Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-11-28
By JOHN FInNIMoRE.
cHApTER xxvi.-continued.

The next thing was 10 prepare lor
| the road, and by good luck, the house
could ut us with a couple of saddles
| one for Enid and one for myself, for
| my own saddle was altogether out OF
| character for a serving man to be-
| stride. being too costly. and j cheer
fully exchanged 1t for a rude affair
which the good man of Maengwyn rode
to market. Siani went off at a gallop'
| riding bare-backed. to a house some
two miles away, and took money to mt
| herself out, and was back with her
| pony harnessed within the hour There
| were droves of animals belonging TO
Nant-y-Bryn pasturing about TINS part
OF the mountain, and the son OF the
house captured us a strong little gelu-
ing to serve as a pack horse. lie ana
fastened the saddle bags carefully
upon it and everything was ready for
a start.
II was about 10 O'Clock when we
plunged into a narrow cwm when TOOK
us out of sight OF Maengwyn In less
| than a hundred yards and led us north
eastward across the hills.
Enid was riding Whitesock, ana 1
walked at her side. leading the gray
pony who he'd followed us to Maen-
L X w VII AllC III
hind with the baggage horse.
Again Whites0ck seemed to under
stand everything. She ambled on as II
proud to carry her beautiful burden,
| and after walking half a mile l-Ven-
tured to slip into the saddle and ]
the gray beside her.
Poor creature!" said Enid; what q
shame to torment her when she Is SO
| fond of you For Whitcsock was now
a trile uneasy, yet calm again when l
spoke to her and stroked her neck.
an five minutes more" said i, she
will be as happy with you as under
me-
"Oh, no. said Enid.
cit is true" / returned; Il know her
ways we'll enough to be sure that she
has taken to you for good n ALL
1t was as | said. a few r1inutes lat
er | fell back into the proper place for
a serving man to occupy. Whitesock
turned her eye on me, and when she
saw | was not leaving the company but
following behind, she moved smoothly
forward without a fdget.
Much Of this, to be sure, was owing
to the manner In which she was being
ridden.
Enid is n born horsewoman, and her
hands are perfect.
All day we rode steadily forward
following tracks well known to my
! companions. A halt of n couple of
I hours was made in the early afternoon
at a shepherds hut to refresh our
selves and feed and rest the horses, and
as dusk fell we rode up TO an inn which
| recognized as the place where had
( failed to find Enid and Slam, n from
whence / had ridden at once to a k
them from the Red Men Of the Dusk.
Here my disguise did not profit me
much, for the people at once foun@o out
| was not what | seemed. They knew
Miss Vaughan and her servant well,
and took me, at first, for what l
But, naturally enough, they spoke to
me in the language Of the country, and
| was graveled at 4 word. When they
found | did not understand them, they
became very eager to probe into the
mystery, and set n fellow who had q
little English to c~ross-eXamine me,
From this | was saved by the inter-
vention of Siani, and l saw very plain
" the use Of a laced coat in gaining
one civility at an inn.
The next morning we set off at an
early hour, and now l knew the track
we followed. We called at the house
of the woman whose child l had fished
out of the swift little brook, gfs3 drank
new, warm milk with her. Shs made
no sign that she had seen Inc before
but hat was not wonderful ana So
, severe test Of my present guiSe.
AS we rode that afternoon, Enid de-
: Cided against staying in Rhayader. lr
the house opposite the inn lived an ole
servant of the Vaughan's, and / should
be again exposed TO great iEquisitive-
ness.
The Welsh, and in particular the
country Welsh, have an intense pas.
sion for prying into other peoples bus.
mess, and the figure I cut of a home
spun mountaineer, with an Englist
tongue in my head. would gall theil
curiosity nightly.
SO we took n cast about Rhayader
passing a couple OF miles south of the
town, and riding slowly along very ba(
roads to an inn some dozen miles be.
yond Ii.
The next morning ! rode beside Enit
in earnest talk, for that evening would
see us at Mistress Whitgift's house
and we had our plans for the future t.
arrange. What they were, it is need,
less to mention, for they were shaker
to pieces that same night by the marcel
Of affairs and others called for at
short notice.
Our midday halt wac at Knighton
and here Siani obtained me a grea
black patch, which | clapped over tn,
right side of my face as soon as w,
were clear of the place. Enid eyed IN,
anxiously, and even her uneasy hear
was at rest when she scanned the ap
pearance l now presented.
We rode across the border into Soutl
Salop, then across North Hereford, mex
into Salop again and SO came to Lud
low. We made no stop here bu
marched steadily on, aiming to get f
Mistress Whitgift's house just afte
nightfall.
A thick misty evening was gathering
around us when Enid pointed to a tai
stone we were passing and said: Il
is a mile again"
1--WE have timed ourselves to a won
der" said |, and rode up alongside, fo
the Dad was solitary and the dusk wa
deepening fast. Soon we came to
white gate and here Enid drew reir
A little further On could be seen tn
lights of fire and candle in the window
of a little hamlet.
l sprang down and pushed the gat
open. We entered an nj and Eni
brought Whitesock to a stand.
IL will go quietly forward" she saiC
land see that Mistress Whitgift
somewhat prepared for our arFiva
Her health has been feeble this las
year or more, and l fear now that thi
will trouble her"
| helped her to descend and she wer
swiftly up the venue which lie
through thick ~shrubbery, to a hous
some forty yards from the road. Tn
place gave no signs of life save for
faint candleshine at one window.
Two, three minutes passed, and
dark figure came toward us.
rs it William" asked Sinai.
"Ay, ay," replied a mans voice, an