The sun., 1897-09-19
SHREWSBURY"
By STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
copyrioAt 1897 ov stan,ey j. Wevman.
CHAPTER XxXvI.-CoNrrNuEp.

CHAPTER XXXvI.-C CONTINUED.
N ane, was so far from being persuaded
A., smith had expected company that
s,.vely suspected that he had mndo quito other
.,rnn0cncnts, arrangements Of the most per.
MIous character And rs the horses hoofs
s.ro mnnotonously on tho hard road, md we
80 and fell in tho saddle. and 1 peored for.
,.,d into the gloom. fearing all things and
i,rht,pg all things. for certain I feared md
1opbted nothing so much as did the dark and
,.cret man beside me, whose scheming brain.
aiming plot within plot, each darker and
more involved than the other. kept all my in.
,,ruity ut n stretch TO overtako tho final end
md purpose he had at heart.
indeed. | despair Of conveying to others
A,v gravcly this sombro companionship and
moro sombre uncertainty aggravated the ter.
,ors' OF journey that at the best of times must
nave been little TO my taste. To the common
r,ss OF the road. deserted at that hour by all
,,vs cutpuirses and rogues. was added a sus-
,ieion, as much more harasSing than these as
' unseen daSg, RS ever surpass the known. II
r,s in vain that l strove to divert my mind
,om the fg urc by my side; neither tho bleak
i,ath above whence We looked
hack at the reddish haze that canopied Lon
| ion and forward to where the Thames marshes
trstohcd eastward under night-nor the glib
Mt on Dartforo' Brent, where a body hung in
Mains. poisoning the air; nor the light that
,Ao,e dim and solitary far to the left across
As river, and puzzled mo until he told me- Il
-. Tilbury-nei her of these tbings .ov
though they occupied my thoughts by turns
md for a moment, had power to drive him
from my mind. or divert my fears to dangers
more apparent And in this mood, now glanc.
hr sskance at him, and now moving unensiIv
vDder hi, gaze. might have ridden to Rocbes.
tr II nv ear had not caueht-I think when wa
-,-s two or three miles short of tho c;tv-th.
,-nd OF a horse trttine fast on the road h..
NDJ us
At first II followed so family on the bre.zo
Ma, doubted. thinking IL might he either tho
,-ho Of our hoofs. or a pulse beatino IN nv
-. Then on n hard niece ~ o-ro,,na =, a.
dared itself unmistS. kably, ana again as spd
i,nIr died AWAY.
AZ that I spoke ipyoluntari,y. "u. h,,
..nr.d " said
sr;,h Isuphed IN i,,a tss+b .tJo 4, .,
a. wet bottom. fool. by the creek !" he .sid
And before I could answer him the dull sound
4 horse pallopng fast-but moving on tho
Bf that ran alongside tho road-nroved nv,
IA be right. Draw up." he whispered IN
r,nething of a hurry. and then. es hesitat.d
IN YOU nearl' he continued sharnlv sa;z,n,,
nv rein. What do Won fear, No vou th,np
t,t night birds prey on night birds,.'
Whatever feared. I feared him mor. AND
truinc nv horse. I sat sbiverinp. For not.
outstanding his confident words. saw tb,t
4, was handling his holster. and 7 knew that
N was drawing a pistol. and II was we'll TINT
De suspense was short. Before 7 had tim.
a, many oualms the horsemnn. n dark aonr.
hrched ON us through the gloom npl,eJ h;s
lrse on to its launches. and With r.is.d
hud cried to us to deliver.
-And no nonsense" he added. sbarn,r GOV
t,es Of balls will soon--,,
Smith laughed. "Box IL about " bs cr,.d
aHs,loo." the stranger answered tatins, .
bver tone- and he peered at ma hending do,-,
U,r his horses neck. who arc Won in Nv bv
. tshtr'
"A box.it.about- NV comnanion .n.x.r.d
With tartness. ..Tbat ia enough for Won AZ
midnight. And wish ron better Incl MT
tue"
But"
"s,,o Smith answered. cuttinp him sbort
7 am going to-my father and the less said
,bopt II the better"
&C., VII -.
eoi wen, siNe MN my love then. Ana
heking his horse the stranger bade us good
tsht and with a curse on bis had fortune