Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1915-07-02

L
malls legs.
How much is it?"
Twenty dollars for ticket of FIVE
rides. The master is the fashion u
here. He doesn't cater to any but tn
best families"
Pretty steep. Who was that youn :
lady riding this morning with youi
master?"
That's the girl all the newspapers
have been talking about" answered
the groom importantly.
''Actress?"
Actress! / should say not. That
young woman is the daughter of Stan
ley Hargreave, the millionaire who
was lost at sea. And it won't be long
before she puts her finger in pie of
four or five millions. If you want any
rides, you'll have to talk 1t over with
the boss. He may or may not take
any more rides. You'd probably have
to ride in the afternoon, anyhow, as
every nag is out in the morning"
Where's the most popular road?"
Toward the park; but Miss Har-
greave always goes along the river.
side road She doesn't like strangers
about"
20, see Well, I'll drop In this
afternoon and see your master. They
say that riding is good for torpid
liver. Have a cigar?"
Thanks"
The groom proceeded into the sta.
bles and the affabls stranger took
himself off.
A free rein; they could work it to
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 1t was like falling
off log.
"Susan," said Florence as she came
into breakfast after her exhilarating
ride, "did you hear pistol shots last
Aight?"
Il heard some noise, but 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
"Blood?" Jones caught the back OF
q chair to steady himself.
"Yes. So some one was hurt. Oh,
let's leave this place!" impulsively.
Let us go back to Miss FarIow's
You could find place in the village,
Jones. But If stay here much longer
in this state of unrest / 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. l keep looking over my
shoulder all the time. If / hear a
noise jump"
Miss Florence, II thought 1t 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. / seldom see
anybody about. l can only sense the
presence of watcher. At Miss Far
lows you would be far more like a
prisoner than here. l could not ac-
company you. l 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. ut 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.
H0Ats 4Au6t 14Oy 4nloo Il iChCO. ~
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 us
in the least. 1t is not =. question of
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 a
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 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"
II am very unhappy" And Flor.
enee threw her arms around Susan
and laid her head upon her friends
shoulder.
:. Poor chlldl" Susan, however, req