The Red Cloud chief., 1877-09-13

1t was a picturesque place which
David Thrall had selected for the deco
upon which he had set his heart. Th'
road was narrow, indeed not more thar
a path that led to MiddletOwn, and thu
home of Agnes Temple. He knew thu
man he hated would traverse it befOr,
dawn, and he knew too that his tral
would hold him to the iron track. 1t Wa:
a revenge almost too terrible to be re
corded.
There" exclaimed the smith, as h
removed away a pace and triumphant
ly surveyed the result Of his night:
toll in the sOoty shop. Now let thu
prey coma! The trap is ready. | wish
you a pleasant time of it, Julian Wing
fold. To be plain. | should Ike to know
how a man would feel between two
such Jaws"
Then he picked up the sack and start
ed back to MiddletOwn. But he had moi
gone ten yards before he halted. "Tht
trap might have been set alittle easier
he said to himself. ut has not beer
worked much, and the easier it is set
the surer l shall be of my prey"
Intent upon read lsting the devilist
invention, the blacksmith retraced his
steps, and for the second time in that
lonely and beautiful spot he bent over
the crOss-ties. He placed his knee upon
the spring to prevent the jaws from
closing and catching their maker, while
he tempered with the trigger. He was
in the midst of his work, when from
some u~naccOuntable cause, his knees
slipped from the spring, and-oh, hOr.
rOr! the mighty jaws closed on bis
wrists! With a cry, indescribab,y full
Of agony, the %entrapped man tried to
spring to his feet, but the trap, fasten.
ed as it was to the rails, held him Sc
curely down. The sharp teeth seemed
to cut into the very marrow of his
bones, and he was eXperiencingthe hOr-
TOr OF a human being caught in a trap.
He tried to crush the spring, but it
would not yield to the power which it
had lately owned, and then he tried to
tear himself loose. But the pain Occa-
stoned by his IF )rts was so great that
he was forced to desist lest he should
faint, and in that condition be caught
by the train.
"If it had caught my leg" he cried,
Il could tear it loose; but oh. these
precious arms Of mine!"
1t was a terrible moment for the en-
trapped man. All at once, in that hour
Of terror. he thought of the man for
whom he had prepared the jaws of IN.
yielding steel. He would doubtless
reach the crossing and release him be-
fore the train was due, for Julian
Wingfold Was not a vengeful rival.
All thoughts of revenge against the
beautiful Agnes Temple had left his
mind; he looked up at the stars. and
they seemed to mock his misery; he
cried for help from the terror stricken
depths of his heart. But no footsteps
sounded upon his ears. God and man
seemed to have left the Halter to his fate.
Suddenly David ThralI started, and a
cry of despair welled from his throat.
The shrill shrek of the locomotive told
him that the one dread hour of his cap
tivity had passed away and the end of
all was near at hand.
God in heaven have mercyI" he
cried. do unto me as | would have
done unto another"
But no deliverance came, and the
sound of the whistle died away with a
hooking echo. Within five minutes the
iron monster would be upon him. and
the most terrible drama v enacted in
that lovely country would have reached
its tragic finale. He heard the rumble
of the train, which seemed to approach
on the wings of the wind. He raved.
he cursed, and tried to wrench his
wrists from the jaws OF steel, tried TO
break them off. and bear life and bleed
ing stumps away. but in vain. With
the tenacity of death itself the SamsO-
MAN trap held him down. The loco
motive shrieked again and David
Thrall paused and looked w his
shoulder. He saw the headlight now;
it daZzled in his eyes. and he could not
shade the precious oIbs with his hands.
Then he shrieked at the top of his voice:
but the cars came on.
NO deliverance' oh, heaven" he eX-
claimed. sinking back in the few Sec
Onds he had yet to live. 81 have merited
this. What a terrible thing retribution
is! He will be happy. and she will
smile upon him with all her dazzling
beauty. But I-I-oh, God. pity me!
Chained to the ~track-caught in the
trap made by my own hands for a EEL
low being. 1t is just. Heaven forgive
me, and comfort my poor"
The rOarOf the coming train drowned
the sweetest word that yer parted his
lips-mother.
=
The rumbling of the train had scarcely
died away in the distance, when Julian
Wingfold. returning from the home of |
Agnes Temple, crossed the track. He
stepped where the instrument of death
had been placed, and passed on without
noticing its handiwork. If he had but
glanced down he might have seen the
fvEn hn$tarol stool -o o1N.n -o-r