Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

from the blow hole in front. square of
wool tine and white and clean re-
matchmaking else.
''Th-there"' he cried, actually stammer-
ing In his anger. get to bed. both of you
for wretched little croaking beasties. And
let me tasten up this case again as best |
may.
He was bending down to pick up the torn
sheetlng. when in clear childish treble
little Anna Mark uttered the words: will,
what is that on the point of your sword?''
William Bowman held his sword up, 10!
the fine point of the rapier was red for a
good three inches. drop or two had also
distilled upon the floor.
Instantly Wills face took on the fighting
iook of his North Riding forefathers. His
under jaw shot forward. his forehead
seemed to flatten. His eye fell on the case
wool red spot had appeared at the place
from which Will had withdrawn. his blade.
An! | have You this time, cowardly
murderer he cried in a voice like harsh
Hold. Hold, Will, Do not kill him.
l shouted. But l was too late.
VIII felt with napier point for the row
OF small air holes which went about the
case above the middle, and through these
he sent thrust after thrust, swift as the
succession of pulse lightnings.
Then followed the most appalling cry that
it has ever been my lot to listen to. No
words came from the receSseS of the box.
only scream on scream of direSt human
agony. There We're signs of vehement up
to and fro with a mighty crash the packing,
case fell face downward upon the floor.
l ran to the door in terror and horror
But William Bowman stood his ground
with little Anna Mark beside him. Her
face was white, hut she passed him the
loaded pistol without word.
Then with the pistol cooked in his hand
and leveled at the box he called to me over
his shoulder to run to the change house and
warn ell that were there. Then | was 10
return, beating the weavers' cottages for
recruits. So | ran my best, snatchinS the
alarm horn and blowing it as ] went. SO
that in half an hou- / was back with a
dozen men, all more or less untouched by
liquor.
Will Bowman stood where l had left him.
with a set look of grim determination on
his face. But little Anna was nowhere to
be seen. He had ordered her to bed soon
as he began to realize what might appear
when the box was opened. Perhaps also he
remembered her words, Il thought | heard
my father whisper
The men slowly turned the packing case
up from the boOd-Stained floor and stood
it face forward it had been at the first.
Then with bars of iron and pickaXes they
tore away the boards. Wool was packed
tightly at the sides and all around. but
they lifted this away swiftly and fearfu.ly.
the arm of a man holding pistol appeared,
still twitching with the last remains If
vitality Another pull and the face was re-
vealed. 1t was that OF Bernard Ringrdse,
the new dominic.
tie appeared 10 be quite dead
Then l thought, as | went upstairs and
found Anna Mark, little white clad tig-
Ure listening on the stairs, that surely now
the end of evil had come. and that the
murderous hound that had so long disturb
ed the peace of Scotland had at last be"n
taken in his own trap. ! knew not that this
was only one broken thread i'll the net vi
evil which was closing upon us ALL
Go to bed, little Anna l said, all Is
weH,'
They laid Jhe dominic back again in his
beautifully fitted case, among the wool and
the stained scraps of EAted fabric. VIII
Bowman'S first thrust had gone through
his shoulder little beneath the spring Of
the neck. Yet so fierce was the desperate
in his determination that no murmur had
escaped him even when the sharp steel ran
clear through mis- flesh till the point en-
ccuntered the wooden back OF the case
against which mis- shoulders were braced.
knife with sharply curved blade was
in his right hand doubtless intended first
to cut way out of his wrappings and tsec
oI.Gly) to slit every throat in the min
house. for that was the pattern of previous
tempts of the same kind made at other
mansions and lonely places throughout
Scotland.
There were a that time in Scotland many
thousands of broken and outlaw men. In
deed the wisest head in the realm chat OF
one Fletcher of Saltoun) estimated the
"beggars and gangrels' alone-that is. the
open and declared vagabondage, at nothing
short of 100000. So. what with the recent
changes of government, the troubles with
the Highland border the incursions of the
cateranS, the encouragement of piracy and
worse upon the seas, men lived in kind of
terror ana all who could provided, as I'M
phray Spurway hoped he had done, for
their safety.
about the capital, was either scattered
athwart the face of the Jacobite districts
had been carried overseas to help The
Dutch 10 fight the French.
IN anna IN mas n he mn
tied and loyal of all the provinces of Scot
land the worst ana widest deeds began TO
be wrought-at first under the cloud of
night; but in little while in open daylight
also.
And thus it happens that in every dis
trict of lowlard Scotland there is one I'M
varying story of the deeds of these des-
peradoes who at various times called them
selves THE Night Rakers," THE Bold
Lads THE Devils Dragons" and We're
famed over all the south as THE Wild
Riders
In at least three cases their attempts
sion a large package had upon some pre-
text been delivered the night before at
the doomed house But this was the first
time they had tried great and defenSed
a place as Umphray Spurway's mill.
And right well had they chosen their
time tmDhray away with the most part
of his men. the rest taking advantage of
his absence. all save sober few, and
itself we'll nigh defenseless.
As soon as Will Bowman realized what
ne had done, he set about making his
prepa rations. He dispatched by back
door one of the most trusty of the men who
had hurriedly rallied to him with orders
to call in all the women and children out
Of their houses. For believing that the de-
lenses of the mill would be tried before
morning. he would permit no man to re-
turn to his house, Nor, indeed, was there
any who. looking at the set face of the
dominic and the lip ne had bitten through
in the vain attempt to keep his secret, de-
sired to set a foot outside the defenses of
the Min house that night.
As / have said, the figure of the mill
! was four square. with large courtyard
| in the center. on the river side little
watch was necessary, the Eskwater fret
ting tiercely against the sheer walls, both
| darksome and deep, and effectually pre-
venting any surprise. The easterly or up
stream end was defended in like manner by
I gorge across which straddled on its
| trellis work of wood the 'lade'' which car
| ried the water to the great wheel There
| were windows along this side at which a
| sharpshooter or two could enfilade a regi-
| ment. But il was on the side averse from
| the river and on the contiguous northerly
| front that the burden of any attack must
! fall.
| For the buildings that ran round the
| square courtyard were of wood set in a
\