The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-11-06
where's the most popular roau ;

Toward the park; but Miss Har.
greave always goes along the river.
side road. She doesn't like strangers
about"
20, l see. Well, I'll drop In this
afternoon and see your master. They
say that riding is good for a torpid
liver Have a cigar?"
Thanks"
The groom proceeded into the sta.
bles and the affable stranger took
himself off.
A free rein; they could work II 20
suit themselves. There wasn't the
least obstacle in the way. On the
face of it, it appeared to be the sim
plest job they had yet undertaken.
To get rid of the riding master in
some natural way after he and the
girl had started. Il was like falling
off log.
Susan" said Florence as she came
into breakfast after her exhilarating
ride, did you hear pistol shots last
| night?"
II heard some noise. but was so
sleepy / didn't try to figure out what
it was"
did you, Jones?"
Eyes, 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 al 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"
Blood" Jones caught the back Of
= chair to steady himself.
Eyes. So some one was hurt. On.
let's leave this place." impulsively.
Let US go back to Miss Farlow's.
You could find a place In the village.
; Jones. But IL / 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 my
shoulder all the time. II ! hear a
noise jump
miss Florence, II I thought II wise.
you should be packed of to Miss Far
lows this minute. But not an hour or
the day or night passes without this
house being watched. ! seldom see
anybody about. can only sense the
presence of a watcher. At Miss Far
lows you would be far more like q
prisoner than here. ! could not &C
company you. ! am forbidden to de-
sert this house"
my fathers orders?"
Jones signified neither one way nor
the other. He merely gazed stolidly
at the rug.
THAT blood" She sprang from her
| chair, Mortified. eft 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 look for him."
Then Jones continued, as with an eff
| fort: Trust me, Miss Florence. IL
would not pay to run away. The
whole affair would be repeated else
where. We might go to the other end
of the world, but it would not serve as
| in the least 1t is not . question or
escape, but of who shall vanquish the
other. There is nothing to do but re-
main here and fight, fight, fight. We
have put four of them in the Tombs.
to say nothing of the gunner. That
| 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 If they watch,
SO do we. There is never a moment
when help is not within reach, no mat
| ter where you go. So long as you do
not deceive me, no real harm shall be-
fall you. Don't cry. Be your fathers
daughter, as am his servant"
81 am very unhappy" And Flor
ence threw her arms around Susan
and laid her head upon her friends
shoulder
Poor child" Susan, however. rec
ognized the wisdom OF Jones' state
ments. They were safest here.
The morning rides continued. To
the girl, who loved the open, IL was
glorious fun. Those mad gallons
along the roads, the smell of earth and
sea, the Jingle in the blood, we're the
second best moments of her day. The
first? She invariably blushed when
she considered what these first best
| moments were. He was brave young
man, good to look at. witty. and al
ways cheerful. Why shouldn't she
like him? Even Jones liked him
Jones, who didn't seem to like any
! body. 1t did not matter whether he
| was wise or not; a worldly point OF
| view was farthest from her youthful
thoughts. It was her own affair; hes
| own heart.
Five days later. as she and the rid