The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-07-07

: oidst- The cracking deepcheu 70 u
drifted away, to lie in 1,un-colored bars against
, Tue n1ouhtaiu-sde AMI Still the fire rushed on,
hckhg up the dry LEAD y among the bowiders,
shriyeiipg the tall ID in its hot, e5ultant
ma, os's.aEing in deious frenzy 70 Sile eop
a. ~. rs OF the sycamOres, ana nolons out
us NOT, elamorous hands to the nountain-top.
oaney Delnar stood in the door ana shaded
her eyes with her hand
49, i,, nre got into the canon, an the TIM
oe os.luHi up; father'n be mao.
"a n SIeae cloud of smoke rolled up ana smut
ous tne sun The girls irresoute lace quick
e' s.Iy WI" i'l sudden terrifying thougnt,
,.,s i.,ln come Outi been WaCculh.
sunday" eN 'i's
she ran across the clearingand looked down
t'sso s.ie oiaeS smoking ravine. Even at tIl.At
ny N. sne could feel the scorching neat ne
TO her coarse dress
The fire's goin' fast Father said-but he
a stl AnoN I'll can't doit-l can nave MN
The hre IN the canon below painted and ragged
auu ran us mad, race with her. line narrow
pain along which she Sew was streWn with
smoking einders HJRburt twigs fell hiss
ing INTO me lame beside her and Hooks OF I'M
nets darted hither and thifher in the smoky
AIR. hapolts sprang from tilessge, hali dazed
| with lraght and stared ut her with their soii,
eSPressloniess eyes. On she went, swiller than
ii---N Leaving the itth, ~
clinging to the rough mountain side, swinging
from gnarled roots that loOscned under her
weight, cruising her arms against the sharp
s as9hess OF tne yucca; down, Hown' thLough
banks Of dead leaves, and tail dry stalks OF
! sage, breathless with haste and terror, until
her feet touched the feris growing, in the
he l stream he above falls sne e9gd ,bord
/ walled in By the piaiess rocks; a man wi h a
white, hopeless, baicd facc-a face that she
remembered always
She lifted ono end ofths ladder, and dragged
| a. through the ledges Was il strange that
memories of her fathers threatl She had
helped himmake IL one day, and he had cursed
her for being slow.
The prisoner turned his smitten face toward
her. Poor jauey' No man before or. ever
! since thought her an angel. She thrust the
ladder through the gap in the rocks aud stead
I led it against the slippery ledge. Neither OF
them spoke. She only knew that he stood
beside her. with Strangely transdgpred face ;
| that strong hand had put away e binulblcs
| and helped her up the steep ascent She could
II ar his firm step behind her as she hurried
along the marrow path beside the ditch. out
on the elearing the numb agony Of fear settled
l-down on heragdn:
Il reckon YOU Kin ind he way now; down
| there's the road
She turned away awSwardly conscious, all
at once, of something new aud strange He
I seized both her hands eagerly. How white
and shapely his own werei Janev remembered
that too-even to the pattern OF the ring on
I his finger.
.sWon't YOU let me thank YOU. nv rood
girl! Wonrt.ypn tell ne your na,nei Do yo4
4 kaow whasYou have doues'
She suffered and drcw herself away ner-
1 vously.
"rn Ianey Delmar. Ye won't tell fathers
| He said mustn't spelk TO YOU. He didn't
/ know hos it 'u'd De. EfYoa go don-n.hy the
/ path, We Mont see iIn9
The man walked away little, CHANGING
toward The rude hQascon the clearing. Then
he came back 10 Nhereshe stood
! s'Do YOU know who lam
She raised her dali, ealent ewes.
