THE WENDY HUT

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1930, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE WENDY HUT

GIRLS OF LONG AGO. BESS. Beas was the daughter of a postmaster v.ho lived on the road between London and York in the year 1720. Having no mother, Boss at the age of fifteen was an important young person with so much to do that she never had time to be lonely. What with postboys arriving at any hour of the day or night, highwaymen demanding horses, and travellers who had been robbed on the road crying out for mounts on which to chase the thieves, Bess had her work ent out helping her father. She was up at six in the morning, seeing that the stableman had the horses ready for the first post that rode in. For all day, rain or shine, the postboys would come galloping up to the old boundary post in the road, change horses, and go riding off again, with their precious letters and a sweet smile from bonny Bess. , .. Her father supplied all the post-horses at that particular post, and he had amassed a good sum of money. Unfortunately this became known to a certain highwayman who frequented that part of the road, and he made a vow that the postmaster’s savings should find their way into his pocket. He chose an evening when no postboys were likely to arrive, and, finding Bess alone in the house he thought it simpler to kidnap her and demand her father’s money as ransom, rather than wait for the old man to dig up his iron chest from under the apple tree, or wherever he might keep his gold, and risk a stray postboy riding in with important letters and spoiling his little plan. Bess screamed, but the highwayman held her before him on hjs fine horse, and off they went. “Haste, post, haste!” screamed Bess, using the old phrase written on letters which were to be delivered as quickly as possible, for in the distance she heard the clatter of hoofs and knew it was the Edinburgh post galloping in. The boy was tired, for he had travelled two days and was a haste post, but, stopping only to change his horsey he gave chase. When almost overtaken, the highwayman let Boss slip to the ground, and there the postboy found her. - “I knew I could trust the post from Scotland,"’ whispered Bess. “Aye, you can,” he smiled, "though the letters will be late in London to-morrow, Bess.”