Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-06-26

| IledU appeared III tle WIHuOM, anu
| high sfrlish voice said in a strain just
betwixt uncomfortable anger and
| tears:
You wretched men, cannot some
| thing be done? Am l to die here in
this dreadful night? Who are you, sir?"
"A wanderer. madam, at your ser
| vice. / answered.
THANK God for a human voice with
some temper to it," she cried. Can you
not whip these churls into doing some
| thing, sir?'
could not fail to notice even then
| that afraid though she might be, am
ger controlled her more than fear.
The case is not so bad, mistress, as
you think. We cannot be more than a
mile from Gowan's tavern, which
stands hereabouts"
.'liut how am / TO get .he,e?"
If you eculi mount my horse, We
would make it N a short time With
only a little worse wetti ~.
Thereupon w,thoa- reason tho note
| changed.
Il cannot! I cannot" said she with
| tears in her Voice.
IF you viii trust TO ma
And who a,c you?" she cried sud-
denly II do not know YOU.
\ Somewhat nettled at these abrupt
changes of manner. was guilty of
pique. Wherefore, answering that had
| but tried to offer her help, 1 made
| if to move on.
Wait Wait. In Gods name, sir,
would you leave me here in such a
| wilderncss?"
Indeed, | would not, mistress, but it
appears you do not wish my help"
Thereupon the door opened. and Il chit
of a creature in a black hood and long
cape stepped out and down into nearly
a foot OF mud.
| / was off Roger in an instant, and
by her side.
Forgive me, young lady; / was as
rude as Your men. Come, the thing is
not so hatl;' and without more ado for
to tell gospel TRUTH the thought of her
little feet in that oozing mud gave me
confidence, l picked her up as if she
/ had been Il baby and set her on old
Rogers back
And do YOU two men unhitch the
| horses and lead them on after us to the
| tavern ] added.
| The havoc created by the mud was
evident enough now, for as 1 led my
| horse by the lantern could see n tiny
| shoe that once had had n bright silver
| buckle. l;ut its simmer was dim now
under the dripping yellow mud, and,
as far rs could see, the same clay
covered What must have been u black
| silk stocking. Then in 81 moment ] had
led Roger out OF the light and up the
| road
Here was a pretty mess. What would
the general say to his emissary to the
COMMUNICATIVE chief, so carefully eau
toned to avoid any embarrassment, to
| steer clear of aught that might embroil
| him in delays? What would he say to
me now, trudging along on this wretch
ed night, the rain falling and the mud
rising, leading horse that bore a bur
den dropped from knew not where and
N lie rtI 1n,1s
fashion? The thought Of the rain made
me turn instinctively, and, taking my
| cape coat from my back, lean up and
throw 1T over my companions Shout
ders. But it had no sooner touched her
/ than she cried out:
II will not wear it. You need it, and
have = thick cape
You will be drenched to the skin in
no time" L said firmly, as ! held 1t in
| place.
| IF you do not take 1T Instantly. sir, i
| will throw it in the mud, she ans
| wered.
/ walked along without word III
seemed that this little baggage had the
/ power to initiate me beyond measure.
Mill You take it,? she cried, i'm Il
vibrant voice.
No. 1 will not, ] eXclaimed in quite
as defiant Il tone.
oh very Well" said she, and there
with tossed my best, my only coat into
4 the Tarrytown mire, as III ii had been
1 the peel Of an orange.
stopped Il moment with anger that
WAS on the point of bursting forth Then
] stopped picked up the coat, threw it
over my shoulders, and STROBE UP to
/ Rogers head, walking on in Silence.
1 God knows / knew little or nothing of
women, never having seen many never.
having known amy Well, for my mother
had died when 1 WAS Il boy, and sisters
| had none. But | never suspected wom-
ell of such behavior as this and the
Knowledge was anything but pleasant
would then and there gladly have
/ left her alone with Roger liz | had dared
/ What was Ito do? What could do on
arrival at the tavern? And then my
| thoughts turned to discover the method
| ! should pursue to get rid of my strange
| burden. | would wait until the arrival
/ of her servants and then leave go on
to some other point bad night as it was
anything to get myself UP towards
!. F'ishkill and alone
Here WAS l, Merton 8alfort If Put
MANS division, walking UP the Hudson
/ river. leading Il bediaggled woman in
the worst of nights To a mythical inn.
which might not exist at all aught |
| knew, in country oycrrun with skim
ners-I, on a mission to General Wash
| ington, the Importance of which could
only gather from I'utnam's Instructions
1 when he gave Inc the letter and told
me how much speed and sagacity
| meant
is it very muddy"
! | could scarcely recognize the voice,
| it had so changed. All the tears, all the
| fear, seemed TO have disappeared and
| in their place something strange, very
strange, had come
''Oh, no. madam: the road is clear as