A PLUCKY ACTRESS.

NZ Truth, Issue 79, 22 December 1906, Page 8

A PLUCKY ACTRESS.

Mrs Porter, a famous, actress m her day, while out driving m the summer of 1731, was waylaid by a highwayman who demanded her money or her life. "Your life more likely,'' she said, presenting a pistol point-blank at him. "It would have been yours, madam, if I had been a hardened highwayman ; but I am not. I have never before taken "to the road, nor would I have, now, if I had not had a wife and children at home absolutely starving." Mrs Port;*--, con-; vinced from the man's appearance and bearing that be ' was telling the truth, asked, "Where do you live ?" He told her. "Well, I shall come to see you ; meanwhile here is all the money I have," presenting him with ten guineas. The man could not speak, and indeed broke down altogether into tears as he took the money. At last he stammered out some broken words of thanks, adding, "You will come, madame ?" "Yes, I'll come." After the ampteur highwayman had disappeared, Mrs Porter bid her coachman drive on, and the man lashed up his horses with such good will to be out of so dangerous a neighborhood that he overset the carriage, and dislocated his mistress's thigh. This mischance however, was so far from tin-. .ning her beneficence that immediately on her recovery from it Mrs Porter went to the address riven her by the would-be' highwayman, and (hiding his ston? trxw m every -'articular, ?he raised a <*uhsGrintion. of £00, -..■i*'J_ -x.ii>h <.-l*.« nre«s- , -n**-'-d Vm.