The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-05-04

| from the looks OF the crib, there might be
old silver or somt such grabbings."
And they lounged out side by side, with
ling to the trembling girl who lurked in
the shadow Of the jagged brick work.
But Kitty Clitrords mind had been at
work while she stood there; her resolution
was taken.
Hurriedly tying a 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 a short cut to the road they must
presently emerge upon.
"rhey would be hidden away somewhere
long before could summon help, " thought
Kitty. "No-whatever is done must do
myself"
On either side the road was shut in by
stunted cedar bushes mingled with the
clever growth of the -silver-birch, and
Kitty knew she could keep in sight of
them unseen.
'If they should see me! If they should
suspect my Grand" thought poor Kitty,
with thrills of cold terror. sob, it would
be hard to he murdered in these solitary
woods; to have my master think | stole the
gold, and Mr. Silas--"
While the thoughts passed through her
mind, the ring of coming footsteps echoed
on the hand, frozen ground. Kitty's con-
lecture had proved correct they had taken
the Hill Road.
Onward, steadily onward, they pushed,
continuing to keep parallel with them,
though she had to fight her way through
matted vines and thorny pushed. For
tunately the wind had risen, and its mourn
full, rustling sound through the tree-tops,
hid the noise she unavoidably made else
her detection would have been little short
of inevitable.
But with every precaution the peril was
great. As she stepped unconsciously upon
the fallen branch of decayed Tree, it
snapped beneath her tread with 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 wounded Bird crouching away in
mortal terror. But, although, their foot
steps almost touched the tluttering lends of
her brown shawl, the gathering dusk stood
her friend, and they passed by, unconscious
Ct her presence.
1t was several minutes before Kitty
dared to rise once more to her feet; and
then they were half way up a hill side,
dotted with blackened stumps, where a
charcoal burners shanty, long unused, and
in Iuinous condition, stood, with its one
unglazed window seeming to survey the
valley like an eye.
Kitty saw them disappear into this hut
she saw them emerge once more, descend
ing the uneven slope with long, running
strides and striking once more into the
road.
And when they passed the concealed
watcher the mutlled, jingling sound that
had heretofore accompanied their footsteps
was gone.
"You're fool, Billn' sulleny exclaimed
one, as they stopped to rest on the edge of
the road, and the taller stopped to drink
from clear little streum using the hollow
of his hand as an impromptu goblet.
''No, | ain t fool" said Bill, dashing
the bright dropsaway from his moustache;
'but | don't see no use in running unnec-
essary risks" Pm not so sure of that
Pm not so sure of that. Anyway, it's
best to be on the safe side, and to morrow
night
Their voices lowered little now. died
away into the distance, and Kitty, stand
alone in the woods, tried to collect her
scattered thoughts into some definite point
of action.
''Shall | still follow them? Or shall |
90 up and see if they have not hidden their
booty in that hut?'
For one moment she hesitated, then she
began to creep up the hillside with weary
feet and tagging limbs for fatigue and ter
ror were beginning to tell upon her slender
frame.
1t was nearly dark when she crossed the
moldering threshold and stood in the soli-
tary cabin. Through the started timbers
of the roof the steel-gray sky cleaned with
unnatural light, while the half decayed
boards of the floor creaked and gave
beneath her weight. A fiuttering noise in
one corner made her heart turn chill, and
the next instant she perceived it was but a
duskywinged bat, beating itself against
the beams and rafters.
She stole TREMENDOUSLY 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 dea
cons canvas bag could be concealed. And
as she picked her way board sprung be-
meath her feet-a board which had been
loosely laid across beams without any
securing nail. Instinctively she stopped
and there before her, wedged in between
the heavy timbers, over which had lain the
board, was the little canvas bagi