village, and give you up to the perlice."

This suggestion was by no means pleasant for the highwayman,
particularly as he reflected that Andy had shown himself a resolute
boy, and doubly armed as he now was, it was quite within his power to
carry out his threat.

"Don't fire after me," he said.

"I never attack an inimy in the rare," said Andy, who always indulged
in the brogue more than usual under exciting circumstances.

I make this explanation, as the reader may have noticed a difference
in his dialect at different times.

"We shall meet again, boy!" said Fairfax, menacingly, turning at the
distance of a few feet.

"Thank you, sir. You needn't thrubble yourself," said Andy, "I ain't
anxious to mate you."

"When we do meet, you'll know it," said the other.

"Maybe I will. Go along wid ye!" said Andy, pointing the pistol at
him.

"Don't shoot," said Fairfax, hastily, and he quickened his pace to get
out of the way of a dangerous companion.

Andy laughed as the highwayman disappeared in the distance.

"I thought he wouldn't wait long," he said.

"Andy," said Colonel Preston, warmly, "you have behaved like a hero."

"I'm only an Irish boy," said Andy, laughing. "Shure, they don't make
heroes of such as I."

"I don't care whether you are Irish or Dutch. You are a hero for all
that."

"Shure, sir, it's lucky I was round whin that spalpeen wanted to rob
you."

"How did you happen to be out with a gun this afternoon?"

"I got my work all done, and Miss Grant said I might go out shootin'
if I wanted. Shure, I didn't expect it 'ud been robbers I would be
afther shootin'."

"You came up just in the nick of time. Weren't you afraid?"

"I didn't stop to think of that when I saw that big blackguard
p'intin' his pistol at you. I thought I'd have a hand in it myself."

"Jump into the chaise, Andy, and ride home with me."

"What, wid the gun?"

"To be sure. We won't leave the gun. That has done us too good service
already to-day."

"I've made something out of it, anyway," said Andy, displaying the
pistol, which was silver-mounted, and altogether a very pretty weapon.
"It's a regular beauty," he said, with admiration.

"It will be better in your hands than in the real owner's," said
Colonel Preston.

By this time Andy was in the chaise, rapidly nearing the village.

"If you hadn't come up just as you did, Andy, I should have been
poorer by eight hundred dollars."

"That's a big pile of money," s