Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-11-23
CHAPTER xxx.

VT was after Z o'clock and darkness
had completely fallen when Bar
bara received Guilford Duncan's
4 telegraphic appeal for help lin
earnest" She wasted no time-slow
operator that she was on the telegraph
in sending messages Of sympathy and
reinsurance. She laboriously spelled
out the words, "I'll do my best" and
closed the instrument In order that
she might attend to more pressing
things than telegraphic chatting.
She summoned her negro boy Bob
to serve as her protector and promptly
sailed forth into the night The great
groceries known as "boat stores" We're
accustomed to be open very late at
night. But the clerks were full OF curl
osity when Barbara, escorted only by
the negro serving boy. presented her
self and began rattllng off orders great
err In volume than any they had ever
received, even from the steward OF an
oyercrowded passenger steamer. She
began by ordering forty sugar cured
hams and four hind quarters OF beef.
She followed up these purchases with
orders for four kegs Of molasses. SIX
boxes of macaroni, barrel OF rice
and so on through her list. Still more
to the establishment Of the clerks, she
gave scarcely moment to the pricing
of the several articles and seemed to
treat her purchases as matters OF or
binary detail They began to under
stand, however, when she ordered the
goods sent that night by express to that
station on the Illinois Central railroad
which lay nearest the scene of Gull
ford Duncan's operations and directed
that the bill be sent to him at the X
National bank for payment.
Barbara made short work OF her
buying. When it was done she hurried
home and packed small trunk with
some simple belongings of her own.
At Z o'clock the next morning, accom-
panied by the negro boy Robert, she
took the train and before noon found
herself at the little station to which
she had ordered the freight sent. She
was disappointed to find that, although
she had ordered the goods sent by ex-
press, they had not come by the train
on which she had Travelled.
The railroad was run by Geographic
orders in those days, and so. even at
this small station, there were an instru-
ment and an operator. Making use OF
these, Barbara inquired concerning the
freight and was assured Of its arrival
by train due at o'clock.
She spent the intervening time IN
securing two wagons with four stout
horses to each, and when the freight
came 1t was loaded upon these with
particular care, so that no accidents
might occur to delay the Journey II
the roads had been even tolerably good
one of the wagons might have carried
the load perhaps, but the roads were
execrably bad, and Barbara was not
minded to take any risks.
When the loading was done 1t was
nearly nightfall, but the eager girl In
sisted upon starting Immediately, to
the profound disgust of her drivers.
The first ten miles of road were the
best ten miles, as the drivers assured
her, and by insisting upon start that
evening instead of waiting for morn
ing she managed to cover that part OF
the distance by II o'clock. Then she
established a camp, saw the horses
fed. gave the drivers hot and savory
supper and ordered them to be ready
to start again at sunrise.
On resuming the journey In the
morning Barbara urged the teamsters
to their best endeavors, reinforcing
her plea for haste with a promise OF a
tempting money reward for each Of
them If they should complete the jour-
ney that day.
The drivers did their mightiest to
earn the reward, but the difficulties In