Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 210: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~ _ . : . “ ~~ a) . >.> a & ae “ > at bl srt > BLAOK BESS; 0 | Bay bah tee. ~ yn ee —s Pd .- -, ee « * m “ys * eats a IER A a TET RD INS eS NE gee “i He thought so himself, and wondered what reason be} “Yes. Don’t look at those few paltry guineas. You — _ could give for making it. + } might have had two thousand and more if we had only _ He was rewarded bya general stare of astonishment, | been a little quicker, That man who has just left is - gud then chs sld farmer, slowly removing his pipe frem | Dick Turpin, the highwayman—the descrirtion is exact. _ his mouth, echoed: He 15 hiding somewhere close at hand~ skat’s why he _ “A basket of provisions ?” ¥ : wanted the provisions.” Yes,” said Dick—‘a large one. You wonder, ro ‘ Well—well,” said the farmer, “he hehaved liberally doubt, that I should ask for euch a thing, but the fact.is | exough to me, and ina manner tzat I imagine few clse _ IT wantit fora poor, almost starving family, whe have | would, and ashe has never done mea or using any harm rendered me a services, and J take this way of ropaying jin his life I wish him none.” . them.” ‘But, father,” said the boy, “you have always called The farmer cour? scarcely refuse compiiancs with this | me an idle, skulking raseal; now you will find that in _ demand, so he answered : point of cleverness I shall be a match for any of you. I “We have no objection, sir, certainly! What would | have made up my mind to find out where this Dick you like to take ?” Turpin is hiding, and I will do it! Don’t you know That I leave to you,” he responded. “Willup che tthe reward is offered for him alive or dead, and Tl] basket with whatever you please.” watch my chance, and fetch him down with this. It He produced a handful of money as he spoke, and then] wili be easy enough to say afterwards it was done in he noticed, with some surprise, that all fixed an eager, | seli-defence, and no one wi!l trouble themselves to dis- _ hungry look upon the coins, more especially the old] prove it.” farmer. V4ile he spoke, this hopeful son, whose disposition, _ The task of filling the basket was now proceeded with, | being so foreign to that of his parents, had caused ¢on- and Dick, jingling the money m his hand, asked “hat he | tinual unhappiness, stepped up on to a chair, and reached should pay for it. down from over the mantelpiece a large double-barrelled ‘To this there came no response. horse pistol, which all knew well enough was constantly Well, then,” he said, ‘take this guinea—that surely’| kept carefully loaded. _ will suffice. The remainder you can divide among your| ‘ Well, Jack,” caid the farmer, “you are joking sure? Have you no sense of gratitude or humanity left? Didn’t _ young ones.” that man do for us all he could? and yet you would go ‘Ah! sir,” said the farmer, as he took the coin, “you are happy!” out and murder him!” Q Dick smiled doubtfully. ‘“‘ You’re a fool, father,” said Jack, as he bounded towards _ “What a thing it is,” continued the old man, “to be | the door, “‘and you'd better be civil if you want to make _ possessed of money! Here have I been toiling all my life, _ and behold the result. I have had one bad season after ~ another, until to-night, when preparing myself for rent _ day, which is to-morrow, I am short of many pounds.” “Indeed?” said Dick, thoughtiuily. a friend of me. Your trouvles have all been bronght upon you by soft-heartedness, and serve you right! When I have got the money I fancy you will alter your tone towards me.” Rus +: No—no, Jack, never—never! Nothing would temps _ . “Yes,” said the farmer. ‘And the worst of it is, 1} me to touch one farthing of money so obtained!” _ have mortgaged my property to one who covets itfor; .“Then there would be the more for me,” said Jack, ~~ himself. Any failure of payment on my part ill cause ; putting on his hat preparatory to leaving the farm- utter ruin—we shall be driven forth quite destitrts, I] pouse. am convinced he would show no pity. ifitherto = have But the farmer rose quickly to his feet, and said: ST LS TG SE _ managed, in some fashion or other, to tneet my engage-| “Jack, you have always set me at defiance, but now 1 _ ments; now I see not the remotest prospect of it—-nothing | will use my authority—l will be minded !” but beggary stares us in the face.” “ Catch me if you can!” was the response. “I’m off, “Yam sorry,” said Dick, “to hear of your misfortunes, | and when J come back I shall be worth more than two and sorry, also, I cannot assist you; otherwise, I wouid | thousand pounds! I will find him if it takes me a month ; gladly doso. Yet, in return for the kindness you have | he cannot be far away.” done me to-night—which is, perhaps, a greater one then! With these words, Jack, having flung open the door, you imagine—I am willing to lend you whatever money | bounded cut, and was in a moment Jost to view in the I have about me, and you can repay me when better times | darkness. | arrive.” The farmer and his family gathered around the thres- The farmer made some faint and feeble protes\ against | hold in a dense throng. receiving money from a stranger, but Dick took not the} They appealed to the boy to return, their voices going _ slightest notice of his words. into one chorus, but the sounds were borne away upon It will be remembered that he had not a very large | the wind, anil left unheeded. sum about him, yet he counted it.out to the last guinea. “Tt is uscless,” said the old man. “He has gone, and - , “TPhero,” he said, “take it and welcome. When Tj all the harm that I wish him is, that he may fail in his hear that you are in better circumstances I will come | vyillanous design. For my own part, I will take good ~ back and claim it.” care he never stands beneath my roof again.” _ With these words, Dick rose abruptly to his feet, for} And if to show practically how firm he was in this. he saw the basket had been brought. determination, the farmer shut the door, and closely He picked it up at once, and, unheeding the cries that | barricaded it. were made for him to remain, he opened the door snd Of all this, of course, Dick Turpin was quite ignorant, passed out into the darkness. otherwise he might not have stepped across the field in so confident a manner as he did. AD va All the way back te the quarry he was indeed con- | “ne CHAPTER UAILX. eratulating timcelé upon the fortunate turn affairs had - oe THE FARMER'S SON RESOLVES TO DISCG/ 'R PICK TURPIN’S HIDING-PLACE. No egoner bad the door closed behind Dick Turpin inan a youth, who had been sitting in a dark corner, ross sud- denly, and came to thie fire. | Ke threst his hand into his pocket and prouuced 2 aper, at whica te glanced cagerly, spelling it over to imself word by word. So much absorbet «ere the rest by the strange in- cident which had just oecurred that they paid no aiten- _ tion to him, nor did he attract flicir notice until he ex- ~elaimed, with loud vehemenvce; “J thought so—I thought so. Father, you have let a prize slip through your fingers.” ‘A prize?” repeated the farmer, gazing at the money iz his hand, taken. He considered that by promptly renderiug up his .orse he had secured the gratitude of the farmer and hig iamily, and that if by any chance they found ous who he was that they would not betray him. The darkness of the night was such that Dick had some little difficulty in finding his way back to the - quarry, therefore it is no wonder that Sack should see aa nothing of him. | see Most certainly, however, was this ungovernable boy a eo foe to be dreaded. | With rapid: strides, Dick descended the pathway, and es no sooner did he reach the bottom than he heardafaint, | low neigh, , Directly after wards, despite the darkness, he perce?yed Black Bess standing close to him, | cs x Roe €omicbooks : , an, ~ EE EE ET AE LT KT aE peat . i - NG, _— P . . , . . - . ca - - 7 / Ss fe tee ee ees Oe oe +t”. ae on bal * Se