II dunno yer mans Father std ven was
comm lie thinks taesprinS is his'n. Maybe
they ain't--l dgnno.n
The man looked down Al the black desola-
/ ton below them; on fthc canon lie could
hear the roar Of the fire and the crash of fall
/ ing timber.
bye.r
She put out her hand glaucing anxiouslv
toward the house. Ihensac stood still, watch
/ ing him as he went down the path once he
| turned, and looked curiosity atrthe strange
lis tless @Ire stanthng M tTonles swhere he lad
! left her. There was some king uIacanny in the
\ sun was shining. HehNahis hat 70 her, an'i
J went rapidly down the walk and out Of sight
The canon was fnll offgu;nt blackenoa
.
tunes with look OF sudden, restless terror;
7 put he had not crossed the rviue since the dav
OF the fire. Janey wal ed Mlppte agony of
( { cad for him to question Ter about her WISH
80, but she had almost caseg % expect il
Z She wondered little that he did not 90
down into the village. He Was Outsof-tObacco.
she knew. 1t might be that that made him
terrible oaths.
An easIf rain.cane on and faint whitist
green sprahg up under The scared stalks in the
canon. The soft, loose soil on The mess broke
into tiny hillocks with the struggling growth:
JaneV pushed them side with her foot, aud lot
the httle bowed prisoners .oat into the sun
light.. 1he California spring wassn the air.
,Ihesgir Two n ered II the canon golld ever be
greelsa sRin. She sgent dpwu here one day..
and gathered handful OF Inicrophylh- glearrl-
ing in spots of vivid red among the scorch-d
unuerhrush They were lying on the table
when her father came in. She saw him start
back, and then stride across the room to where
she stood
:. Where We been2 Where dill re git then7''
he said, hOarsely, with low, fearful oath
She shrsuk.b back in her old stuPefcd terror
h So Down in the Canon--they re- thick down
there along the rocks, like--lhSe drops Of
blood"
He sprang towardssaer, with fierce ques-
tionihg s are.
= What dye meant Answer mel Curse Ye,
Pill"
She could feel his hot breath on her face
She shut her eyes, and waited for-him- to strike
her. When she opened hem de stag gered
back 10 the door, White and trembling. and
was l.csdspg oa Rssths's asement Il -.
o. the winner. hate the smell o. them.
He turned With coarse, Unmeaning laugh,
and sat down OF the doorstep wiping the
heavy drops from his forehead.
The nirI was vaguely conscious that some
new misery Had settled down upon heI
life. Perhaps it was the trouble about he
springs: she struggled with the problem q
little while, hopclesslY, ant then let II lapse
into the inevitable. very likely, wilh-her 'ii'il
intelligence, she could have cCtnrfshended
even ii she had known the naideless horror
that dog ged her fathers footsteps, that sat
with him at meat, aud stared at him from
every ciump Of sage on the mountain side
the dread, oveTShadoW ing terror that luYeS ted
the canon with loatheSOme fascination, and
made him leave the sunlight, and grow weak
and tcrror-stricken as night came en- Janey
knew that he was changed; That he d not
work andasaudeFed aimlesslyin the mountains
with his dog aud gun. She heard him start
and mutter In his sleep, and learned to dread
the eager restlessness of his eyes even more
than his curses. lie had never been KIND on
| he used to lest with her roughly sometimes
| and smoke his pipe at the kitchen door in =
| sort of ruqsed comfort while she went about
her evening work. There was little to dc
now, The store OF provisions IN the rude cup
| board was growing very small She met hin
Mt the door one night, with blank, helpless
face.
yssr,'s make any breati there amt no more
| four
Her voice had-5orrowed a more helpless
monotone from uncertainty She never knew
now whether he would turn upon her In sud
den outburst of rage, or listen IN sullen, angry
silence She watched him anxiousiy as he
walked across the floor to a box in the cor
ner.
'Tf you want ANYTHING at the store why
don't you go an git itt'' he SAID; suileniy,
keeping his back toward her; there amt
nothing to hender; We kin go tomorrow"
He laid some money on the table and went
out. Janey gazed after him in half stupoI
| of amazement
Could he mean forrsnier to go down and face
the people IN the valley alonet She had been
there sometimes, sitting in the wagon while
the horses we're shod, or her fathef made his
purchases and talked with the men about the
olaeksmitn's shop. But no one mad even
spoken 70 her she lay in her bed that night
with wide, seepless eyes, aud watched the
stars through the holes in the cabin roof;
was It some awful, waking dream, that would
vanish whea morning camel She slipped her
hand under her pillow. and felt the cold pieces