The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1899-01-28
HIGHWAY ROBBERY.
.HAT Miss Foster was different

n
from and more charming than all
- the rest of her sex might have
been proved from any OF the hfteen
men to whom she had been engaged In
two yeara since she had come back
from school. beginning with Cadet
Yerrls and ending with Cady.
That Captain Foster was exactly like
all the rest &C mankind. aud little de-
served the blessing he had In his
daughter. was manifested by his draw
Ing from his pocket letter, and say
ing as he gave II 10 her, by the by,
Kitty. this came for you yesterday
while you were riding with Cady, anu
forgot 10 give 1t TO you"
Miss Foster looked at the postmar6
and at the almost feminine chirOgra-
ply, aud knew that the letter was from
Fort Bowie. and from Glocester. She
laid II beside her plate aud dnlShed
her breakfast. Atterward she took il
up TO her owa room and read Il. Then
she sat with folded hands and looked,
unseeing, at TIE photographs OF the
fifteen upon the wall before her. She
was very white.
The most astute woman will fire.
quently stake everything and play all
her game upon honor in man. When
that chances TO fail her calculations
are set at naught. aud the bottom falls
out Of her ,lyerse.
And Gloccsters honor had failed. He
wrote-kltty read II again-"So you
! tell me you are engaged 10 Cady. That
means little TO you. But II may mean
much 10 him. Therefore. TO prevent
his being made the fool that | have
| been, | have taken the liberty Of seud-
| ing him by this mail the letters you
| have written to me within the last
month-four In number-that he may
| know with what manner Of woman he
| has TO deal"
| Now, fourteen times before, Miss
Foster had not been in earnest. But
this tune she was Unfortunately, the
fact that she cared greatly for Cady
| had not prevented her from writing TO
Glocester more affectlonately than pru.
| IDENTIFY, In order 10 keep hlm-t'other
/ dear charmer who was away-upou
/ her string, so long a ) Il wotld hold him
without swapping. And the letters,
sent while she was actually engaged
% Cady. were going TO fall into his
uands II was a desperate situation.
But, for all her blue eyes, and curls.
and bewildering ways, Miss Foster was
the woman 10 meet il.
After a time she rose to her feet and
set her lips. II Is a popularity Of
Cupid show lips that they can set,
upon occasions. She knew that Cady
had not yet received those letters. And
she determined that he never should
| She would rob the stage.
Guard amounting was just over. and
the stage was not due until noon. Kitty
set a big hat a-tiltiug upon her curls
and walked down to the postottice
Fate, with her pa 'tiaIIty for the brave
and fair, willed that the postmaster
should have left his desk. Miss Fos-
ter pushed open the gate and went be-
hind the rail. The keys to the mall
bag hung upon their hook. She put
them In her pocket. When the post
master came back she was placidly
marking his clean blotter with the let
ter stamp.
''lf you please. Mr.. Jones'" she said,
II want this letter registered"
An hour later Miss Foster relgned up
her horse on the top OF rise and look.
ed across the fat stretch Of grease
wood. and !ctus. and sage. Far away
a tiny speck was crawling toward her
along the white road. II was the stage.
She had been born upon the plains,
and she had an unfaillng eye for It's
distances. There would be full half
an hour TO walt. She cast about for
some way Of killing time. and found a
deep, wide assure in the parched earth.
1t app aled to her daring She put her
horse to a run and jumped 1t time and
again until he was winded. Then she
rode again to the crest Of the sloge
The stage was near. She dlsmount.d
felt OF the gITths, and sat down, hug.
ging the tiny MONDAY shade OF a
mesquite bush, for the sun was burn
ing down from a hard. blue sky. A
big red ant was carrying a beetles
wing many times larger than Itself.
Kitty watched II until she heard the
rattle OF traces rs the stage climbed
the other side Of the slope. The she
commended her soul 10 heaven and
brought her quIrt down upon the
horses black TANKS.
The stage-drver drew up his stock.
and the one passenger put out his hea6
and shoulders and gazed at the slender
gray figure rising alone In the midst OF
the prairie.
What ever. Miss Kitty" the
driver stopped short He saw the
horse grazing OF bunch Of stumpy
grass, buhdred yards away. Kitty
went a step nearer and laid her hand
on the wheel. She had seen that there
was no woman In the st1gp. A woman
would have Upset. all her calculations.
She raised her big blue eyes. The men
who could have resisted them were
few. Those in the stage listened now
to tale calculated 10 melt heart Of
stone
II was Just ont for little ride" said
Kitty, "and my glrths were loose, 80
dlsmounted &c clnch up. and that horrid
Dandy got away. II you had not come.
don't know whatever should have
done"
Miss Foster would not have been the