Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-08-08

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and opened a door, he got his compnn-
ion to his feet and managed to shuttle
and drag him to the inner room and
put him on the nearest bed. Rogers
walked only enough to protest in n
weak, strange way, and then fell off to
sleep again. while his face grew very
red as If the drink and hot fire had put
! him in fever. Here there was a most
| depressing chill and dreariness. Wey-
mouth fastened back to the kitchen for
| his cloak and wallet, declaring him
self 70 need the better fire without and
ready TO insist upon tho rights of a
guest.
"'Tis newly lighted within, 1t burnt
out and twas list made mp new; twill
soon De too much for you an I'll hear
Complaints the other wayl' the land
lady answered HIM, spontaneously.
You're not in 6 I.unnon inn, whatever
You may think. Leave me your cloak
nu' I'll dry an clean it. My own folks
Is coming in to their supper. Mind that
poor soul yc brought, an I'll do my best
here"
At this moment there were loud voices
in the yard and Weymouth stepped
quickly toward the door full of a trav-
eler's curiosity. stop" said the won-
an in an insolent tone that made him
confront her with wrath and amaze
ment.
IT'S but some transfers, sir" she
said, her eyes falling before his un-
spoken rcproach of her manners, and
going back to the whecdling tone she
had taken earlier. you're too heated,
sir" she explained humbly, IAN It's
wet without and blowing again. You'd
best stay under cover while you ruav-"
The inner room to which Weymouth
returned was long and narrow with
but one narrow window at each end
That toward the courtyard was shut
tered and fastened on the outside and
some of the glass was broken while
there were cobwcbs and dust that had
long been gathering. The other win
dow was high above the steep slope of
the cliff and looked down at the dyke
and the meadows and far over the
gloomy water beyond.
The moon was rising behind the
heavy mist and. though daylight was
strange dim light in it's place SO that
Weymouth could presently see where
he was. and he scanned the shadowv
country with a growing belief IN his
heart that he was a prisoner and that
he might be glad to escape from this
not reassuring house of entertainment.
Once or twice it had seemed from some
lool, or gesture that they had been cx-
pccted. Rogers and the landladv had nm.
douhtodlv hotrovcd ,bo foct TINT +bnv
we're not strangers TO each other Il ne
had heep = frne man bonnd on one ~ his
own iourncvs nofhirr Tint had han
nencd would havc made him uneasy
but as the Guardian of other men.
,,old he was moro and more on
the alert Clearly the best THING
now was TO stay o.1iet for n brief time
for his borse's sal,e and then to nlead
haste and push on. lie would risk
himself in a hit Of fpbtinr even with.
ont his nistols which had been left in
; the sadGle For onothor ba,f borr q,
last be would no,ssss his soul In
,,.+io,ca +ho, f,,d bis VIM, 70 .,o,l,o,
IN 1ass eoli+,.,, ,,,d al,r,,,;r, wa,
}. f,.os1, hore. o,d tho ni,ht hofore hir,
= y, corId Nrd DristoI bireolf nc
c,ercbnd his 6st and ehool, II AZ The
5 man on +be he'd. their cop,ing so "a,
o,,+ Of +bn ,.,,,. ,riob4 ,,arbo,s no ar
accident INIT Wevnou+h do,bted r,ore
,,o,, o,.o,. tho bonoo+,, oftbar,., WHOM
ho b,d dis+,reted at f-s, .i,,bt ord tbf
drrrood liouor was tbo s,reet nroof nj
,,isni7iof ITo fo,,rd hi,r.olf in = ti,,b,
,,Iacc
, As he looked down from the window
into the misty nirht the great dislna
nlain of tbe severn stretched away into
the shadows of thc distance A ashinc
smacl, or small nacl5et boat mad crert
nm toward the headlaud and cos-
anchor under its lee There was ,
lantern in tle riroinC and another din
l;rbt hain0 brourht unon the hill
/, toward thc inn The wind was still
BLOWING as if Il had zone down with
the sun. and risen less wild than be
fore
WEYMOUTH left the window, uneasy
enough in his mind: he could not Sc,
his wav to escape in that direction: i
was evidently too high for a safe dro,
=. TO the ground Then he laughed: hi
own plan was best and nobody cOulC
with dcccncy oppose it; he would cal
for his horse presently and ride away
Yet if II were known, as he suspected
that he was CARRYING treasure. it would
; still take courage to start out alone OF