Everett T. Tomlinson

“ Here Jacob, as if by sheer force of habit, stopped and peered first down and then up the road by which Robert had come. Suddenly he started and gazed long in the latter direction, and Robert, startled by the landlord's manner, also looked anxiously up the road. A little cloud of dust could be seen in the distance, and in a moment out from it there emerged the forms of five horsemen, who were riding swiftly.
"Into the barn! Up into the mow! Cover yourself up good with the hay!" exclaimed Jacob, in a low voice. ”

“ Suddenly Robert started in his hiding-place, for it had come to him in a flash that he knew that voice. It was the voice of Claudius Brown, and there could be no mistaking it now. He did not know how many men were with the leader, and with difficulty Robert restrained his impulse to leap down from the mow and rush to the aid of Jacob. However, he decided to await developments; but he lifted his head above the hay and discovered that he could distinctly hear all that was being said. ”

“ There was a ring in Jacob's voice that was new to Robert, and the young soldier's heart bounded within him. Come what might, he would not leave the man to fight his battles alone, he resolved. He had found a place through which he could peer forth, and when he perceived that Claudius Brown had four men with him, he quickly decided what plan he would follow if the man persisted in his demand. ”