The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-10-01


spectacle of this new wantonness,
leaned forward, too.
The silly maneuvers of the occu-
PANTS of the two coaches were rather
strikinglv reminiscent of the days
when stage coaches went through
the mountain passes and sometimes
came to grief at the hands of road
agents.
But shrieks of laughter on the
Bigelow tally-ho changed to cleverlv
acted shrieks of dismay. With
comic gesture that sent Mr.. Pinner
off in an inward convulsion, Mr..
BigeIow, threw up his hands at the
command of the men on the other
coach; when it seemed that Percy
kirkpatrick did not respond quickly
enough to suit the pseudo-robbers, a
revolver flashed warning to him,
and the highwaymen, by way of
showing the people on the hotel We
randa that it was all a merry game,
footed the horn again.
The fun grew fast and furious.
The ladies on the besieged coach
waved their hands in mock despera-
ton at Mr.. Pinner, who entered into
the spirit of the thing and promptly
waved back to show them that he
quite approved, and that the best of
feelings were preserved between
them. Emboldened by Mr.. Pinners
pleased interest, Miss Lands gave
an excellent imitation of faint,
and this provoked another blast from
the horns.
As fitting climax-one that In
the estimation of the porch-rocker
ladies seemed quite in accordance
with her natural vulgarity-Mrs.
Bigelow was seen to strip her jew
eled collar from her throat and hand
1t over to the man on the box, who
promptly passed it to one of his fel-
lows for examination. Evidently its
quality was satisfactory, for the man
slipped it into his pocket with
profound bow, and the third man,
whose inventiveness seemed confined
to horn blowing, footed his horn
again.
The short man held out persua-
sive hand to Mr.. Bigelow, who at
this stage of the game deemed it a
novelty to resist, so the highway
man, finding moral suasion ineffect-
i've, leaned from the box and with a
well-delivered blow sent Mr.. Bige-
low topping into the dust. He came
down off the coach like bag of
meal. The ladies squealed hysteri-
cally, the horns footed, but the short
man continued to play his part.
He jumped blithely to the ground
and proceeded to rifle bis victims
pockets.
The men had remounted their
tally-ho and, with a farewell blast,
had disappeared round the bend be-
fore the spectators could realize or
appreciate the meaning of this new
development.
A feeling of uncertainty ran like
an electric current through the group
on the veranda; the ladies in linen
and the youths in flannel looked at
one another in breathless interroga-
ton.
No, it couldn't be. 1t was just
prank. But why did Mr.. Bigelow
gather himself into dazed heap and
crawl-ye, crawl on all-fours-
toward the hotel? And why did
Miss Landis continue to faint, and
the GARDENERS to embrace each other
wildly? The innkeeper rose awk-
wardly to his feet as Mr.. Bigelow,
scratched and dust-stained, reared
the veranda. Reproach, deep and
unforgiving, was writ plainly on his
fat face.
'What the devils the matter with
your he squeaked tFWbat dye
sitting there like lot Of
fools and letting US be robbed"
"Robbed ?" exclaimed the ladies,
surprised into speech in spite of
themselves.
Robbed echoed Mr.. Primer, in
tnno IF fearsome awe He Dassa1