Show tho the dox box of silver I 1 1 I 1 I wits was a young girl she said eaid blieu our parents who lived in raderick maryland received a v visit i sit from u cousin madame fairfield who lived over tho mountains in in virginia on an u estate nearly hourly a hundred miles away wit she was a stately lady of the ancient i re ginie and traveled in her bar family coach with her hei black coachman in livery on a high seat beat in front an air of immense respectability hovered about the entire establishment from the high stepping horses in their silver menti ted harness barbells to the substantial leathern lent botu trunks find portmanteaus in tho the boot behind wo we lived in simelor fashion at oar bodao than our a bounin was to in her own domains but my mother was wa a lady barnaud born bor naud imd my father it a chivalrous gentleman so BO ill which madame F airfield might discover were amply compon sated by a time line flower of courtesy she hid it delightful visit of cf several weeks receiving much attention socially and great greatly lyl i enjoying all the extended to her nor did she eho fail to 11 approve prove and amil avail herself of that which la atar to the hoart libart of wo menthe tho shopping chopping of frederick among other things she ehe added largely to lier her stock of 0 silver plate which was in anly ly packed anti and securely nailed up in ill I 1 box bos by itself 11 and now madaio F airfield began to ill urge rge that I 1 should be V 0 allowed to return with her tor for a at her bar ahonso in Cres I 1 need deed not mot say any that I 1 joined in I 1 n the entreaty for though the kh I 1 loved homo home dearly like other Hoat nest linge I 1 was eager to try my wings wings and my deny dear parents with many don is mud and misgivings at last consented to the arrangement it was just the a old experience peri ence over again the young heart hot and restless reit less the he old subdued anil and slow blow 11 it at length thedac for or conr departure eam came e and all tears and smiles I 1 f found myself ensconced in the soft cream colored linings of the it traveling carriage aRO there were four in the company for an older and manolt more elegant lady cousin was to be a visitor at Otos and my dearbon dear boy cousin oliver Pai ifield who had bad been at school near F rederick frederick was waa returning home for a vacation 80 60 we vo made a nice oo abigil madam fairfield and miss misa cecilia on the back seat scat oliver SI and ad I 1 facing them ilow do the world looked to mo that summer icorn ing the brisk inspiriting motion Oliv olivers erld overflowing spirits even the ded delicate lotito odor which escaped from miss misa cecilias Ceo ilias reticule are all stamped in on my memory we passed through what I 1 shall always think the most beautiful country in the ilia world across noble rivers livers and over decino hills hilla following tho the old state stage road from F roderick frederick over a spur of t the a Alleg banies to our Virginia destination part artof of tho the road over lover the summit was through an almost unbroken broken on forest of pines pinea and that ja where belim wo had our adventure wo it stopped topped just b hofere fare beginning the ascent ascentI at a little wayside inn for an hour for or I 1 rent est affa refresh ments and noticed aman alman lia banging nging on the piazza who mie made some inquiries inqui of our black driver pampas poy no as to where we were going and volunteered ored name gome advice falout a ili orter route which we ve might make at ft a certain crossing creasing I 1 am ingli going the same way boarded he bo added with a good natured air of comradeship a il 1 lp I 1 bat our old pompey know knew better belter than to in trust much to an nu na fledged acquaintance and so paid little attention to lie hii remarks pr or tiona soon boon we were on our way again and BB as I 1 glanced down the winding na as cent which we were just beginning I 1 saw now that we were closely followed by our now new acquaintance who kept near us with apparently tittle little effort by and bytho by the forest darkened about us and we wore stopped to lot let oar horses bit breathe bathe ho he overtook us nodded pleasantly and passed on boon wo we canglin up op with him find and now he quick asne boned I 1 his pace trudged along hostile lioe iilo ns and begin talking of the more direct rute As he talked lie bo laid his land familiarly on the ho epen window of the corob 11 rail and I 1 not noticed leed i a long loag red scar 0 on n t its isi b back A shudder went over ever mo me in vola BUrily na as I 1 thought what a terrible blow it musk have taken to leave such much in an ugly and d abiding mark iro ha now grow grew even moro more loquacious bcd aol begun began to tell ell us na how in eaily v days daya he ha was a drover and had bad brou brought many a big drove of cattle along this some road still and what a wild willil rough life lifa it was vaa why right about here i said lie liol I 1 I 1 theres s ilion boa awful murders dono done anti and no evil end of robbery ali wily onet I 1 wild ns it 11 goin along