Norwich bulletin., 1913-05-28

l with unruffled calm. to the panting
 girl, whose eyes blazed anew at this ] address, T can see that there is some
 reason back of your mistake. But you
 are making a complete blunder. l am 1 no robber And these saddle-bags l 1 found"
 No doubt.' said the girl with rag 1 ing sercasm, found them growing on l a huckleberry bush probably. And you 1 didn't shoot at the cashier of the Clin- l ton bank; and you didn't steal my 1 horse and saddle last night to escape
 with and there aren't a hundred men
 with guns looking for you this minute. 1 Now, 1 tell you what 1 mean business! i Will you surrender. or shall 1 shoot /" 1 Well, on reflection. l think r sur l render"
 Put up your hands, then. I shall ;, make you walk ahead of me and carry 1 those bags"
 How can I carry them with my 1 hands above my head?" l Well, you know what I mean. You 1 must-oh, aren't you a horrid villain! ] Y ou smile as if it was all a joke. Take
 up those bags at once and go ahead;
 and remember, my rifle will be point l ed at you all the time. And shall be | close behind you'
 She started toward him. But she 1 had not fully counted on the difficulty
 of keeping a steady aim and at the 1 same time walking over the very l rough ground. Her foot caught in root, and she fell fiat, the rifle going off as it struck. In three leaps the
 man was at her side one hand grasp 1 ing her weapon and one held out to
 assist her. She sprang to her feet, and her brave, beWitching little face went deathly white.
 Now, fortunately. you will be com l pelled to listen to me" said the man, in the same quiet. commanding tone 1 that he had used throughout See, l my young friend, I have your rifle. You are powerless now. Pray, keep i your self control and just listen req sonably to what I have to say I wouldn't harm Nou for the world. And I am no more a bank robber than you are"
 The girl stood white and motionless, her lips trying not to tremble. T am lumber surveyor. stranger l in this part of Michigan. I walked over from Port Coleman this morning. More than an hour ago, down the road, l met a riderless horse. a white horse, with one dark stocking. I tried to catch him. but he was shy. These bags 1 found while l was prospecting through the woods; they lay near the body of a man in that clump of bushes over there. You can go over and look at the body, if you don't believe me. l guess he is your Tobber all right; and l judge he didn't get away with out carrying some lead in him. I
 
 stuffed with bank bills. and l guessed pretty near what had happened. I was trying to find my way to the nearest town when you so suddenly hailed me"
 The reaction was too much for the girl, who was, after all. little more than child. She swayed unsteadily. The man caught her by the arms, sup ported her to big log and she sat down.
 T guess I probably made a mistake" came at length. in rather a faint voice. You don't talk much like a rObber And you don't look much like one" glancing up into the clear-cut, manly face. T ask you to excuse me. was dreadfully excited. Father taught me to shoot and I love to go of meeting the robber. They all thought he would strike toward the Canada line. When I saw those saddle bags I was dead sure you must be the robber."
 You couldn't very well think any thing else. But my name Is John Carleton, and I am in the employ of you are sufficiently rested we will go to Clinton together, and I will intro duce myself properly to your father. am expecting to spend most of this season in the vicinity of Clinton"
 Three months later. in the dusk of a beautiful, balmy evening, John Carle- ton and Vivien Laroche were talking together He had seen much of her during these happy summer weeks and was an honored guest at her fath- er's house whenever he called.
 Miss Laroche, I often think of our