nd this new and most unexpected
friend, and how gratefully I accepted his offer. He gave me the street,
house and number where Mary Smith lived and during the evening we
planned together exactly how the whole affair was to be managed, from
beginning to end. I went to bed, but could scarcely sleep; and all night
long I was agitated by alternate hopes and fears for the success of the
scheme of to-morrow.

CHAPTER IV. SUCCESS WITH SARAH.

MARY SMITH AS A CONFEDERATE--THE PLOT--WAITING IN THE WOODS--THE
SPY OUTWITTED--SARAH SECURED--THE PURSUERS BAFFLED--NIGHT ON THE
ROAD--EFFORTS TO GET MARRIED--THE "OLD OFFENDER" MARRIED AT LAST--A
CONSTABLE AFTER SARAH--HE GIVES IT UP--AN ALE ORGIE--RETURN TO "BOSTON
YANKEE'S"--A HOME IN GOSHEN.

It was Saturday morning, and after an early breakfast I was on the road
with Boston Yankee's fast horse; towards Easton. On my arrival there I
had no difficulty in finding Mary Smith, who recognized me at once, and
was very glad to see me. She knew I had come there to learn something
about Sarah; she had seen her only a week ago; she was well again, and
the girls had talked together about me. This was pleasant to hear, and
I at once proposed to Mary to go to Scheimer's and tell Sarah that I
was there; I would give her ten dollars if she would go. "O! she would
gladly serve us both for nothing."

So she made herself ready, got into the buggy, and we started for
Scheimer's. When we were well on the road I said to her:

"Now, Mary, attend carefully to what I say: you will need to be very
cautious in breaking the news to Sarah that I am here; she has already
suffered a great deal on my account, and may be very timid about my
being in the neighborhood; but if she still loves me as you say she
does, she will run any risk to see me, and, if I know her, she will be
glad to go away with me. Now, this is what you must do; you must see her
alone and tell her my plan; here, take this diamond ring; she knows it
well; manage to let her see it on your finger; then tell her that if
she is willing to leave home and marry me, I will be in the woods half a
mile above her house to-morrow afternoon at 5 o'clock, with a horse
and buggy ready to carry her to Belvidere. If she will not, or dare not
come, give her the ring, and tell her we part, good friends, forever."

It was a beautiful afternoon as we drove along the road. We talked about
Sarah and old times, and I made her repeat my instructions over a