The Argosy — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

The Village Blacksmith. 25 Vera knew her father was going to move to the Grange in June, though she was not aware of the part of the programnie which con- cerned herself. She did not know the house well, though, so she thought she would ride past it, and try to picture her father living there when she was married and in India with her husband. She was riding slowly, and thinking how different the Archdeacon’s home-life now was from what it had been in her mother’s lifetime. Then he had been master and mistress too; now he had not a voice in any domestic arrangements, but was, nolens volens, a slave to Mrs. Ryot-Fempest’s fancies. Suddenly a man sprang from the road-side and seized Firefly’s bridle. He was young and powerfully- built, and had Vera not had Lion with her she would have been utterly at his mercy. As it was, Lion was some way behind, having stopped to have a canine chat with Mrs. Tanner’s terrier at the Lodge. | Startled as Vera was, she had the presence of mind to blow a little silver whistle, attached to her watch-chain, which she used to call Lion, and she trusted to his usual prompt response to save her from extortion, perhaps from robbery,; for if once Lion appeared her fears would be for her assailant’s life, not for her own safety. “Your purse,” said the man in an insolent tone. “T haven’t it with me. Let go my horse’s bridle, please,” said Vera, considering the chances of victory, in Lion’s absence, if she _ defended herself with her riding-whip, for her blood was rising at the man’s insolence. 2 ‘Your watch, then,” said the fellow, with difficulty keeping his hold of Firefly with his left hand, for the mare was prancing about, and as anxious to break loose as her mistress. | As the man spoke, he put out his right hand to seize Vera’s watch ; but, instead of the watch, he caught her riding-whip, with which she struck at him. He snatched it from her hand, and threw it to the ground with a curse, and in spite of Firefly’s fidgeting succeeded in snapping Vera’s watch off her chain, just as Lion came bounding down the road to the rescue. (To be continued. ) GOMiIGaoOo cS) (S©) mm