THE FAIR COURIER. 85

 

to her chamber, and jugt.as the man and
woman who had given her a shelter for
the night, were about retiring, the sound
of a horse’s feet were heard rapidly ap-
proaching the house. On going to the door,
a young man rode up and called out in
a familiar way— so

“ Hallo, Preston! Have you ‘seen any-
thing of a stray young girl in these parts?”

“ Bill Mink!” returned the farmer.
‘What in the world brings you here at
this time of night?” , |:

“On a fool’s errand, it may be. I re-
ceived a letter from Loire, about an hour
ago, stating that Geiger’s daughter had vo-
lunteered to carry important despatches to
General Sumter; that she had been on the
journey some hours; and that I must over-
haul her at the risk of every thing.”

“Tt isn’t possible!” said the wife of the
man called Preston.

“Tt is, though; and it strikes me that
she must be a confounded clever girl.”

“It strikes me so, too,” returned Preston.