The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-29

1t was very queer feeling. especially
when l came to myself and found the
gentleman's hand on my shoulder.
Il turned to him and said: Is there
any reason, sir. why certain men
should seek to seize the ladies in the
coach and do injury to your"
'Why-but why do you ask" If
the gentleman had glanced in the di-
rection of the driver, as he spoke to
me, he would have had cause for sus-
picion, for the cOachman's face was
white, and his knees trembled under
MIN. Being young and unsuspicious
then 1 had no idea what the trouble
was, but l know now that he was in
the plot, and the gentleman would
have known it too if he had but
glanced at the man; but his attention
was taken up with me. Why do you
ask such a strange question? he re-
peated.
Il can only tell you this I replied.
When you reach the inn at which you
propose to stop armed men will rush
from one of the rear rooms when
your coach has entered the courtyard,
seize the ladies' and overpower you.
That is as much as 1 can tell you be-
cause it is as much as l know
He paused and reflected, and then
he asked me a hundred questions.
seeing that 1 could make no definite
reply, he took me aside and ques-
toned me, no doubt thinking that l
was too embarrassed to speak before
the others. But L could only tell him
the plain truth--that l had seemed to
see the attack on him and the ldoies
take place right before my eyes while
he was talking to me, and that / felt
it to be my duty to tell him about 1t.
81 could see that he was far from
believing in the vision that had APP
peared to me, but he was more
thoughtful; he seemed to reflect over
the information 1 had given him. I
am much obliged to you for the warn
ing, he said, as he entered the coach.
L shall be prepared to give my friends
warm reception when they issue
from the inn.' He babe me good bye
very politely and went on his way.
AS 1 was going the same road, 1 OBJ
served that the coachman looked bacl:
at me as long as l remained in sight.
which was not long, for a poky old
donkey cannot be expected to travel
as fast as two fine coach horses.
When came near to the town an
other spectacle appeared, to me.
could see myself on my donkey, sur
rounded by several men. one or two
of them gentlemen, and the others ruff
fans of the most approved pattern. l
COuIu llOI NEAR WIldI was Sdlu, out
could see by the actions of all con-
cerned that the men were charging me
with stealing the donkey, while L seem
ed to be stoutly denying the charge
Il took this for another warning,
and I made the most of it. l turned
aside from the road. tied the donkey
in a thick growth of shrubbery and
entered the town by a gate nearly OPP
posite to the one that opened on the
road by which 1 had come. Once there,
l made haste to procure the article for
which I had been sent, and in a very
short time 1 was on my way home
again.
THE next day there was a knocking
at our door, and, as such an event oc-
Cured but seldom, you may imagine
what a sensation it caused around that
humble Preside. l ran to the door to
open it, and in the somewhat tattered
and battered man who stood there
recognized the person who, the day be-
fore, was driving the gentleman's
coach. He had been painfully wound
ed about the head and face, but / had
no difficulty in recognizing him. for I
had closely observed him while the
gentleman was talking to me.
HE desired, he said, to hold con-
versation with me, declaring that al
though l had been the cause of his
ruin, he bore me no illwill. What has
happened to your l asked. Instead of
replying briefly, he went into a long
narrative of his life. He had been very
poor, and when he was a young man
he fell in with bad companions, who
in the daytime were robbers and at
night burglars. At last he saw an OPP
portunity to secure a place as coach
man to the gentleman with whom
had seen him, and he promptly accept
ed it. and babe adieu to his former
companions. He was sensible enough,
he said, not to inform them where he
was going. and he was in hopes that
they would never discover his where
abouts.
I'm the course of time, however, they
found him out and inVeigled him into
a plot to abduct the gentleman's wife
| and sister, so that they might be held
| for ransom. He felt compelled to en-
| ter into their scheme. he said. for he
knew that they would expose him to
| his patron, to whom he was under
many obligations. He was to take no
| part in the attack, but was to stand
| by, pretending to be afraid while they
| carried out their plot. Then came the
| moment when | had informed his mas
| ter of what was about to occur, so that
| when the coach drew up in the court
| yard of the inn the gentleman was
| prepared for the attack and. being a
cunning swordsman. had run three of
| them through almost before they knew
| what was happening, and the others,
| fearing a like fate for themselves,
| turned tail and fed.
| But they were not so frightened
| that they failed to seek the coachman
| out. They were sure that he had be-
| trayed them, and they went boldly tC
| the servants apartments at the inn and
made inquiries for him. He felt COM
| PEELED to show himself, and when he
| followed them into the courtyard they
| had seized him and taken him away a
| prisoner. They beat him most unmer.
cifully so he said, and were on tins
point of killing him when he imp1ore6
| them to stay their hands until he coulc
have an opportunity of proving that he
had not betrayed them. And now, witt
| that purpose in view, he had come t.
me for both information and advice.
1.-THE man seemed honest enough; il
| fact, all the time he was relating hi:
| troubles he was weeping as if his hear
would break, although he appeared Il
| be too stout fellow for so many tears
1 sympathized with him as well as
| could, for / had small confidence in hi'
good intentions. If had any, it would
have disappeared when he PROPOSED
that I should go with him to the town
and assure his old companions that h,
had not betrayed them
"Well this struck me at a pretty coo
proposition. I had left my red flame
night cap under my pillow that morn
ing, and so before accepting or refus
ing his invitation l thought il would
be well to place it on my head under