The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-09-02

manful light in his dark eyes. But
tell me quickly-where and how is
JENNY?
II felt myselfgrowing pale, and could
make no immediate answer.
"'Speak! Jenny and the child-how
are they both, and how have they both
fought through it all? he repeated, with
growing disturbance. Man alive! why
do you turn your face away?
"'Have you heard nothing of them?
stammered, stupidity wishing to delay
the shock.
GLOW the deuce should I, when am
not two hours out of bolt and bar? Tell
me quickly, Mc4Ardle! She is not i'll, is
she?''
" No, not ill-that's certain. But
you'll probably learn som ething of their
fate elsewhere.'
"Fate! he echoed in broken voice,
and then suddenly grasped me by the
collar and began shaking me. Tell
me what is wrong this instantp he cried
hoarsely. DO it or I'll throttle you in
your tracks
TRY to bear up, Pat,' I muttered,
holding him off and trying to sooth him.
I'd sooner take Il stretch in Jail myself
then break the news to you. Both
Jenny and your child are dead, Pat
" 'Dead?' he yelled-.dead! dead!
The two last words came out in hor-
ritied, bewildered gasps, and springing
to his feet, he staggered back again t
the wall as white as a ghost.
EYES, I explained hurriedly. I was
out of town the whole winter, and only
learned the particulars a day or two
ago. The gang in obedience to the
majors orders, first turned her into the
street, and then hunted her from
place to place so that she could not pro-
cure employment
"And then while he stood there gasp
ping and glaring at me I gave him the
whole sad and bitter story. much as
you had it but more in detail.
"'Oh, the tiends! the demons' he at
last moaned, beginning to wiring his
hands, but without a tear on his white
horror-wrinkled face. And you Nc
Ardle-even you did not lift q hand to
save her.
by heaven, Harnden' I cried, had
l. OCC1A Ill CA1C Clty GtAlO Nl1ONn yOu1
wife was in trouble orr III want, I'd have
lost my right arm at the shoulder-blade
sooner than let her perish. It was no
fault of mine
"'Oh, it matters not! Words words
are nothing now,' cried the poor, be-
reaved fellow, suddenly towering be-
fore me, with blazing eyes and cloudy
brows, like an avenger of old. AT last
am alone-alone in the world, with
every hope, every tender feeling blast
ed. They have killed my wife among
them, Mac-my own Jennie that was
all the world to me-and my child that
was us innocent as the angels in heaven.
Oh, had they no mercy? Could they
not have spared them and let me suffer?
Listen to me, Mac, and what I am
about to solemnly swear before high
heaven. I'll have life for life, hunting
for hunting, sleuth-hounding for sleuth-
bounding, SO may the God of justice
and of vengence, help me in my hour
Of bitter need! swear, by all that is
sacred, to live but for one object-to
tear the mask Of mystery from the
majors face, and to hunt him off the
face Of the earth! And not him alone,
but all of them, all, all, all! Not a william
shall escape, male or female. Every
one of the accursed Silver Gang-every
mothers thief of them-shall feel a
thief's power, thiefs vengence! 1
shall constitute myself their Nemesis,
to hunt and hound them down forever
more!
Harden fairly shrieked forth those
wild, threatening words, after which he
staggered Tito the chair again, breath
ing so hard and looking so white that I
FASTENED into the adjoining saloon to
procure him some refreshment, fearing
that he would faint. But when re-
turned he ad partly recovered, and
gently but firmly I proffered him, and
the former indulgence in which had
not little to do with his swift descent
amid crime and sin.
II may conclude my sketch by saying
that he has never touched a drop Of
liquor since, and that he fulfilled the
requirements of his terrible oath, wild
and fitful as they seemed at the mo-
ment of their utterance, to the very let
tet."
Gle turned detective, then, and
hunted down the members of the gang,
one by one?'
eyes, or in pairs or groups" replied
my narrator, ''Of course, it was some
time, owing to his antecedents, before
he could be intrusted with regular de-
tective work. But it was not long be-
fore he made himself eqally admired
by the force and feared by the thieves
in an auxiliary capacity; and when he
was regularly commissioned as de-
tective, the cold-blooded, patient, re-
lentless and systematic tenacity and
persistence with which he began to hunt
down, entrap, inveigle and pick off the
members of that gang, was a caution"
"And the major?'