The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-26

she had entered, she chose a trail at
random and plunged into the woods.
She assumed that probably all the
roads and paths on the estate led
more or less directly to the great
house or to some lodge or bungalow.
She had lost her riding-crop in her
mad fight, and she broke off switch,
tossing its leaves into the moonlight
and laughing softly as they rained
about her.
Suddenly ahead of her through the
woods floated the sound of singing
one of those strange. wavering pieux
cantiQues peculiar to the south. She
rode on, thinking to find help and
guide back to Ardsley; then the music
ceased, and lights now flashed family
before her, but she went forward
guardedly.
I'm much more lost than thought
was, for I must be away off the es-
tate" she reflected. She turned and
rode back few rods and dismounted,
and tied her horse to sapling. She
was disappointed at not finding a
camp of Ardmore's wood-cutters, to
whom she would unhesitatingly have
confided herself but it seemed wise
now to exercise caution in drawing to
herself the attention of strangers She
did not know that she had crossed the
state line and was in South Carolina,
or that the singing she had heard
f1oated from the windows of Mount
Nebo church.
She became now the astonished wit
ness of series of incidents that &C.
Cured so swiftly as fairly to take her
breath away. A tall, loosely articu.
lated man came from the direction OF
the church and walked toward her.
She knelt at the tree and watched,
the moonlight giving her clear view
of rustic somewhat past middle age,
whose chief characteristics seemed to
be grizzled beard and long arms
that swung oddly at his side. The
brim of his wool hat was turned up
sharply from his forehead and she
had a glimpse of the small, keen, gray
eyes with which he swept the forest
before him. He freed horse which
she had not before noticed, and she
expected him to mount and ride away
to join others of the congregation
whom she heard making off in road
beyond the church. Then, with
quickness and deftness that bafied
her eyes, two men rose beside him
just as he was about to mount; there
was no outcry and no sound of scuf-
fling. so quick was the descent and so
perfect the understanding between the
captors In a moment the man was
gathered up, bound, and flung on his
saddle She had a better view of him,
now that he was hatless, though gag
had been forced into his mouth and a
handkerchief tied over his eyes, so
that he presented a grotesque appear
ance. Jerry was SO absorbed that she
forgot to be afraid; never in her life
had she witnessed anything so amaz-
Ing; as this. and now, to. her more
complete bewilderment, the captors,
after carefully inspecting their work
and finding it satisfactory, seemed to
disappear utterly from the face of the
earth.
In the woods to her left she thought
she heard horse neigh; then she saw
shadows moving in that direction:
and again, from the road. she heard
the brief debate of the two men as
to the whereabouts Of Bill. and 1T
struck Jerry humorously that he
would not soon see his friends unless
| they came and helped him out of his
| predicament.
1t may help to an understanding of
Miss Jerry Dangerfield's character If
It is recorded here that never in her
short life had she failed to respond to
the call of impulse. She was lost in
the woods, and strange men lurked
about; a man had been attacked,
seized. and left sitting in state of
absurd helplessness on horse pre-
sumablyg his own. and there was no
guessing what dire penalty his cap
tors had in store for him.
Quiet reigned in the neighborhood
of the church; the lights had blinked
out; the bang of the closing shutters
treasured Jerry, and she crept on her
knees toward the unconscious captive,
Ioosed his horses rein and led it rap
idly toward her own horse, a little
farther back in the woods Her blind
folded prisoner, thinking his original
captors were carrying him off, renew
ed his efforts to free himself.
Jerry gained her own saddle in the
least bit of a panic, and when she
had mounted and made sure of the
leading-strap with which her prison
ers horse was provided, she rode on
at rapid walk until she reached the
clearing, where the stumps again
grlmly Knocked her. She stopped to
listen, and heard through the still
night first one cry and then many
voices in various keys of alarm and
rage. Then she bent toward the pris-
oner, tore the bandage from his eyes,
and with more difficulty freed him of
The gag. He blinked and spluttered
1t this unexpected deliverance. then
olinked and spluttered afresh at see