The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-03-26

j waited to hehr no more. l was out OF
bed and budding on my clothes and
thrustinE my feet into my boots like
possessed. My heart was beating
as fast as II I had been running In q
race, and my hands were sinking with
the shock OF the alarm. The inpa-
tieut voice without was Master Prit-
chard's and II rang with oil h venge-
full passion which l should have ex-
pected that gentleman, duped, ducked
and robbed. to be feeling. There would
he little mercy to be had at his hands.
Moreover, my ears. grown as keen for
the moment as the hunted hare's dis
tinGuished the %tramping OF ut least
half q dozen horses, sc that 1t Gas
clear that he had come with q force
ut his back, Resistance would DO use
less. My sole chance lay In flight, If
flight should still be possible.
Even I'm my haste I did not forsa6e
the talisman which had served me 80
well, but staid an instant to thrust IT
into my pocket. The Guides have, ]
fancy, a knack OF keeping cool In emer-
gencies, getting Indeed the cooler the
greater the stress, #s...
Fly this time the inn was thorough
! ly aroused. Doors were opening and
shutting on all sides OF me, and ques-
tons were being shouted In different
tones FROM room TO room. In the midst
Of the hub-bub I heard he landlord
come out. muttering. and go down
stairs to open the doo Instantly j
Unmatched mine, slipped through It
gteaithily, sneaked q step or two down
h passage and then came plump uE
In the dark against some who was
moving as softly as myself. Tho sur
priso was complete, and / should have
cried out at the unexpected collision
had not the unknown laid o. cold hand
on my mouth and gently pushed rae
back into my room. 2.
Here there was now q faint glimrner
OF dawn. and by this l saw that my
companion was the serving raid.
Hist" she said. speaking under her
breath. us it you they wantf"
/ nodded. '.F
Il thought So she .muttered.
'"Chen you must get put through your
window. You cannot pass them. They
are armed. Quick! Knot this about the
bars. II is no great depth to the bot
torn, and the ground is soft from the
| rain" o.
She tore. es she spoke. the coverIet
! from the bed, and twisting IL into q
kind OF rope helped me to secure one
corner of 1t about the window bar.
when you are down." she whispered,
keep along the wall to the right until
you come to q haystac6. Turn to the
left there-you will have to ford the
water-and you will soon be clear OF
the town. Look about o then, and
you will see q horseback, which leads
TO Elstreet, running I'm a Line with the
London road. but a mile from &c and
through the woods. At Elstree any
path to the left will AXE you to
Barnet and not I'VE miles lost"
Heaven. bless you'll" I said. turning
from the gloom, the dark sky and
driving scud without to peer grateful
Iy at her. Heaven bless you for q good
woman!"
And God keep o for a bonny boy"
she whispered.
1 kissed her, forcing into her hands
"a thing the remembrance of which
Is very pleasant to me to this day-my
last piece OF gold.
A moment more and I stood I'M
hurt. but almost up to my knees In
mud, IN an alley bounded on br.h
sides as far rs 1 could sees by blind
walls. Stopping only to indicate by q
low whistle that I was safe, I turned
m sped away as fast as I could run
In the direction which she had pointed
out. There was nc n abroad and In
O shorter time than / had expected, I
found myself outside the town. travel
ing over q kind OF mooriand tract
bounded In the distance by woods.
Here I picked UP the horseback
easily enough, n without stopping,
save for q short breathing space, hur-
ried along II to gain the shelter OF the
trees. So far so good. 1 had reason
to be thankful. But my case was still
an Indifferent one. More than once in
getting out Of the town I had slipped
n fallen. 1 was wet through and
plastered with dirt owing to these mis-
haps, n my clothes were In q woe
ful plight. For q time excitement kept
me up. however. and I made good way,
warmed by h thong hit that 1 had
again baffied the great bishop. IL was
only when the day had come and
grown on to and I saw no sign
OF any pursuers, that thought got the
upper hand,
Then I began to compare, with some
bitterness OF feeling, my present m
dition-wet, dirty and homeIess-with
that which I had enjoyed only a week
before, and IT needed all my courage
to support me. Skulking. half famished,
between Barnet and Rotterdam, often
compelled to crouch In bitches or be-
hind walls While travellers went by, and
liable each instant to nave to leave the
highway and take to my heels. I had
leisure to feel, and / did feel. more
keenly, I think, that afternoon than at
any later time, the bitterness OF fort
n / cursed Stephen Gardiner q
dozen times and dared not let my
thoughts wander to my father. I had
said that I would build my house
afresh. Well, truly I was building It
from the foundation.
It added very much to my misery
hat 1t ralned all day q cold. half frozen
rain. The whole afternoon I spent In
hiding. shlvering and shaking, I'm q hole
under a ledge near Totterham, being
afraid to go INTO London before night
fall lest I should be waited for at the
gate and be captured. Chilled and be-
dragged as 1 vas and weak, through
a OF food, which I dared not 60
out to beg. the terrors OF capture
got hold OF my mind and presented
to me one by m every horrible form
OF humiliation, the stocks, the pilIory,
the art tail-so hat even Master
Pritchard, could no nave seen me, and
known my mind, might have pitied me:
so that / loathe TO this day the hours
1 spent in that foul hiding place. Be-
tween a mans best and worse there
is little but n platter OF food.
The way this was put an end to I
well remember, An old woman came
into the field where l lay hid to drive
home q cow. 1 had had my eyes on
this COW for ut least an hour. having
made up my mind to milk it for my
own benefit as o as the dusk fell.
In my disappointment at seeing II
| driven of and also out Of a desire TO