The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-03-07
YOU, YOU id thief. Let me pass Or"

you, you id thief. Let me pass Or"
He did not finish the sentence. Jovita
rose straight in the air with II terrific
bound, threw the figure from her bit
with single shake of her vicious head,
and charged her deadly malevolence
down on the impediment before her.
An oath, pistol-shot, horse and high
wayman rolled over in the road, and the
next moment Jovita was hundred
yards away. But the good right arm of
her rider, shattered by a bullet, dropped
helplessly at his side.
Without slacltening. his speed he
shifted the reins to his left hand. But
a few moments later he was obliged to
halt and tighten the saddle-girths that
had slipped in the onset This in his
crippled condition took some time. He
had no fear of pursuit, but looking up
he saw that the eastern stars were
already paling, and that the distant
peaks had lost their ghostly whiteness,
and now stood out blackly against a
lighter sky. Day was upon him. Then
completely absorbed in single
idea, he forgot the pain of his
wound, and mounting again dashed on
toward Rattlesnake Creek. But now
Jo0ita's breath came broken by gasps,
Dick reeled in his saddle, and brighter
and brighter grew the sky.
Ride, Richard; run Jovita; linger,
o day!
For the last few rods there was q
roaring in his ears. Was it exhaustion
from loss of blood, or what? He was
dazed and giddy as he swept down the
hill, and did not recognize his surround
ings. Had he taken the wrong road, or
was this Rattlesnake Greek?
1t was. But the brawling. creek he
had:swam few hours before had risen,
more than doubled its volume, and now
rolled a swift and resistless river be-
tween him and Rattlesnake Hill.
For the first time that night Richards
heart sank within him. The river, the
mountain, the quickening east swan
before his eyes. He shut them to re-
cover his sclf-control. In that brief in
terval, by some fantastic mental process
the little room at Simpsons Bar and
the figures of the sleeping father and
son, rose upon him. He opened his eyes
wildly, cast off his coat, pistol, boots and
saddle, bound his precious pack tightly
to his shoulders, grasped the bare fanlls
of Jovita with his barred knees, and with
a shout, dashed into the yellow water
A cry rose from the opposite bank as
the head of Il man and horse struggled
for few moments against the battling
current, and then were swept away
amid uprooted trees and whirling drift
wood.
Il * 4 Il
The Old Man started and woke. The
fire on the hearth was dead, the candle
in the outer room fickering in its socket
and somebody was rapping at the door
He opened it, but fell back with CT,
before the dropping, half-naked figur,
that reeled against the doorpost.
"Dicl1 Z"
"Hush. Is he awake YETI"
"No,-but Dick ?"
"Dry up, you old fool Get Inc some
whisky quick" The Old Man flew and
returned with-an empty bottle! Dicl
would have sworn, but his strength wa
not equal to the occasion. He staggered
caught at the handle of the door, ant
motioned to the Old Man.
"Thar's suthin' in my pack yer fol
Johnny. Take it off. l can't"
The Old Man unstrapped the pacl
and laid it before the exhausted man.
"Open it quick !"
He did so with trembling fingers. L
contained only few toys-cheap ant
barbaric enough, goodness knows, bu
bright with paint and tinsel. One O
them was broken; another, 1 fear, wa
irretrievably ruined by water; and OF
the third-ah me there was crue
spot.
at don't look like much, that's
fact" said Dick ruefully. . =" But it
the best we could do. Take 'em Ole
Man, and put 'em in his stocking, anc
tell him-tell him, you know-hold me
Old Man"-The old man caught at hi
sinking figure. "Tell him." said Dick
with weak little laugh tell hin
Sandy Claus has come"
And even SO, bedraggled, ragged, un
shaven and unshorn, with one arm hang
ing helplessly at his side, Santa Clau
came to Simpsons Bar and fell faintin!
on the first threshold. The Christina
dawn came slowly after, touching tn
remoter peaks with the rosy warmth o
ineffable love. And it looked so tenderl,
on Simpsons Bar that the whole noun
tain, as if caught in a generous action
blushed to the skies.-Bret Hayte, in til
atlantic Monthly.