Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-06-16
CHAPTER ".


wanted to know what | was icing
telegraph And he left us, for which
wasn't sorry. told her of the goo
news had TO send, and she wanted {
know If now we would try to catch tn
road agents / set her mind Mt rest o.
that score.
Il think they'll give us very littl
trouble to bag" l added, for they ar
so green that it's almost pitiful."
I'm not cutting the wircs?" she asked
I'm everything, replied. but tn
worst botch is their waiting till we hat
just passed the Arizona line. If they ha,
held us up an hour earlier, it would only
have been states prison. "
And what will it be now?''
Hanging
WHAT" cried Miss Cullen.
I'm New Mexico train robbing is moi
capital, but i'll Arizona it is, II told her.
And if you catch them they'll bC
hung?" she asked
Eyes"
THAT seems very hard"
The first signs of dawn were begin
ming to show by this time, and as the
sky frightened / told Miss Cullen that ]
was going to look for the trail Of tho
fugitives She said she would walk with
me, If not i'll the way, and my assurance
was very positive on that point. And
here want to remark that it's saying o
good deal if girl can be up all night
in such excitement and still look fresh
and pretty, and that she did
l ordered the crew to look about, and
then began big circle around tho train.
Finding nothing, l swung bigger one.
That being equally unavailing, ] did q
larger third. Not trace of foot or hoof
within half mile of the cars! had
heard of blankets laid down TO conceal a
trail of swathed feet, even of leathorn
horse boots with cattle hoofs on the bot
tom, but none of these could have been
used for such distance, let alone the
entire absence of any signs of place
where the horses had been hobblcd. Re-
turning to the train, the report of the
men was the same
We've ghost road agents to deal
with, Miss Cullen" laughed. "They
come from nowhere, bullets touch them
not, their lead hurts nobody, they take
nothing, and they disappear without
touching the ground "
How curious it is!' she exclaimed
"One would almost suppose it a dream"
Hold on, said "We do have some
thing tangible, for if they disappeared
they left their shells behind them"
And pointed to some cartridge shells
that lay on the ground beside the mail
car. my theory of aerial bullets won't
do"
The shells are as hollow as feel, :"
laughed Miss Cullen.
Your suggestion reminds me that
am desperately hungry" said. "Sup-
pose we go back and end the famine"
Most of the passengers had long since
returned to their seats or bcrths, and
MIR. Cullen's party had apparently done
the same, for 2lS showed no signs of
life. One of my darkies was awake, and |
he broilcd steak and made us soma
coffee in no time, and just as they were
ready Albert Cullen appeared So we
made very jolly little breakfast. He |
told me at length the part he and the
brltlshers had borne and only made Inc
marvel the more that any one Of them
was alive, for apparently they had jump
cd OFT the car without the slightest pre-
caution and had stood grouped together
even after they had called attention to
themselves by Lord Rallies shots. Cul-
en- had to confess that he heard the
whistle of the four bullets unpleasantly
close.
You have right to be proud, Mr..
Julien" I said. You fellows did
tremendously plucky thing, and, thanks
o you, we didn't lose anything"
But you went to help, too, Mr.. Cor
ION, said Miss Cullen.
lat made me color up, and after
hesitation I said:
I'm not going to sail under false
olors, Miss Cullen. When went for
yard, l didn't think I could do any,
hing. l supposed whoever had pitched
nto the robbers was dead, and l expect
d to be the same inside of ten minutes. "
Then why did you risk your life. "
he asked, "if you thought it was use
ess?'
| laughed, and, though ashamed to
ell it, said, II didn't want you to thint-
hat the Britishers had more pluck than
had. "
She took my confession better than
oped she would, laughing with me.
nd then said, well, that was coura- n
eous, after ALL"
YES" Isaid. "Iwas frightened into b
ravery."
" Perhaps if they had known the dan. y
n as well as you, they would have :,
zen less courageous" she continued h
nd could have blessed her for the
,eech.
While we were still eating, the mail +,
ERIK came to my car and reported that ~
e most careful search had failed to =,
scover the three registered letters, and
ey had evidently been taken. This
ade me feel sober, slight as the prob
lie loss was. He told me that his list ii
owed they were all addressed to Ash
'rks, A. T., making it improbable that ~
elr contents could be Of any real value. =,
possible, was more puzzled than
er. :,
AT 6:lO the runner whistled to show .,
had steam up. 1 told one of the a,
akemen to stay behind and then went n
to 21S. Mr.. Cullen was still dressing, "
t expressed my regrets through the n
or that l could not go with his party h,
the Grand canyon; told him that all n
0 stage arrangements had been COM "
9ted and promised to join him there ~
case my luck was good. Then saw W
ederic for moment to see how he Ga
IS (for I had nearly forgotten him in m
excitement), to find that he was IN
lining all the time and preparing even a,
get up When I returned to the sa- cl
III, the rest of the party were there, oh
II r