The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-04-05

jolted as the almost springless wheels
bumped upon the uneven roadway.
Now and again particularly deep
rut gave the carriage such n shake
that the passengers all swung forward
toward one another. as though the con-
versation had become of such a char
acter that 1t must be whispered with
their cheeks almost touching. And then
the recoil flung them back. and some
groaned while others, who were
younger. laughed.
The day was sitting and the sky as
blue as steel. with a blazing heat that
seemed to have become scldid in its
intensity, and could be almost grasped
and poured through the hand like burn
ing, bllsterlng sand. Away in the dis
tance stretched the marvellous pano-
rama of the Bay of Naples, and ahead
there rose the swelling sides of We
suvius, over which hung in the sultry
air an almost motionless plume Of
smoke.
The road lay all uphill and the driver
puffed at his foul-smellng cigar and
called upon his patron saint to help
him and his beasts as they struggled
onward with the heavy, numbering car
riag1 behind them.
The sun flung its scorching rays upon
the dus,v road, and the road flung
them back The carriage iolted and
Jared onwa ;, ever upward. The beg
gars whined ahd quarreled. The trav-
elers laughed or grumbled, according
to their age, sex and tendencies toward
lumbago, and the driver, still invoking
the aid of his saint, thought Of what he
would charge for such a journey. bas-
Ing his arguments on the theory that
only foreigners or fools would go sight
seeing in such weather.
Yet the occupants Of the carriage
were not all fools, They consisted Of
five travellers. whom chance and cir
cumstance had thrown together in the
pleasant but distinctly tiresome occu-
patton of globe-trotting.
The most distinctive member of the
party was Il good-tempered American,
who had kept them all comparatively
cheerful with his quain- comments
upon Continental customs as compared
with the States.
He was a tall. well-bullt man, shade
under forty, with clear-cut, sensitive
features a full mustache, and eyes in
which there was always world of
kindliness, and often a twinkle of sar-
castle amusement as he talked of the
follies of life.
There were four other travelers-two
Englishmen, of whom little need be
said, except that they represented the.
antipodes Of manhood. and two girls,
who, being pretty and in the flush of
youth, shonc vlvidly by contrast with
the exotic beauties Of Italy
Colonel Hanbury commenced talking,
and when he talked the other two men
were generally silent-Lawrence Bar
ton. the American. listened because it
amused him TO listen. and Edward
DENLY because it was too much trouble
to contradict anybody. The latter in
divldual counted himself fortunate In
being brother to the two lady members
Of the party. and willingly left all
plans and arrangements to them. adj
mired them as pretty girls. and allowed
them to spoil him to their hearts con
tent.
Colonel Hanbury was talking, and. as
befitted a colonel of a select militia
corps, a self-,lade man. and a man
who had been so busy making money
that he had forgotten TO look anywhere
around the world except I'm his own til
he was, TO use the apt expression,
laying down the law
Don't talk 10 me, sir" he exclaimed,
In stentorian voice Its utter rub
bish! It's simply a Yankee yarn"
"'Tis true, assure you" the Amer
lean answered, with a good-tempered
laugh. "Our train was held up. a
dozen men boarded 1t. and in ten min
utes they had cleaned every valuable
out Of the lot of US. The job cost me
S5OO--I ought to remember It,"
What n country" the colonel shout
cd. "What n country! Aud YOU call
America civilized suppose, Mr.. Bar
ton?"
"Fhirly civilized, colonel OF course,
we're younger than England. so we
can't expect TO be so far advanced"
"Got you there, colonel" Edward
DENLY murmered, softly
What do you mean sir?" Colonel
Hanbury bawled, fixing the indolent
young man with a glare iu his eye.
"How has he got me? Where has he
got me?"
Something about holding up trains
In America, wasn't it,"
Holding up fiddlestlcks, The next
thing we shall hear will be the robblng
Of the Brighton Putnam
Colonel Hanbury evidently expected
n further retort, but the young man
shook his head slowly, and then Just as
slowly nodded II, and by the satisfied
look upon the colone-s face. he evi.
IDENTITY counted that criticism was dis
armed.
'I'd like to see n man rob men the
colonel exclaimed, fiercely.
"Well, you've got awfully odd tastes"
Edward softly answered, with innocent
misunderstanding. "Personally, it's the
last thing should wish for. Seen my
cigarette case, Cissy?'
p 'Yes-you put it in your rlght-hand
pocket, dear"
And your matches are In your vest
pocket, Teddy"
Good gclsw Teddy remarked. ap-
provlngly, as a dive into each pocket
brought out the desired articles. Good