The herald., 1894-04-08


were approaching. In point Of fact, the
occurrence that attracted. his attention
wassingular enough. As'they rode slow
ly 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 human companion. Their bodies
and their heads came gently, carefully
together. The girls hand went up to
her chin, detaching the veil and relegat-
ing it to her forehead, and then her arm
encircled the young man. Their faces
met in kiss. The horses heads hung
down, and their feet ambled leisurely.
Tired after their hill climbing canUer,
they took this respite thankfully enough.
It was kiss that lasted longer than do
most kisses. The adventurous circum-
stances and the perilous nature of their
position tended to fill both these riders
with the advisability of making tho
most of bliss. To them the kiss was but
an infinitesimal 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. IL
1T is evident" he said presently,
"that this is no ordinary case. They
are lovers, but they are also more--they
are clipping. This complicates matters.
1t makes our booty greater, but it in
creases 'm-the difficulty. Yes,
l am afraid this will be a-.what did we
say in the QuadranGle--a mauvais quart
d'heure?''
"What're you driving at?' Billy
glowered at his companion in evident
disgust at his high flown phrases.
my dear Billy, here are the facts:
Two persons when they elope are pre-
pairing for a 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 in
his h.. , pockets as well as purse over
his breast J."
II reckon that's likely"
"Thank you. Your acquiescence,
Billy. soothes a spirit slightly ruff1ed by
the prospect Of discourtesy, for, to tell
the truth, fear we shall have to--h'm
silence these two first and inquire aft
erward. 1t would be SO Internally un-
pleasant, you sec, if he got tho drop on
US. Understand, then, that we are not
to take risks, You,. Billy, will sight
for the girl. 'lltakel the man.
There was click as, Billy sent the
hammer of his rifle to the full cock.
Lingo Dan stretched oct his long arm,
picked up the other weapon and rested
the barrel carefully on the window sill.
The riders we're quite close to the
house, and the love in tho eyes of each
shone out with a sort of spiritual bril-
lance They leaned together again and
joined lips in q long, delicious kiss.
And while they kissed two shots rang
out on the crystal air.
An old woman living on tho outskirts
of Libertytown rejoices in the peculiar
sobriquet of Mrs. EARLY Worm. This
is, ono can only suppose, due to her
habit of rising at a most infinitesimal
hour in n1idwinter as we'll as in mid
summer. AS to her reasons for this sins
gular course theresis nothing but con4n
lecture. She is said to dave driven her
husband 20 an early grave, and then,
overcome by remorse, to have sworn to
seek none bat an early grave herself
However that may be, the things that
Mrs. Early Worm sawion the morning
of the Goth of February, 1s9-, are facts
and have nothing to'do with the realm
of conjecture. at'
When she arose, the world was atill,
in spite of its coating of snow, very
dark. There was light, to be sure, of
that curious, indefiniteogray that dis
the birth ofia dayin 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 sales!
what is that?' and stood stock still in
the middle of the yard.
WhaS she saw was this; Through the
gray dawn light that hung between the
earth h'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 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
sT the old woman, shiyering now with
cold and fear, observed that one rider
was man, the other girl. They sat
rigid, as if carved of mar
BILE. They We're covered with frost from
head to foot. They were white with the
lue of cold. Their horses as they stepped
forward blew out mists of
steam that came back to them frozen
;oatings of ice.
The old woman with an effort found
,nergy enough to wrench herself out of
he strange, lethargic fascination she
lad been in. She began to run as fast
is her old legs could carry her toward
he nearest house, about 100 yards away.
Presently the entire village was
aroused to the presence of this ghastly
Needless of the terror they occasioned,
The horses stepped on with tired and
syen gait.
And now it was observed that the
riders were linked together the
two were one-that here was some aw-
ful unity of horror. Their arms were
intertwined, their faces touching. The |
mans right hand held his horse's reins
and u hunting crop, while his left was
about the girls waist. Her right was
about his shoulders, and her left held |