The Grit-advocate., 1905-03-03

All this the landlord told me vits
a great deal of gusto. l assure you il
left vague unrest in my mind tina.
perhaps the old dame of Castle Drout
had not tried to deceive Gil; that Mis-
tress Rosemary Allyn's maid had gone
by the river road and that We were
pursuing the wrong coach.
II was pitch-black about, though II
was yet morning. 1t was no unusua
thing for people travelling from one
shire to another. to be lost in the bog
Such an occurrence would not pleas
ure us. for We might wander about
for days until discovered. Our only
safety, therefore tfor it was next tc
impossible between the darkness an
the slough to keep our way). was ii
giving the horses their heads. trust
ng to their instinct. Now they swan
low .heir feet touched bottom. and
20 on. We went but with slow progress
We entered a space where the for
est Tbounded upon both sides of Us
md the top branches OF the trees NEE:
'wept the ground in places. 1t was a
narrow path way and secretive enough
or lovers trysts. Beautiful too no
loubt on summers day, but ridir :
through it in the dark was quite az
other thing.
Ny hat was swept of by one of the
ipreading branches. and l might have
)een left hanging there a second Ab-
'olom, had | not quickly ducked ny
head
We could not even look to the prim.
iHg Of our pistols, damp no doubt, in
heir hostlers. The powder, however,
vas safe. for the TASKS were in the
'addle bags hanging at the sides o.
he horses.
What a place for gentlemen who
AXE to the road, and have neither re
;pect for time or persons! Fortu-
lately they like Tasty weather no
>etter than the rest of us, and on such
| day unless in deucedly tight box,
we're mostly likely to be found snug
md warm, drinking and carousing,
fghting and gambling, in some haunt
Of their own.
Gil's head careened frs. to one side
and then to the other. He gave !
sigh of relief l looked up to ask
why. He pointed ahead. | saw moth
ing. but as we had come out into the
open, supposed that that was the
reason. We had travelled at least a
quarter of an hour ere read that sigh
rightly. 1t meant that the flesh pots
of Egypt were near to hand
In front of us thtre glimmered a
light. 1t was like lone star half
way down the horizon. AS we drew
nearer it proved to be candle burn,
ing clumsy lanthorn. set at the
end of long pole curving over the
road.
"Ah, It's the White Swami" ex.
claimed Gil. Il had not thought it was
so near"
Another sigh escaped him.
The White Swan it proved to be,
and the heavens tightening a tri1le,
showed us many things. One was Jock
Swan the landlord, coming as quick,
ly as his fourteen stone would permit
him to welcome us. Another was the
magenta colored coach standing in the
court yard, and the rain restoring it
to its former pristine freshness.
Here is the COACH" l said, pointing
to it, as we entered the inn yard and
jumped OFF our horses. And as they
say in hunt the slipper we are getting
hotter Shall we ever reach that
stage in the game known as the
burning up one. wonder?"
With laugh l was about to push
open the inn door and enter, when
words uttered by mine host stopped
me.
"'Tis not the Old comfort, sir" he
was saying, your fatner was used to
that you'll find, with the house filled
with those damnable hordes of JEFF
frey's."
"Jeffrey's!" I exclaimed, my mind
harping to one tune only. did JET.
frey's men come in that?"
pointed to the coach.
(To be continued)