Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/343



was there. She came just as they were pouring the feathers on me, and she laughed, too, the loudest of them all. I 'll have the law on her and on the parson's daughter, too. She was the ringleader and the worst one in the company."

"My opinion is that you will make a bad matter worse."

"I did n't ask you what your opinion was, did I?" demanded the young man angrily.

"I can't say that you did."

"What are you doing? You 're not going to leave me, are you?" Robert had approached his horse and apparently was preparing to mount and depart.

"My horse won't carry double. I 've scraped the tar off your face and you can see to do the rest of it yourself."

"Don't leave me! Don't leave me here alone!" pleaded the man.

"There are n't any girls here. You need not fear," called Robert mockingly as he rode