The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-05-29

for travelling. lie glanced With frOWn-
ing intentness at the big office clock
above the burning gas jet, and then
looked lingeringly about the bank
lingeringly and fondly, Uncle Bushrod
thou ght-as one who bids farewell to
dear and familiar scenes. Now he
caught up his burden again and moved
promptly and softly out Of the bank
by the way he had come, locking the
front door behind him.
For minute or longer Uncle Bush
rod was as stone in his tracks. Had
that midnight rifler of safes and vaults
been any other on earth than the man
he was, the old retainer would have
rushed upon him and struck to save
the Weymouth property. But now
the watchers soul was tortured by the
poignant dread OF something worse
than mere robbery. He was seized by
an accusing terror that said the Wey-
mouth name and the Weymouth honor
were about to be lost. Marse Robert
robbing the bank! What else could it
mean? The hour of the night, the
stealtby visit to the vault, the satchel
brought forth full and with expedition
and silence, the prowler's rough dress,
his solicitous reading Of the clock, and
noiseless departure-wLat else could
it mean?
And then to the turmoil of Uncle
Bushrod's thoughts came the corrob-
Grating recollection of preceding events
Mr.. Roberts increasing intemper-
ance and consequent many moods OF
royal high spirits and stern tempers;
the casual talk he had heard in the
bank of the decrease in business and
difficulty in collecting loans. What
else could it all mean but that Mr..
Robert was an absconder-was about
to fly with the banks remaining funds,
leaving Mr.. William, Miss Lefty, little
Nan, Guy and Uncle Bushrod to bear
the disgrace?
During one minute Uncle Bushrod
considered these things, and then he
woke to sudden determination and
action.
"Lawd! Lawd!' he moaned aloud, as
he hobbled hastily toward the side
door. "Sech a come-of after all desc
here years of big doin's and fine doin's
Scan 'lous sights upon de yearth when
de Weymouth family done turn out
robbers and 'bezzlers! Time for Uncle
Bushrod to clean out somebody's
chicken-coop and chen matters up.
Oh, Lawd! Marse Robert, you amt
gwine do dat. N Miss Lefty an dem
chilIun so proud and talkin' 'Wey-
mouth, Weymouth all de time! I'm
gwine to stop you ef l can. Spec you
shoot Mr.. Nigger's head off ef he fool
wild you, but I'm gwine stop you eff l
can."
Uncle Bushrod, aided by his hickory
stick, impeded by his rheumatism, bur,
ried down the street toward the rail
road station, where the two lines
touching Weymouthville met. AS he
had expected and feared, he saw there
Mr.. Robert standing in the shadow of
the building, waiting for the train.
He held the satchel in his hand.
When Uncle Bushrod came within
twenty yards Of the bank president,
standing like huge, gray ghost by
the station wall, sudden perturbation
seized him. The rashness and audaci-
ty of the thing he had come to do
struck him fully. He would have been
happy could he have turned and fco
from the possibilities of the famous
Weymouth wrath. But again he saw
in his fancy, the white, reproachful
face Of Miss Lefty, and the distressed
looks of Nan and Guy, should he fail
in his duty and they question him as
to his stewardship.
Braced by the thought, he approach.
ed in straight line, clearing his
throat and pounding with his stick SO
that he might be early recognized.
Thus he might avoid the likely dan.
ger of too suddenly surprising the
sometimes hasty Mr.. Robert. In that
| he was successful.
''Is that you, Bushrod?' called the
CLAIMANT, clear voice Of the gray ghost
"Yes, sub, Marse Robert"
"Wbat the devil are you doing out
at this time of night!'
For the first time in his life, Uncle
Bushrod told Marse Robert false.
hood. He could not repress it. He
would have to circumlocute a little
His nerve was not equal to a direct
attack
81 done been down, sub, to see oil