The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-12-12

Interpretation Of the oncOming horse
men. gave the horse the whip as soon
as his unstable legs were well under
him, and sent him securing ahead ;
while ran of on foot 10 the right, max
ing for little hollow that discerned
In the darkness. 1t proved to be shall
low, dry ravine; and here, to my pro-
found astonishment, discovered low
cabin or hut, about the dimensions OF
an ordinary country Lighthouse.
Dashing up to this, | gave a rapid
succession of knocks. A shrinking,
pale and covering woman opened the
door.
"What ia it?" was her question, no
ticing my breathless haste.
as there any chance TO hide here
My horse has thrown me, and believe
Il party of desperadOes are close up with
me-"
She mechanically closed the door be.
hind me, before had finished my ex.
planatiOn.
"No, no; there is no place." she
gasped, her car catching the sound OF
the coming hOrsemen. "This Is all
there is; this one room"
My eyes had been seeking for a place
of cOncealment, but in vain. Suddenly
they rested on dark object In the far
corner.
"But this ?--what's this? ?" exclaim-
ed, making rush for 1t.
"It's ccffin. Get in quick"
had barely time to place myself in
this receptacle for the dead, when the
hoarse voice of Bill Wolf was heard
outside.
"Here, you Dick lis Dick hereP"
The women opened the door.
she has not came back yeti" she re-
piled.
"oh, not yet! Jenny, have you heard
a horse go by yOnderr
Eyes, just now"
Driving on like the devil-eh?"
"GOing fast" she answered you
might perhaps hear its tracks still, "
she added.
But Bill must have been of a suspi-
clous nature. heard him leap from
his horse. For the life OF me could
not help pushing up the coffin lid and
looking through the chink.
A fire was burning on the stone
hearth. Bill Wolf had hand on each
door post. His brutal head was thrust
inside the room peering about.
whats that. he questioned, point
ing to my retreat.
"It's Staifer's coffin" she answered.
care you in pursuit of the man gone
by?"
cay. But what's 1t to you five are 2
He can't have gone far either, on that
animal"
Riding away in search of me, and of
what l carried, Wolf clattered off.
The woman watched him join two
comrades who had waited alta little dis
tance; then she came In and barred the
door.
was out of the coffin in moment.
looked around in despair. TO go out
was fatal, and to stayin meant discov-
cry, probably death. The coffin was no
longer available, for Dick was coming
for it.
",Stay, there's the rain barrel out
side," said |, In desperation. They've
tried that once; they may not look at it
again"
Ard before you would be able to
speak sentence, the water was dashed
out of the cask. and was in the bar
rel, the woman dropping tub half
filled with water in az the top as a cOv-
er.
She had barely time to re-enter the
house, the door which fortunately open
ed on the side away from the moon,
when a rattling vehicle drew up at the
door, and heard hoarse voice raving
and swearing at the woman for some
thing done, or left undone, and then from
the bunghole, the plug having been
dislodged by upsetting of the cask, l
saw the furious return of the three
other renegades.
There ensued a good deal Of loud
talking, explanations and Oaths.
A jorum of hot nectar was prepared,
and they all went to partake of 1t.
Dick refused to join In the hunt after
ME, on account of having to take the
coffin to its destination.
At that moment wild and desperate
plan entered my brain.
The horses of the three renegades-
my own, which had been retained by
the hostler at the inn, among them
we're hitched on the other side. of the
door, where moonlight, kiAn1
end of the cabin, rested N v ..,| X 4,
1t was suicide to attempt 8; a
them--my own, as had Id
and riding of. Sol embraces
alternative leaplng from the
| (the tub having been rsx6saielislE
the horses WITH and "
wagon while the woman mCStca &, X
thing about covering the coffin.
Dick yelled out TO her to mind her
own business and let tue thing alone.