The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-31
A Yankee
Girls Deed

MA
w delay?" unused Lula Robinson,
shading her dark earnest eyes with her
hand and gazing out into the prairie in
the fast deepening twilight.
A mere slip of girl, with a sweet,
thoughtful face-a little Yankee school
marm," who had come from an eastern
state on a visit to her uncle and aunt;
and to help exc out her slender income
had been teaching in the small school
house in the midst Of that wide reaching
prairie land the few young children OF
the neighborhoOd.
They certainly cannot intend to re-
main away all night. And a violent
storm is brewing. | can hear the dis
tant thunder even now, and these prai-
RE storms are sometimes terrific. Some
thing must have happened to cause such
delay. All! there is dust in the west.
| hope and pray it may be friends"
Lower and lower the black clouds
hung; nearer and palmer the roar of
thunder drew and the hot, dry air be-
came a blast of sand and dust that al
most shut out the other cloud of dust
in the westward.
But at last they were quite near, and
Lula perceived them to be three splen-
didlymOunted plainsmen.
The first, large dark man, lifted his
sombrero with a dash that would have
done credit to city dandy, and with
low bow and foreign accent said:
Good evening, little girl We are
Just in time to accept your generous
hospitality" and with a wicked smile
they dashed around to the stables.
They are no honest bordermen, but
cruel and dangerous, God protect and
help mel" she breathed, her face
growing white with terror as she real
lied her position.
In a few minutes they returned and
had just time to close the door ere the
storm burst in its awful fury.
Don't be afraid" said the man who
had first addressed her; 1--WE won't harm
hair of your head, child" for Lula had
grown very white, and only at the sound
of his kindly voice did she recover her
composure sufficiently to answer his
question and place before the hungry
party a humble supper of bread and milk
and Venison.
AS the storm ragged and tore she crept
away to her own little room under the
caves, hearing the gruff voices of the
men as they smoked their pipes be-
tween the thunder claps and shriekings
of the wind.
IT'S a wonder they haven't been on
our track before this"
"They couldn't keep on the tracks of
Thunderbolt," with a low chuckIe.
81 say, Don, what about that little
business at c.. Is there any prospect
of a rich haul?"
yes, We'll try that tomorrow night
and"
The remainder of the conversation
Lula lost, but she had heard enough.
The men had spoken in Spanish, and in
unguardedly loud tones, supposfng, of
course, that the girl upstairs could not
comprehend a word. All! they little
realized the little Yankee girls thirst
for knowledge that led her into the
mazes and beauties of modern Ian
guages.
The violence of the storm prevented
any further information from reaching
her ears, but pressing her hand upon
her heart, she murmured:
Heaven help me! 1t is Don Simon's
band, and they are going to c. to-
morrow night to rob and murder What
can l do? What can do to give the
warning? | must try, but oh! what a
terrible night"
Rising from her couch where she had
flung herself. she drew on her water
proof cloak and crept to the small gar
ret window. With trembling fingers she