Beverly of Graustark

ied them careening along the narrow road, Beverly cried out to him, her voice shrill with alar

h a firm, unquivering hand. The coach rattled and bounded along the dangerous way hewn in the side of the mountain. A misstep or a false turn might easily start the clumsy vehicle rolling down the declivi

ried in a frenzy. "We shal

her that the horses were not running away, for the man had been lashing them furiously. There was but one conclusion: he was deliberately taking her farther into the mountain fastnesses, his purpose known only to himself. A hundred terrors presented themselves to her as she lay huddled against the side of th

, the raucous voice of the driver was heard calling to his horses and the pace became slower. The awful rocking and the j

ng from the box of the coach and was peering first into the woodland below and then upon the rocks to the left. He wore the expression of a man trapped and seeking means of escape. Suddenly he darted behind the c

were panting and heaving as if in great distress after their mad run. Aunt Fanny was still moaning and praying by turns in the bottom of the carriage. Darkness was settling down upon the pass, and objects a hundred yards away wer

e ground, looking frantically in all directions for a single sign of hope. In the most despairing terror she had ever e

e failing light told her that he was not one of her late protectors. She shrank back with a faint cry of alarm, ready to fly to the protecting arms of hopeless Aunt Fanny if her unc

ge that had been paralyzed. Unconsciously this slim sprig of southern valor threw back her shoulders and lif

ath a broad and rakish hat. He was tall and appeared to be more respectably clad than his fellows,

glish; his voice was clear, and there was a tinge of polite irony in the tones. "But all people are alike in the mountains. Th

valuables you may find and let us proceed unhar

tears were welling to her eyes and her heart was throbbing like that of a captured bird. In after life she was able to picture in her mind's eye all the details of that tableau

ly. "Your escort has fled as though pursued by something stronger than shadows; your driver has deserted; your horses are half-dea

head. The leader laughed quietly-yes, good-naturedly. "Oh, you won't-you won't kill us?" She ha

is not a brigand, I trust, for your sake. We are simple hunters, and not what we may seem. It is fortunate that you have fallen into honest hands. There is so

of the men started toward the door: "But she is old a

lighted lanterns. The picture was more weird than ever in the fitful glow. "May I ask, your highness, how do you inten

ope springing to the surface with a joyful bound.

wilderness. Out-door life is necessary for our health. We could not live in the city," he went on with grim humor. For the first time, Beverly noticed t