Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-11-27

girl had started. 1t was Hike falling
off o log.
Susan" said Florence as she came
into breakfast after her exhilarattng
ride. did you hear pistol shots last
night?"
Il heard some noise, bat I was SO
sleepy I didn't try to figure out what
it was"
did you, Jones?'
Yes, Miss Florence. The shots
came from the street. A policeman
came running up later and said he
| saw two automobiles on the run. But
evidently there wasn't anybody hurt.
One has to be careful at night now
| adays. There are pretty bad men
abroad. Did you enjoy the rider"
Very much. But there were spots
of blood on the walk near the corner"
~Bloodg" Jones caught the back OF
a chair to steady himself.
"Yes. So some one was hurt Oh.
let's leave this placei" impuisively
Let us go back to Miss Farlow's,
You could find a place in the village,
Jones. But if I stay here much longer
in this state of unrest I shall lose
faith in everything and everybody.
Whoever my fathers enemies are,
they do not lack persistence. They
have made. two attempts against my
liberty, and sooner or later they will
succeed. / keep looking over nay
shoulder all the time. If l hear q
noise I jump
Miss Florence. if I thought it wise,
you should be packed off to Miss Far
lows this minute. But not an hour OF
the day or night passes without this
house being watched, l seldom see
anybody about. / can Only sense the
presence of a watcher. At Miss Far
lows you would be far more like 9
prisoner than here. / could not &C
company you. 1 am forbidden to de
sert this house."
my fathers orders?"
Jones signi1ed neither one way mol
the other. He merely gazed stolidly
at the rug.
THAT blood!" She sprang from hel
chair. Mortified. TT was his! He was
here last night, and they shot
him. o."
"There, there, Miss Florence! The
man was only slightly wounded He's
where they never will hook for him"
Then Jones continued. as with an Ell
fort: Trust me, Miss Florence. II
would not pay to run away. The
whole affair would be repeated else
where, We might go to the other enc
of the world, but it would not serve Us
in the least. 1t is not q question Of
escape, but of who shall vanquish the
other. There is nothing to do u re
main here and fight, fight. fight. We
have put four of them in the Tombs
to say nothing of the gunner Thai
is what we must do-put them In
safe place, one by one, till we reach
the master. Then only may We
breathe in safety, But IL they watch
SO do we. There is neyer a moment
when help is not within reach, no mat
ter where you go. So long as you dc
not deceive me, no real harm shall be
fall you. Don't cry. Be your fathers
daughter, as I am his servant"
II am very unhappy" And Flor
ence threw her arms around Susan
and laid her head upon her friends
shoulder.
Poor childi" Susan, however. rec
ognized the wisdom of Jones state
ments. They were safest here
The morning rides continued. Tt
the girl, who loved the open, it was
glorious fun. Those mad gallopi
along the roads, the smell of earth and
sea, the Jingle in the blood. were thu
second best moments of her day. Th'
first? She invariably blushed whel
she considered what these first bes
moments were. He was a brave Eounl
man, good to look at, witty. and a.
ways cheerful Why shouldn't sh'
like him? Even Jones liked him
Jones, who didn't e to like any
body. It did not matter whether h
was wise or not; a worldly point o
view was farthest from her youthful
thoughts. 1t was her own affair; he
own heart.
Five days later, as she and the rid
ing master were cantering along tn
road, enjoying every bit of 1t, the,
heard the beat of hoofs behind. The,
drew up and turned. A rider was az
preaching them at a run. 1t was tn
head groom. The man stopped hi
horse in a cloud of dust
"Sir, the stables are on fires"
"Fire?'
All the riding masters savings wer
z invested in the stables. The fac
that he had solemnly promised neye
to leave Florence alone, and that b
had accepted a generous bonus slippe
from his mind at the thought of fire
a terrible word to any horseman. II
wheeled and started off at breaknec
; speed, his head groom Gathering be
hind him.
Florence naturally wondered whic
I of two courses to pursue: follow then
T when she would be perfectly helples
! to aid them, or continue the ride an
3 save at least one horse from the tel
ror sof seeing flames. She chose tn
latter. But she did not ride with tn
earlier zest. She felt depressed. Sh
loved horses, and the thought of ther
dying in those wooden stables wa
: h~orrifying.
$ The fire, however, proved to be II
cipient. But it was plainly incend
S airy. Some one had set fire to it wit
a purpose in view. Norton recognize
d this fact almost as soon as the fr'
men. He had come this morning wit
the idea of surprising Florence. H
was going out on horseback to joi
K her. s.
His spine grew suddenly cold.
trap! She had been left alone on tn
e road! He a over to the garage. 81
@ cured a car, and went humming on
toward the river road. A trap, an
konly by the sheerest luck had b
a turned up in time.