hore here with it lot of bliver till nu cattle for tile frederick market an 1111 it was nas just junt ut dark till mi I 1 leered ilia leat yell yo ye over till an I 1 rode buck back in last ast IIA flit I 1 bouhl H quarter li larter ofa of ik mile or at B whar the mounil soun 1 seema to come from aul ther ihm lay jay it man right on tho the road butchered jost jest butchered an all i I 1 oh ob slop alop pray cried B ill I 1 I 1 dont wish these Y young g people tern fled by such dreadful drann 11 lint ere she eho hil had finished lor her sen sam tence fence oliver loaned leaned from ilia opposite window 0 of the ilia coach to bee it if we no were pursued by it a ghost lie ho afterward no do linow ledged when to his hia amazement ho he saw haw a man cutting the straps which which held the tat inks lie uttered it sudden cry ol of alarm oh mamma theroa the roii it rubber ile bo hind busl 1 I the horses whip pompay whip whip 1 ordered madame 1 airfield loan ing forward and growing white with will terror the horses sprang forward with groat bounds but with tho the first leap the trunks rolled heavily to the grorud while tho the sharp crack of al pistol rang on the air and at the same instant a ball whizzed by ray my ear and buried itself in the cushion behind me against which a moment before I 1 had been beau leaning it wits was a parting lifting salute from our friend no doubt meant for old pompey Poni poy but falling below the mark the horses gul gal loped furiously of on and after a we MO men meet I 1 pompay looking beck back said reassuringly to us poor women crouch ing in in the bottom liol lotti of the conch coach half dead with wi t h fear don t be seared scared ladies deni dam poll poh sinners is busy wid your trunks trucks deys done dona given us up lip euah bush 11 after a little he chuckled deys dona missed gattia go ilia mis miss a liver igorot ore jit am all safe under dis die chi chiles chiletz lets feet in halt half au an hour though it seemed boomed au an endless time to us we wore were at the hallway hall halt way house and received ever every Y P poa aible kindness himl naBB and attention but we did not resume our oar journey till the text next day and aad th then c it with a well armald man on the the seat with pompey meanwhile the alarm had spread and a dozen men were in in pursuit of the rob hard bora oar broken and rifled trunks were found by the road roadside dido where they tell fell madame costly jewelry and velvets velvety were gone miss cecilias Cecili ai laces lacas and jewels also while my lay poor alighted excepting fl beau I 1 cash onah mori mero shawl which was myrn my mothers others but which she lovingly insisted ine isted on adding to lo my wardrobe 1 I 1 had also liko like any schoolgirl school girl put my pa ith its precious contents into my takagi E t trunk uk and that of course was I 1 there is j a little hill sequel li quell to my after story about two months after my arrival arriva I 1 at Cres ono one day an officer appeared at adamo ani and requested 21 ua to go over to the court house and A help identify a man who had boon been arrested and who was wag supposed to bo be the highwayman high myman who had bad at tucked tacked us cecilia Caci lift ond and I 1 turned pule pale at the thought for he hail had haunted our dreams over ever since but badamo fair field thought best for us all to go and so we drove over anil and went timidly up ap the long flight of steps SLOPS still aud into the great biro bare courtroom court room there was ts te be an informal examination of t he prisoner and as aa we entered wo we saw now p a group of men an gat gal galgerud aired herud I 1 about a wretched haggard aggard looking man boari I 1 ly landon ad and fittim fitting in a corner of the ta room with an officer in close attendance tn dance if wo we drew draw nearer and looked at the man maa ia fit a tort sort of ter terrified rifled fascination yes it was the ono who had stood no go near me on that memorable evening there was waa no kinc him but as sur alloo was made doubly sure when I 1 looked down at his bin manacled mana cled hands and saw eav with a cold chill of horror that aicken Ic koning ing long red soar scar no was too stolid and hardened to show the slightest recognition of us but bat months afterward when he was serving out his hia sentence son tence in the states prison he con fessel that ho he hall had been prowling around frederick and lad bad been in the silversmiths when madame fairfield maieller mad ma ejier deller purchases purchased na HO had bad then than followed her home and ascertained in various ways who she was and when she would start on her homeward journey ila ho and his accomplice bad hoped to take off the tha trunks unobserved from tho the back of the coach and so become pos devours of the silver the plan was evidently for hila to engage us ua in such interesting conversation that wo would take no notice of affairs au aira behind us ua it was only this device failed that be resorted to his pistol and came so 60 near adding my bay innocent blood to the other crimes of that red scarred haud hand 11 |