Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-28

position tended to fill both these riders
with the advisability of making the
most of bliss. To them the kiss was but
an ininitesimal instant 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.
sit is evident he said presently,
that this is no ordinary case. They
are lovers, but they are also more-thcy
are clipping. This complicates ma; Is.
1t makes our booty greater. but it in
creases the-h 'm-the difficulty. Yes.
am afraid tnis will be a-what Gil 'vo
say in the Quadrangle-a ilauvais quart
heure?'' >
''What'rc you driving Il: B;jly
glowered at his companion il evident
disgust at his high flown l..lrases.
My dear Billy, here ara t.J facts:
Two persons when they elope are pre-
s-paring for future. Hence the young
man lines his pockets before he starts.
He lines his pockets, however, both
from without and within. Realizing the
risk he is running, he puts pistols IL
his hip pockets as we'll as purse over
his breast.
81 reckon that's likely
''Thank you. Your acquiescencc,
Billy. soothes a spirit slightly ruffied ly
the prospect of discourtesy. for, to tell
the truth, fear we shall have to-h IN
silence these two first and inquire aft
erward. 1t would be SO Internally un-
pleasant, 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 a click as Billy sent the
hammer of his rifle to the full 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 bril-
lance They leaned together again and
joined lips in a long, delicious kiss.
And while they kissed two shots rang
out on the crystal air.
An 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 most infinitesimal
hour in midwinter as well as in mid
summer. As to her reasons for this sim
gular course there is nothing but con-
lecture 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, 1s9-, are facts
and have nothing to do with the realm
of conjecture.
When she arose, the wo1ld was still,
in spite of its coating OF snow, very
dark. There was light, to be sure, of
that curious, indefinite gray that dis
tinguishes the birth of day in winter
time. She was proceeding to the wood
shed to pick up the usual armful of
kindling wood for the kitchen stove
when suddenly she said, Land sakes!
what is that?'' and stood stock still 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 shonc like
angels of whiteness. That was the aw
full 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 near
eI the old woman, shivering now with
cold and fear, observed that one rider
was man, the other girl. They sat
motionless, rigid, as if carved of mar
BILE. They were covered with frost from
head to foot. They were white with the
hue Of cold. Their horses as they stepped
rhythmicalIy forward blew out mists of
steam that came back to them frozen
coatings of ice.
The old woman with an effort found
energy enough to wrench herself out Of
the strange. lethargic fascination she
had been in. She began to run us fast
as her old legs could carry her toward
the nearest house, about 100 yards away.
Presently the entire village was
aroused to the presence of this ghastly
phenomenon.
Needless of the terror they occasioned,
the horses stepped on with tired and
even gait.
And now it was observed that the
riders were linked together-that the
two were one-that here was some aw-
full unity of horror. Their arms were
intertwined, their faces touching. The
mans right hand held his horse's reins
and hunting crop, while his left was
about the girls waist. Her right was
about his shoulders, and her left held
the reins. Their shoulders touched. 1t
was as if they were hewn out of one
stone.
But there was no breath from their
nostrils. White as ghosts, still as eter-
nifty, they rode on into the heart of tie
village.
Numb with dread, no one dared ap
proach them. All knew their faces
well. No one spoke their names. Even
curiosity was stified in the greatness of
their terror.
With the resonant clamor of iron
shoes upon wood both horses ascended
the slight sloping entrance to the livery
barn. Reused by the sound, the llv-
eryman came out of his Office. He
looked in dazed establishment at these
colorless, silent, motionless riders. He
noticed what no one had yet seen-upon
the breast of each crimson stain, not
quite hidden by the coating of frost
Great God" he said, they stone
dead!''
The sun, shimmering through the
planks of a lumber Car, part of freight
train travelling through the farther west,
rested for an instant on the eyes of Lin
go Dan as he slept the sleep of the care
less. Its radiance woke him. He rubbed
his eyes, gave Billy a nudge with his
elbow and said: "Hello, Billy! Here we
are again!"
"Oh," grunted Billy viciously, "you
be d--dv'
81 admit it, Billy. l probably shall
be. What for? For gross incompetence
in Judging the idiocy OF man in love,
for, I leave it to any one, is it conceiv-
able that any one but lunatic would