The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-03-18

~ Q orooD OF ooeSoo, DARK moeoSiAl ana
% thick WOODEN shaWl hung in lcoss
folds around her shouldera Her head
gear consisted Of . small felt hat. over
which xas drawn . Gloss. blown veil
that completely concealed her .fes-
lures. Her hands we're envslopsd Ia
mittens and in one Of them she carried
q little wicker basket, whose contents
were hidden from view by . strip Of
paper tucked about il.
As Robert drove up the woman
paused and turned around. She didn't
raise her veil when she spoke, and her
voice Was low and hoarse.
"Would you give an old woman .
ride?" she asked, and then went OF
into q paroxysm OF coughing.
Certainly. ma'sm!" said Robert,
cheerfully, at the same time bringing
his team to q stop.
"What q terrible cold the poor
things got" was his mental comment,
as he looked down pityingly.
When the fit OF coughing had
subsidized she clsmbered slowly into
the wagon and took a place beside tho
young teamster, who drew up the
heavy robe and kindly assisted in
arranging and tucking it around his
passenger.
"Quite chilly" he remarked. BET.
thing himself again on his seat.
But his companion made no reply,
and he concluded that she did not de-
sire to enter into conversation. So
they drove along in q silence broken
only by the noise of the vehicle aud
the chatter OF the horses hoofs on the
frozen road bed.
Bat il Roberts tongue was silent,
his thinking powers were by no means
dormant, and over him there crept a
vague, uncertain feeling that every
thing was not just as it should be.
Now and then he stole q glance at the
woman, who sat as motionless as q
marble image.
During one of these glances the
stiff breeze that was blowing caught q
corner of the veil and flung it back,
exposing for an instant q stubby
growth of bla,k chin whiskers!
! Immediately the stranger pulled
down the unruly covering and in.
dulged in another dry, racking cough.
"a woman with o beardl" thought
Robert in dismay, and then in a fash
he realized that seated beside him was
a man in disguise, q man belonging to
agang of highwaymen.
1t was a startling discovery, but
evidently his unwelcome passenger
was totally unaware that he had
madeit.
What should he do? He must de-
eide quickly, for soon the forest would
be reached and in its gloomy lcszes
no doubt other highwaymen we're sta.
toned at the spot where it was intend.
ed he should be robbed OF his hard.
earned money. Suddenly he gave q
quick little jerk OF his head which
tilted his hat over on his ear, and the
wind catching it, off it went.
who's Princsl Whoa. Topsy I" he
cried; "Whoa, i say I've lost my hat.
Ill hold the horses till you get it,"
said his companion, checking with ap.
parent effort another attack Of cou gh.
ing.
"Oh, no, ma'am! / couldn't think
of it. They're q pair OF colts aud very
difficult to manage unless you under.
stand them. I'll hold them and you
may do me the kindness to get my
hat"
The counterfeit woman appeared
undecided a minute, then depositing
the basket in the bottom of the wagon,
dropped down over the wheel to the
ground and hobbled off in the direc.
ton of the ditch.
Robert watched until the hat had
been picked up, and then spoke sharply
to the horses, at the anne time strik.
ing them lightly over their backs with
the relns.
The noble animals sprang forward
with a bound and struck into a steady
run. A torrent of oaths falling on his
ears above the racket of the wagon,
the young driver glanced over his
shoulder and saw that his late com.
panion had torn off the veil and. was
running rapidly after him. But it
was not long until there was u long
distance between them.
"Weil done, my good horses" he
said, approvingly. "You deserve a
double quantity of oats tonight and
if l live to get home. you shall have
it. All! here's that strange little
basket, I must see what's in it,"
Picking it up he cautiously removed
the paper and two well.charged, large.
caliber revolvers were revealed to his
gaze.
The wood was entered with consid.
cradle apprehension. still he felt safer
than il he had been destitute of means
to defend himself. But nothing of q
suspicious nature was further encoun.
tered and-much to his relief the
,ovrrpar xro, no-o1,Iol - coc~k