The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-04-04
THE SHADOwY HAND.

large mouse Wnlcn executes many OF
aers throughout the country. Wher
: have an extensive district, which i:
often the case, | frequently have 8
considerable sum of money about me
Ind on several occasions the posses
zion thereof has rendere me very
Uneasy; but no time more than that
VI which | speak.
l had been assigned TO large ter
,itory in the west. region rough and
mountainous. and which. | had cause
% believe, abounded in lawless spirits
vino might possibly give me some
trouble. A person Of my calling is
always supposed to have large sum
Of money about him when he has
been out for a number of days or
seeks; and many is the time that ]
nave seen people look at me with an
expression on their faces that spike
euder than words, how much they
would like chance Of seeing what
nv wallet contained. But thus far
they never nave had their wishes
gratified in this respect. and so long as
nv faithful six-shooter does not play
,ne false, | don't mean that they
hall.
One day, al noontime, saw me in
one of the little villages of the west.
nemmed in on all sides by high peaks
and lofty summit passes. ] had
Transacted nv business there and now
fought the landlord of the inn to learn
1ny way to the next village that |
wished to visit. From him | learned
~nat it was twenty miles by the pub
-ic road, and rough and billy into the
bargain.
"But is there no nearer way" /
ssked. off the road is in the state
sou say, it will be way after nightfall
nefore ! can reach there, and it looks
a. though We might have rainfall
presently"
There is road over the noun
aain," he answered. after pause, "but
Il has not been used of late years. and
he way is rough. Still, it can be
got over; and as it is but little over
half the distance it is by the main
,oad. you will get to Silly fully an
nour earlier than you could by that
way
s'Then I shall try for it, for l want
% get there before the storm, if pos
sible."
"Keep the road straight ahead,
and keep your eyes open" he said.
'Tbank you, 1 shall do SO" | an
twered. "Good day"
GOOD day." and the landlord
saved his hand as rode away.
For hours | wound along the most
wretched road l ever saw. Every
iaow and then a path would branch
Of, leading apparently into the heart
Of the forest. The afternoon passed
away and night came on, and still
here was no change in the road, no
IGN of nv being near to Silly. All
vas the same dreary wilderness as
hat through which I hal been pass
NO so many hours. With the COM
.ng of the darkness the rain began to
fall. This added to the disquiet |
felt, for / feared that 1 had
eft the right road and got into one of
those paths that led l knew not
whittier.
Faster and faster fell the rain, and
with every moment the gloom in
creased until the darkness was such
that it could almost be felt. Still [
plodded on, feeling there was little
chance of reaching my place of des-
tination, but with the hope that |
might stumble upon some cabin that
human inhabitants, where
could find fire and shelter for the
Night. More than hour passed and
had nearly given up all hopes of
fnding shelter, when l beheld the
CLEAN of a light before me- En-
outraged by the sight. l urged my
morse onward, and in a few minutes
sound myself in front of a low cabin,
through the one window of which the
light cleaned that had attracted my
sttentiOn.
Dismounting, l approached and
.apped loudly upon the door. There
va the sound of shutting feet within
hen it was thrown open, and a man
holding a candle in his hand appeared
apon the threshold, and dem inded
that wanted. As the light flushed
apon his face l had the impression
hat / had seen it before; but it was
zone In a moment In answer to his
lem md I told him [ wanted shelter
5or myself and borse for the nj sht,
ind that if in the m morning he would
guide me to Silly, he would be suita-
bly, rewarded.
n ,Jo -or,o ro,1v <ho brrJor ri