The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-25
CHAPTER III.
THE RAxcHE-A SURPRISE.

finding the door unfastened.
In the course of a minute he returned to
his yeung companion.
''There is no one here" he announced.
Perhaps the late conduct of the redskins,
of which we were speaking, has frightened
MIR. Woodbury. away ?"
Kit shook his head
'Mr. Woodbury. has not been here lately"
he asserted. "There hasn't been a stroke of
work done on the place this summer"
He may have gone away last fall, then,
and not have returned"
The scout again shook his head
Il fear your former suggestion is the true
one, he remarked.
Namely, that the Indians have killed
him ?"
eyes. The door is full of bullets, and the
turf walls are burnt and smoked in places as
if the redskins had fired into them at short
range. fear Mr.. Woodbury. has been killed."
''Has the house been ravaged?"
mo. Everything appears as Mr. Wood
bury would have naturally left it; only in q
disordered state. The furniture is here,
such as it was the dishes, the household stuff
of every description, but everything is dirty,
damaged, and going to pieces. I'll tell you
just what [ think, which is that somebody
has killed Mr.. Woodbury., and that this some
body has taken possession"
els there any sign of that somebody having
been here lately?"
eyes. 1 cannot say how lately, but 1
should say within day or two, although the
hearth is perfectly cold. There is pail of
water in the pantry, part of ham, bag of
corn, bag of flour, dish of salt, and va
rious other articles of food There is a bed
of skins in each room, which look as if lately
occupied"
''Ihis is very sin gular," commented Effie.
kEMr Wnn0hnru rnTqt bova
cessor. Who can he be ?"
81 think he's a red-skin I"
''And why?"
because the lock and bars, which have
been burst from the door, have not been re-
placed. This shows that the occupant is not
afraid of the redskins !"
Effie unused a moment upon this unex-
pected condition of affairs, and then asked
''Well, what shall we dol"
Before replying, the scout looked at his
horse searcningly, assuring himself that the
animal was very tired.
''Well halt here little while" he then
said; 'long enough to take bite ourselves
and allow Dolby to do justice to part of that
corn in the pantry"
81 shall be glad to rest while, observed
Efie, as she alighted 81 am very tired! !"
Naturally enough, after all these adven-
lures. But good supper and a good nights
resI Will prlDB you ouG dSdln walk III, ana
make yourself at home. I'll just slip Dolby
into the corral, SO that he will not stray off in
the darkness"
They made fire, and had a coarse, but
comfortable meal.
''Such a supper, with our hunger, is better
than feast without appetite" remarked
Effie
II don't know why we shouldn't put up at
this hotel until morning, observed Kit, as he
also lnOkad npnfanfaHly about hin,
the landlord is absent, but we can get along
without him."
Il think the only question is as to whether
we can get along aoSM him, if he should chance
to return during the night"
''Ill answer for that contingency. On the
whole, think we will do well to stay here
until morning. There's a room for each of
us, and plenty of buffalo robes to make us
comfortable.
AS he spoke he laid some more wood upon
the fire, to lightup the interior of the rancho,
and bright body of flames almost instantly
illuminated the scene around him as perfectly
as it could have been illuminated by the san
at midday.
'GLook at that" suddenly cried Efie In a
startled whisper, as she leaped to her feet.
''What is that?"
'What? Where?" demanded the scout.
''That writing, in red letters, upon the wall
Deuluu U.S. eAcldlOeul MISS Lyon, Jno DlOOQ
receding from her face, while her form shook
violently.
She pointed to the wall opposite the fire.
place-the wall upon which those ruddy
flames shone so vividly-and there the scout
beheld several lines of coarse and irregular
writing, evidently the work of O human
finger, which had again and again been dipped
in blood.
This terrible revelation was as follows
81 am attacked, this 10th of March, by
Fleet Foot and a dozen others. Already
terribly wounded. Expect to go under, as
the door can't hold out much longer.
John WOODBURY.
1t was a message from the dead
The mystery of poor WoOdbury's fate stood
terribly revealed.
In his last moments mortally wounded, he
had written with his finger, and with his own
blood, that fearful message
Before the scout and his companion could
withdraw their gaze from that dreadful re-
velation, they were further startled by sounds
that came to their hearing from without the
rancho.
Then their eyes met.
81 hear footsteps !" murmured Effie.
''And voices also!" replied Carson.
At the same instant dog was heard
/ snufing at the entrance of the rancho. Then
the dog began barking furiously, while the
sound of hurried footsteps arose in front Of
the door!
The scout and his companion were startled.
Their minds were so full of the terrible
fate which had overtaken the former occu-
pant of the rancho poor Mr.. Woodbury., as
revealed by that strange writing on the wall,
that they could think of nothing but red
skins.
tCl,a o,,,,,,ro cbiro, foo+stans baoouoo Io,,5o,