The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-07-28

he walked straight toward her, and
shook hands with her.
l knew Robert Barclays father, and
the young man had often visited al my
house. He was about 30, good business
man and a determined one. The gt'l
had required all his attention.
l settled myself in my seat after he
had sat down beside the girl. AS did
so, | recalled what l had heard my
daughters saying about young Barclay
a few weeks before. Il seemed that he
had had business to transact in one of
the larger towns in southwest Missouri
few months before this, and while
there he had fallen in love with pretty
Alice Clay. She had not been Indifferent
to him, but when he had asked her to
marry him. told him that she was en-
gagged TO Mark Conway, one of the
young men who lived near her home.
Robert had accepted her decision.
without comment, but at the same time
he resolved not to give her up. He knew
young Conway, and did not like him.
So sure was he that Conway was not to
be trusted that he had eXacted promise
of Alice that she would not marry with
in year. Inclined to look with favor
upon Roberts suit, ard yet bound to
Conway by ties of old family friendship,
and a childhood engagement, Alice had
consented without scruples. She had
expected for years to marry Mark Con-
way. and perhaps if this imperious
young stranger had not interfered, she
her old sweetheart.
Barclay had confded his love affair
to my sympathetic daughters, and had
heard something about it, but not clear
ly. 1t all came out afterward.
The year Of waiting was almost over
when we were fired upon in the early
twilight of that November night. The
sound of the shooting was so startling,
and the crash of window glass and shut
tiers so terrifying that l ducked my
head behind the back of the seat in
front of me, as did all the others. did
not have time to observe the behavior
of Barclay and Alice Clay, but she told
me afterward that he took care of her
beautifully. She thought so because
she was in love.
1t was in the moment of fright
when the firing was going on that she
betrayed her love.
When the glass in the window at the
farther end of the car was shivered,
Alice cried out in alarm. In "a flash
Robert put his arm around the seats
and whispered:
ITS nothing. 1 will not let anyone
hurt you!"
Then he fumbled at his hip pocket
and drew out his revolver. AT the sight
of it Alice exclaimed in fright, threw
her arms around his neck and cried:
you will be killed! You will be
killed."
BY this time the conductor and brake
man had entered the car with the pris-
oners. At the call for help from the
passengers, Barclay sprang to his feet,
lifted Alice from the floor to the seat.
and started down the aisle toward the
masked robbers.
l noticed that he seemed pale when
he left the would-be train robbers. He
went back to Alice, however, and told
her that she need give herself no IN
easiness, that there was nothing more
to fear.
The masks were taken from the pris-
oners' faces. One of them held his head
very low, and seemed to fear that
some one might recognize him. When
we arrived at the station where we left
the prisoners, all the passengers left
the train and went into the waiting
room, while the authorities were being
sent for. Alice wanted to come with