The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-01-09

Tell the girl And Jennie
caught only a confusion of sounds.
Presently she heard another Hell
loi''
"Hellol'' she responded.
1.-THE Weycester bank has been
robbed, the voice went on hurried
ly, "by two men who are in a spring
cart, drawn by a white horse. They
have driven toward harrington,
with MI. Allen and two constables
in pursuit, but the thieves have half
an hours start. You must
Here the voices stopped suddenly
and completely. Even the hum of
electricity was cut off. 1t was in
vain that she rang the bell and call
ed "HelloI" No one answered. Jen-
ME felt once more the old sense that
she was out of the world. Weycester
seemed all at once hundreds of miles
away. But what was it that she
must do2 Why had not the connec-
ton lasted a minute longer, when
her instructions would have been
| completed When were the robbers
expected
Jennie made a little calculation.
If there had been some 80 minutes
before any one started in pursuit,
that would carry them, by fast driv-
ing, half way to the tollgate. If ten
minutes had gone by before the tel
ephone bell had rung, she might ex-
pect them within half an hour.
What was she to do2
The conversation which she had
overheard came to her mind. stop
them at the tollgate," one of the
voices had said.
Very likely they would have told
her what to do if the telephone had
kept on. But how could a little girl
arrest two armed and desperate
men?
By this time she began to feel be-
wildered. She could not go to bed
with this responsibility upon her,
even though she did not know how
to meet it; SO, dressing herself, she
opened the front door and looked
and listened.
The night was darker than ever.
A little space about the gate was
lit up by the warning lantern. 1t
would not help in stopping burglars,
she suddenly thought, to illuminate
their way; SO, going over to the
light, she blew it out, leaving the
road in total darkness. That was at
least n step toward the desired
end.
All at once she thought of the
gate.
How stupid of mel" she said to
herself. why didn't Think of that
before?"
The gate was fastened back
against the front of the house, but
In a moment she had unlocked 1t
and swung it round, until it stretched
completely cross the road. There
was only a latch upon it, and going
into the house she brought from one
place a paddock and another a
chain, with which she fastened the
gate so securely that no ordinary
strength could force it open.
"They can't get through that"
she said to herself, land there isn't
any way of getting round it."
Then she went into the house,
locked and bolted the door, pushed
a heavy chest of drawers against it,
fastened all the windows, pulled
down the blinds and waited in the
dark for the sound of wheels.
1t was not long before the sound
came, but to Jennie every minute
seemed an hour, while every rustling
leaf outside sounded like a mans
stealthy tread. Whom at last she
heard the robbers coming, far up
the road, her heart stood still.
Nearer and nearer they came.
Would they see the gate2 she Won
dered.
The horse kept on; there was a
sudden exclamation outside, a crash
as though something had come into
collision with the gate, the sound of
splintering wood, and the noise of a
p%lunging horse. Jennie did not ven
ture to move. She dared not go to
the window, but sat in the middle
of the room shaking with fear and
listening for what would happen
next. Presently steps sounded on
the pavement outside, and in a mo-
ment there was a rap at the door.
Jennie remained perfectly quiet,
though her heart beat so loud that
she thought they must hear it out
side. In a moment the knocking
ceased.
Folks asleep" she could hear
one of the men say.
Asleep or dead OF run away"
he other man growled.
"Shall we try the Window"
Yes"
Jennie trembled all over, but the
sash, when tried, held firm.
"Oh, come on!'' exclaimed the
companion. Don't let us waste
time. We can splice the shafts our
sleeves with the halter"
They moved off again and Jennie
breathed more freely.