Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-12-26
HOW HER READY WIT AND coUR-
AGE BEAT OFF A ROEBER.
A Christmas Story of 1776.

0hS'J
On a brisk. breezy day. the day be-
Tore Christmas. 1876. Mistress Betty
Reddywitte mounted her buclis!lin-
colored mare at the gate of the gar
den in front of her mothers house in
Boston.
Mistress Betty. although she was
scarcely more than Il child, vas we'll
grown for her age and good to look
upon
She was as brave as any iion-or
drawer than some l have seen. Never
was she known to take fright or de-
sert a companion. When Selectman
Pettigrew's terrier went mad and att
tackled her companion. Peggy Brooks,
in Marlborough street. Betty beat the
dog off with her umbrella and kept the
brute off until assistance arrived.
Betty Reddywitte galloped merrily
and soon was in HI country road out
side OF town. Then. suddenly, She
came upon a strange sight.
A great yellow-bodied p~ost-chaise
containing a lady n Il little girl was
drawn up at the side of the road.
Confronting the inmates with IL long
barrelled pistol was Il horseman in a
red cloak with Il black nalf-mask on
his face.
Betty lie not need to look twice to
recognize all the objects that went to
make up the tabieau-the yellow post
chaise, the lady and the child, it's in
mates, and the black driver. She knew
them all.
She had set out from Boston to meet
her mother on the way from Milton.
and this was the meeting.
Nor did she fail to recognize the
highwayman in spite of his black mask.
But she would not for the world have
let him know 1t.
For an instant the girl was seized
with an uncomfortable trembling. h
n10oAl Hn~e 1,,o PoN1S,n~ ofoly n~I fnfrt
Then she had an inspiration. A plan
whose very simplicity promised possi-
BILE success, came to her.
Hastily pulling her HOOD around her
face, she began screaming. The high
wayman, seeing what looked to him
k a country girl who had lost her
wits from fright, sternly babe her be
silent.
"Oh. SIR" she cried. don't kill me!
I ha' but a f. pun note to buy a Christ
mas goose"
will you be silent?" asked the rob-
quiet you with a tap on the head with
the butt of a pistol? Don't move till
I tell you o."
Betty ceased to scream, but began
to weep. Extracting a paper from u
bag fastened to her waist she held it
out to the h~ighwayman.
With n eye on his helpless and
unresisting victims in the chaise. ne
turned half round toward Betty who,
whimpering, still held her hood tight
ly gathered around her face. He made
a rude snach at the bit Of paper she
offered him. A brisk breeze, however,
that was blowing. and of which Mis-
tress Betty had already taken note,
twitched the thing out before his fin
gers could close upon 1t and sent it
across the a into a blackberry bush.
On the spur of the moment the high
wayman dimounted. He threatened his
captives with instant death II they
moved. n crossed the road.
Betty instantly whispered to the ne
gro outrider to lash his horses. At the
same time h caught the bride of the
highwayman's mare and laid her whip
without mercy both upon the startled
creature and upon her own faithful
Buckskin.
The next moment the robber saw the
whole cavalcade sweeping along the
road toward Boston at breakneck speed
Scarcely had all returned safely to
the Reddywttte's gambrel.rOofed house
on Paddock's Mall. when Cousin Bene-
dict arrived with a lamentable story
Of how his horse had beer taken from
him by the American military authori-
ties because his services were needed
IN the army.