The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-03-09

HIS eyes liked themselves on mine,
and saw the white teeth shut slow
ly down on his lip.
"There is some plan in your
head, says he.
sat down on the settle. He look
cd at me for moment and then put
his hand within his dortblet and
drew out thin packet of paper. II
was tied about with a skein of blue
silk, and there was writing on each
side of the knot. His finger pointed
to word in tho conner. Come,
says he, your plan, farmer" and
he put back the packet.
II am not without horses" says
1. glanced him up and down. "We
are much of a build" / says. IF
were on one horse and i'll your uni
form and you wero ON another in
my Clothes" says, '+and' if took
the road across the common, and
you followed one that l can\tell you
Of Do you see what 1 meant
says l.
"By heaven says he. "ftnd If we
come through withjit the king shall
reward you fittingly. But 'tia more
like to end in your DEATH" he'says,
and shakes his head.
"I'll take my chance Of that, "
says I. Come, isit settled between
us9"
Are you married mani" says
he. "Have you wife and children 2"
Neither the one nor tho othery'
says l.
IA mother, them" says he.
"In the churchyart, two miles
away" says l.
He nodded and once moro locked
mo up and down, ending with a
long stare into my face.
II take your offer, friend" says
ho and held out his hand. MY
name is Eustaco Blunt"
Mine is Stephen Mann" says 1,
with my hand in his.
mo better man In England, p"
says he, with laugh at his own
wit. Come, l am in your hand,
Stephen. What do we dc, first2"
First I shall set out, leading my
horse across the paddock to the
front gate, thence to ride along the
highroad. Give me good ten min
utes' start ere you setIforth your
self. When your time is up, follow
the highroad for half milo and
then turn to your right. You will
find yourself in grass lane. You
will follow it for good three miles
ere you como to signpost, but
when you come to that you are on
the straight road TO York again
And so farewell" " says l.
Before l had ridden quarter,of a
mile along the road I heard the
steady pounding of tLeir horses
feet behind me- turned in thasad-
dlo and looked back They came
over slight rise in tho road, riding
abreast. There was that in the
steadiness of their pace that gave
me notion of their resolution i'll
the matter.
/ might have Eeen half wayl be-
tween the end of the lane where
Blunt was to turn off, according to
my directions, and tho first stretch
of the common, when sudden
thought caused me to clap my blnd
to the pocket of my coat. Thesur-
prise that came to me as my fingers
closed on the dispatch that should
have been in Blunt's care and not
in mine made mo pull up tie horse.
There / was in possession of his
majesty's dispatch, thing of the
strictest Importance, and behind
me rode three Roundhead troopers
that were anxious enough to lay
fingers on it. AS for Blunt, that
should have had it in keeping, he
was by that time riding into the
narrow lano mile in the rear.
The common suddenly widened
out before me. saw Dick Pritt s
granary roof shine white in the
moonlight, for all that we were a
good mile and half from it,
The three of them, still riding
close together, were within 200
yards of me. The moonlight struck
the polished steel of their breast
pieces.
There were four square miles of
common, and twas as tricky a bit
of land as a man might find in a
days march. There was a ditch
here and a marsh there and both
well hidden by the long, rank grass
that grew thick all over the place.
A man that did not know the lay OF
the ground and rode his horse across
it with loose rein was more likely
to come to grief than not Nay, it,
he came within measurable distance
of Butter Bum hole, he was likely
to leave horse, saddle and bride il,
its black depths and think himself
lucky if he escaped with his life.
Ere had ridden 20 yards into the
rank grass tho three men gave u
sudden shout and dashed across the
common to intercept me- could
have laughed with glee. They had
not gone a dozen strides ere the
foremost horse went knee deep in a
ditch and flung its rider over its
hend. l WnS in the hone the hOree