Evening star., 1924-09-01
Webster.

Of clouds, flooding the road with
ghostly light and John, to his astonisf-
ment, saw that the confederate was a
girl, a girl in a tattered cloak and tar
nished tumbler flnery. munchins a tur-
nip. Strolling acrobats! That ex-
planned the mans uncanny agility.
What are you doing here?" he de-
manded.
Nothing. SIR" said the girl, chewing
q lump Of the root.
"Ill have him hung and you trans
ported for this" John thundered.
81 did you no harm,' said the girl
calmly.
That was true enough. John wondered
why she had not come to the assistance
of her man: tribe law was strong with
these outcasts he understood. He asked
her.
The girl shrugged her shoulders He
beat me yesterday. l wanted to see
him beat. You done it. Good"'
She thrust bare, we'll nodded arm
in Johns face. 1t was bruised from ell
bow to shoulder. She spat at the un-
conscious tumbler.
What is he to you?" John asked.
Nothing" she retorted. Muck" and
took another wolfish bite at the
turnip; she appeared ravenous.
John turned his back on her. He had
no intention Of proceeding with the
| matter, since to do SO meant carry.
ing stunned footpad. twelve stone at
least, mile into Market Jew and later
standing the publicity of the Assizes.
He was not q little elated at the sue
cess Of his flying mare" and in q
mood to be generous. After all, he had
lost nothing but little skin; he would
let the matter drop. He picked the
man up and slung him off the road into
the gorse Of the pack track. Now for
his horse. He walked past the MUNICH
ing girl in silence, halted, felt in his
pocket, found a form and jerked 1t to
her.
Here" he said. get yourself an
honest meal"
The fiorin fell in the idtch, the girl
dropped of the bank onto 1t as he had
seen a hawk drop on a field vole.
Good Cod" he muttered. "She must
be starved" and walked on.
He would knock up the inn in Market
Jew and spend the remainder of the
night there, he decided. He would look
for his horse in the morning-but he
expected 1t would trot home.
A hundred yards short Of the st.
Hilary turning he came upon the mare:
she was standing quietly, forefoot
planted on a broken rein, holding her
self nose to the ground. He freed her,
knotted the rein, and mounting, clat.
tered down the single street and out
on the beach road on the other side.
Since he had his horse he would push
straight through after all; If he stop
ped he would have to concoct some
story to account for his battered state,
which would be difficult. He went at .
walk, pondering over the events Of the
night. On his left hand the black mass
of st. Michael's Mount loomed out OF
the moon -silvered bay like some basking
sea monster; before him lay Penzance
with the spire of st. Mary's rising
,, above the masts Of the coasters, spear
ing at the stars.
At Ponsandane River the mare picked
up stone. John jumped of, hooked it
out and was preparing to remount,
when he noticed that she had got her
head round and was staring back
down the road, ears pricked. There
WAS some one behind them. He wait.
ed full minute. but could neither see
nor hear anything, so went on again,
| through Penzance, over Newlyn Green
and up the hill; The wind had died
| rides dawn; the east was already
paling. In the farms about Paul
John could hear the cocks bugling to
each other; hidden birds in the black
thorns gave sleepy twitters; a colt
| whinnied. Good morning" from a
nearby neld and Cantered along the
| hedge, shaking the dew from it's
| name. Everything was very quiet,
very peaceful, yet John could not rid
| himself of the idea that he was be-
ing followed. He pulled UP again
and lists ned. but. hearing nothing,
rode on, calling himself 4 fool.
| He dropped down into Trevelloe
| Bottoms, save the mare q drink in
Lamofna stream and climbed Boleigh.
A wall-eyed sheep dog came out Of a
| cottage near ths Pipers and few,
yelping, at the horses heels. He
cursed 1t roundly and 1t retired
| whence it came. tail between its legs
AS he turned the bend in the road he
| heard the cur break into. q fresh
frenzy of barking.
There was somebody behind him
after all, somebody who went softly
and stopped when he did. 1t was as
| he had suspicioned; the tumbler had
! come to and was trailing him home
to get his fevenge-to fire stacks or
rip q COW, an old gypsy trick. John
swung the mare into cattle track,
tied her to q blackthofn, pulled a
| heavy stone out of the mud and
| waited, crouehed against the bank,
hidden in the furse. He would settle
| this rogue once ana for ali. Every
| yeoman instinct aroused. he would
havs fAoed forty such Ia dS1enso OF
| his seek, his plA0A
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