The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-20


pheasant indeed lie put it into the
basket of his bicycle, and mounted.
They had barely started when
keeper sprang out Of the hedge forty
yards ahead and came running to-
wards them. There was neither room
nor time to run. They rode on; and
the keeper made for the Terror. The
Terror swerved; and the keeper
swerved. Virgins ran bang into the
keeper; and they came TO the ground
together as the Terror shot ahead as
hard as he could 60.
He caught up with Erebus; and his
cry of "Keeperp set her racing beside
him; but both of them kept looking
back for Virgins and presently, when
no Virgins appeared, with one accord
they slowed down and stopped.
"'rhe keepers got him. This is n
mess !" said the Terror, painting little
from their spurt.
"If only IL had been one of usi"
cried Erebus. Whatever are we to
doT"
"If that beastly keeper hadn't seen
me with the pheasant, I'd have got
him away somehow" said the Terror.
"But as il is it's me they really want /;
and I'd get fined TO dead certainty.
Come ON, let's go back and see what's
happened to him. You scout on
ahead"
"All right" said Erebus mounting.
She rode back through the wood
slowly her keen eyes straining for q
sign of an ambush. The Terror fol-
lowed her at distance of sixty yards,
ready to jump Off, turn his machine,
and fly, should she give the alarm.
They got no sight of Virgins till they
came, Just beyond the end of the wood,
to the lodges Of Deeping Park; then,
halfway up the drive, they saw the
keeper and his prey. The Keeper held
Virgins with his left hand and
wheeled the captured bicycle with his
right. The Twins dismounted. Even
at that distance they could see the
deep detection of their friend.
There's not really any reason for
= him to be frightened" said the Ter.
ror more calmly. "He was never In
the wood; and he never touched the
/, pheasant"
} "But he toiH be frightened; he'll be
l frightened out Of his life; he's sc
young" said Erebus in n tone of ex
treme distress, gazing with acute anx
! iety after their recedlDg friend. "He':
+. not like us he won't cheek the keeper
,, all the way like l should"
! "Oh, Virgins has plenty Of pluck
J, said the Terror In n reassuring tone.
"But he won't understand he's al
: right He's only ten. And there's nc
> saving how that beastly foreigner who
. shoots nlghtlngales Will bully him.
i cried Erebus with unabated anxiety.
= "Well, the sooner we go and fetcf
= his father the sooner he'll be out Of
: ! It," said the Terror, making as IL t
i mount his bicycle.
. . "No, MOI" cried Erebus almos
!, fiercely. 'That won't do at all
! We've got TO rescue him now! AnC
q you've got TO find way"
% The Terror frowned, and took off hi
y cap to wrestle more manfully with tn
n problem.
- Then he said in the gloomlest tone
~ 81 can't see what we can do"
!, "Oh, I'm going to get him out of thi
70 somehow !" cried Erebus desperately
, and she sprang ON her machine ant
~ rode up the drive.
J; The Terror half mounted. an
~ stopped at the thought that he was tn
:, only one in real danger. He groun
W his teeth; for all his fiawless serenit
70 inactlOn was repugnant to him.
Erebus reached Great Deeping CouI
=, bare four minutes after the keeper.
10 The bicycle of Virgins stood agains
~ one of the pillars Of the porch. Sh
~ dismounted and stood considering fo
~ ~ perhaps half a minute; then she move
y, his bicycle so that il was right TO h
-, hand IL he came out, set her own
- cycle against another of the pillar
1,So but out of sight lest he should take
.o by mistake, walked up the steps, han
~ mered the knoclSer firmly, and raI
.o the bell. The moment the door openC
~ she stepped quickly past the footma
l'a into the hall. The keeper sat on
a- % chair facing her; and on the chair b
m side him sat Virgins, looking Vel
ar white and woebegone.
"What are you doing with my HIT
brotherT said Erebus sharply, adop
X- ing Virgins TO strengthen her positio
UT The keeper opened his eyes and sa
sr' in tone OF some triumph, II caug
10 i'm poachin'--"
"Stand upl What do you mean
~ speaking to me, sitting DOWN. sa
AZ; Erebus I'm her most imperative tone.
ell The keeper stood up with uncomm'
lht quiclxness and sudden sheepish al
II "'E was pOachln," he said sulkily.
Dy "He was not A little boy Ii
that" cried Erebus scornfully.
nd Anyways o was a aldin' an abettl
ely an I've brought i'm to Mr.. D'Ar
He Rosenheimer an It's for i'm to say
ON said the keeper stubbornly.
ats There came faint click from I
rer beautiful lips of Erebus, the gen
click by which the Twins called o
me another to attention. At the SOU
eat Virgins, his face family flushed wi
cir h1De, braced himself. Erebus mel
Inc ured the distance with the eye of
in expert, just as there came into the II
oc- ther end of the hall that large, flabl
of pudding-faced young Pomeranian B
he ton, Mr.. darcy Rosenheimer.
len Where's the boacherT he said
II an eager, angry voice, reyerting In
her motion TO the ancestral 3D."
as As the keeper turned to him Erel
ire sprang to the door and threw II wi
ok bolt. Wlgglns" she cried.
his Virgins bolted for the door;