet and the nights flying wings of
sable there approached the apparition of two
horses and two riders. In the gray haze they
shone like angels of whiteness; that was the
awful part of it-they were all white! Against
the horizon, where night still held sway, their
forms were cut as clearly as in ivory. As they
came nearer the old woman. shivering now
with cold and fear. observed that one rider