The Argosy — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

The Robbers’ Cave. 53 mounted to this his observatory, as he called it, but on the present occasion he had been oblivious of all but the refugees. However, he got safely into a spacious room, lighted by a good- sized tower-window, and stood in the centre, looking about him. “If hundreds of fugitives have taken refuge here, why not a woman and a babe?” he thought, as the rosy dawn looked in through the arched window, and lighted up a trestle-bed, a chair or two, and a table. “They will be safe nowhere else till we get them beyond seas. The robbers are ubiquitous.” He looked out of the window on a glorious prospect of mountain-tops now clearing from mists, and a sky all crimson, purple and golden. ‘‘ What could anyone want more? It is summer, fortunately, and I can feed them. ‘They shall lack nothing. Old Jonas, sexton, and Joshua, clerk, will say there is another ghost if they hear the infant.” All that day there was such a coming and going at the little parsonage that all that was thought of was how to conceal the poor little heir of Plas Werne. The countryside was all astir, and little work was done that day. The peasantry spoke with bated breath, and the Parson had as much as he could do to listen. Everybody was in terror of his life, and no one was powerful enough to make head against the freebooters. Indeed, no one ever came across them. At Plas Werne, on the previous evening, there had been only women and children, for Ap Madoc was dead, and his widow and family lived there, with their servants; and where, it was asked, were the men ? In league with the robbers, it was suggested, since only one grey- headed old butler was found among the murdered. The house had been rifled, and there was no one left to say how it had happened. Of all the crimes committed by the outlaws, this was the most glaring; and rich and poor were roused—for whose turn might it not be next P Swords and knives were sharpened, guns loaded, and a great show of valour made : but what did the robbers care? ‘They were secure in their numbers and their cave, and defied law and authority. Our Parson was determined to outwit them. That night, lantern in hand, he carried bedding and clothes to the church, aided by Betto, and dragged it, piecemeal, to the tower. But he had an awful fright. As he was about to re-enter the parsonage, he saw a man not far off, watching him. He was ready-witted, and went up to him. “There you are, Jonas,” he said. ‘“ You promised to come and help me face the ghost, and nowI have seen it all alone. Not Jonas after all! Good-night, friend.” The watcher might have been the ghost, for he glided off among the mountains. Anyhow he did not know of the secret of the tower chamber, and the Parson thought that the sooner he got his guests into it the better. This was, indeed, no easy matter. Dinah Lewis declared she would rather be murdered a hundred times over than sleep in that haunted tower, and Mr. Saunders was compelled to assure her that CoOnniclbooks (CO) im