The Press., 1916-07-06

he forced into marriage; they should simply be held until married from choice or 1t was evident that they pre- ferred to return to Ladybird.
 That they had been fortunate in se- curing the services and advice of a wo- man was evident to all. Some who had believed that the scheme would be the ruin of Eaglebird began to think | that number of the girls could be in duced to remain with them as wives What such persons chiefly dreaded was that the captives would feel outraged at their abduction and that most of them, taking to flight, would make good an escape.
 Preparations were at once begun Tor the raid in accordance with Mrs. liar rison's advice. One end of the town was set apart for the girls and beauti- fled so far as the men could beautify 1t. though, to tell the truth, this con- sisted chiefly in cleaning up, white washing, etc. There was also a clean ing up of the prospective husbands. There were but two or three raZors in the town, and these were in constant requisition. Several men were ap- pointed hair cutters and did lot of shearing. The clothes the men had had come in from the east and were got out and furnished. Altogether after the polishing very presentable set of young men were ready for courtship and matrimony.
 May day opened bright and beautiful. All the teams in the town were har- | messed, and some thirty gool and tru.' l men started for, ,Ladybfrd. At noon | they stopped in a wood few miles from the town for lunch and rest, but 1 by o'clock were again on the march. About they sent out mounted scout 1 to watch for the time fitted for the at tack and waited.
 Over the waving grass and wild flow,
 CTS, through the young leaves. came | the sound of feminine voices mixed
 merrily. Every man started to his 1 feet. In a few minutes the scout rode 1 into camp and reported that the girls | were dancing about the maypole. O'Brien, who was leader, gave the or l der to start, and, advancing to the | cover of trees overhanging certain houses of the town, they left theiI teams and, forming line of battle, al a given signal moved forward in per feet silence upon the enemy.
 | Their advance was heralded by | | scream. but before they were discov | cred they were within striking dis | tance What surprised them was that | instead of running away the girls sank down where they were. covering theil l faces and shrieking. So expeditions were the abductors that before the i elderly folks of the town could even
 collect to observe what was going or
 every girl had been carried off and placed on wagon. ...
 Never was an abduction more easily effected. A few of the girls resisted
 as they were hurried away, but wheth
 CT or no they deemed resistance useless
 their struggles were not violent. Once in the wagons, with guard on cite
 side, they remained quietly where the,
 were, and the caravan set out fo.
 Eaglebird. They had not been long on the way
 when a guard at one of the wagons
 went forward to O'Brien and said:
 "Some of the girls in the wagon Tn
 with are snickering."
 "Snickering? Are you sure it's no
 hysteria? 2
 Mysteries be hanged. It's girls real snicker.' l Then came other reports of the same
 kind, and presently the girls began tt take note of their abductors, then tc
 ask what they were going to do with
 them, and before long the train was
 much like picnic party.
 | We'll, to make long story short | Mrs. Harrison on her visit to Ladybird
 had told of the predicament of a lot o1
 nice young men going downward fol want of wives, and after duly prepar
 ing the young ladies' minds revea.e
 the coming raid. Gradually she wor
 them over to permitting themselves tt
 be abducted, assuring them that they
 would not be forced to marry unless
 they wished.
 Within a few hours after the arriva
 of the train at Eaglebird there was {
 wedding, and before the day was end
 ed there were two more. The number
 of spinsters each day grew beautifully
 less, and in the end but two of then
 returned to Ladybird. .....
 Eaglebird is now quite sizablt
 town, comprising churches, schools ant
 all the requisites of civilization. A few
 great -grandfathers of the present gen
 eration are still honored as having
 been among the band that placed tht
 town on a permanent basis by the raid
 on Ladybird. The latter town has dis
 appeared, there being no trace of il
 left except a cemetery, in which hal
 grown up a forest of trees