Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-26


 the mist rose suddenly liko a curtain rolled away, and the cold, bright February sun. shining ruj, til~yis.,td tho sparkling river, with tkC Hr,rn hills rising on our right hand. II, rr and there on its surface a small hoLt such as our own moved to and fro, and ia tho distant pool from which Wu had CulaV rose d littlU forest of MastS. l hUi..c on the oars moment, and my eyes were drawn tn two mastcd yes stl which, nearly half q milo below us, WAS drifting down, gently hccling over with the current aS the crow got up tho sails T wonder whithrr sho is bound" said thuuGhtfully, and whether they would take Us on board by any chance"
 Mistress Bcrtram shook her head. T havo no moHry," shc answered sadly. II fear we must 20 on to Leigh if it bo any way possible. Nou are tired, and no won der. But what is it?" with n sudden change of voice. What is the mattcr?'
 had flashed out the oars with n single touch and begun to pull as fast as l could down the stream. No douht my fucr, too, proclaimed Hy discovery and awokr her fears. "Look lrhind"' I muttcrrd hr. tween my set teeth.
 Shc turned and un the instant uttered a low cry. \ wh,rry lil.o our own, but even liEht,r--in my first glance up the river l had nut noticed it-had s:ulcn nearer to lis and yet nearer, and now, throwing aside disguise, was iE hot pur- suit of Us. ThVrr were thrvu mon on huurd two rowing and 0Eu steering. When they saw that we had discovered them. they hailed lis in q loud voice, and l heard tho stCCrman's feet rattle on the boards as he cried tu his nIn tu give wLy and stamped in very CASvruvSs. My only rrply Was tu take longer stroke and pulling hard to sweep away from tErm.
 But presently my first strength died away, and the work began tu tell upon me, and little hy little they ovcrhaulcd Ills. l Not that gave up at once for that. They | were still sumo 6J yards behind, and for few minutes, at any rate, l might put of capturr In that time something might | happen. At the worst they wCrv only three to one, and their boat looked light and cranky and easy to upset.
 | So pulled on, savagcly straining at the oars But my chest hcavCd and my arms achCI moro and moro with each stroke. | The banks slid by Us. We turned one bend, then another, though saw nothing | of them. 1 saw only the pursuing boat, i on which my eyes were fixed, heard only | tho measured rattle of the oars in the TOW locks \ minute. two minutes, three min utcs passed They had not gained on lis, 1 but the water WAS beginning to waVCr be fore my eyes; their boat seemed floating in the air; there was a pulsatiun i'll my cars louder than that of the oars; I strug- | glcd, and yet llaEGcd. My knees tr,'m- blrd. Their lra; shot nearer now, nearer and nearer, >n thut could read the smile of triumph on the Strrr>mau's dark face and hear lis cry If rxultatiun. Nearer, and then with cry dropped the oars. "Quick!' l pautrd tn my companions | "CEanpr places with mr! Su,' Trrm- bling and out uf breath as w;S, l Crawlcd | between tho women and gained thr stern sheets uf the boat. .\s passed Mistress
 Brrtram she clHtrhvL my arm. ll,r cy,>,
 as thry met miur, flashed 1i!v; lar lips were whi;r. "Th1 man strylinE!" she | hisSVd i'vlw,vn her teeth. "IvaVr the others. ilr is Clarence. and l fear him.
 nodded, but still, ts the hostile Euat l bore swiftly GuWn upon us l east d Ylancr
 round to scr if thrrr were any help nt l hand. saW nu >iIn uf any. l aaw only
 the lalr blue sky overhead and the stream | flowing swiftly under thr beat. l drew | my sword. The Ca>r Wa~ one r@tMIrfNr de- | spair than courage. The wuIiru WtrU +.
 my charge. and, if diu uot ncquit myself
 like a nGH how, Wh,n shuulL l du sn.
 Bah. it would >nun Er uy,r'
 There Was au instant '> confusion in thl l other boat &S t!4,'cr, W erased rowing, and,
 St't lll@ IllN sa.tIt lItt iIlNL Il'A Ilhllls H. | changed tirir >vats. To my juy the man
 who had hith,rto lnvn steering flung a
 curse at the others and came forward tu
 bear the lrunI of the encounter. It. Was
 ntall. sin Wy man. n~t middle agr. with q ! clean sE..N,i it,'. d dark complexion and
 cruel U!t9 ~' he WL- Master Clarence!
 Well. hc hIu the air uf a sWVrd>man and d
 soldier. Itrrmblvd for the women.
 "SurrvnGcr, yuu foul,' he cried to mr
 harshly. In the queens nallr, d" you
 hear? What do you ill this Crnuany:' 1 answered nothing, for l Was out oi
 breath. But softly. luy eyes on his drew
 out with my lift hard my hunting knife.
 If could Irat ..~idr his swurl, would
 spring upon him and drive thr knife homo
 with that hand. Su. standing erect iI ! bow and stern, we faced one Auuthvr tn,
 man and the boy, the flush of rage and
 excrtiun on my che, k, a dark shade un his
 And silently thc t"uts drew t"&rthrr.
 Thought ia quirk-quickrr than any
 thing cl>,' in tho world, l euppo>r, fir il
 sumr drawn out second before the boat,
 came together l had tiluo tn wonder
 where 1 had Scvu Iii, l.r' l.; fore and l. rack ny memory. 1 knew no Master
 Clarence yet had sen this man some
 where. Anu;hvr svcund, and aWay witl
 thought. Hv Mas crruchiu-c for spring,
 drew back a little, then luuEtl-luugul
 with heart and hand Our swords crue-Vt
 and whistirI-jlI>t cru~~,d-lnd even as saw his eyes &lyMn lvl!md his point th,
 shock of thr two iuAts coming tu2cthr flung ue huth backward aud apart. {
 moment We r,> led, ~tAG&,, ring auu throw
 ing out wild hands. l >tu.Nv hard tu r,' f cover ny>, If nay, dimes; l.Id su- then
 caught my foot it Ni>tl, ,>- -\nlv's cloak which shr had left i'll h,r llH,r, and f,l , heavily lack iutu the i,,It
 Was up ill q lnulmrnt-un my knees i" least t-aud unhurt. Hut Auut!rr WIS lc l fore me As I st""ind. half ri~,H I slW l one moment a dark shadow aEuVr me, an' S the next q sheet of flame ~luur before ml l 1 eyes. and trruruduuS ~huck swept al ' away irll s"n~t,~~ into the huttum (, [ tn" h',at. knowing nothing ct what ha' t happened |" m"
 f LIMESTONE ROADS.