San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-04-20

"A young chap, about 10 years oi
age and about i've feet and a half high,
rather good-look:ng, and with red'top
boots on p" replied she.
"Yesl yes! That's himl' cried one
of the other men, eagerly. Have you
seen him2 Has he been here2"
81 was only quoting from this hand
BILL" said Sacramento, taking the pa
per from the shelf where she had laid
it,"
"Then you hain't seen him at all ?"
asked the father.
az have been right here all day, and
nobody has gone by except Pete LARA
bee. 1t was he who gave me the ball,
Are you sure he came this way, the
tie horse theft"
"No; but we didn't krow but he
mighter. Il, o chances is thai he
sloped off to the mountains, meanin'
ter 90 through Stovepire Pass.
They'll get him, though, afore sun
down"
"It's shutdown now," observed Sacra-
mento. =,
"Then they've got him now" was the
sententious response. "And we shon,d
be too late for the hangin' ef we sh'd
90 back. Leastways"-this was edded
to his companions-"you'd better come
in and have bite afore ye CO."
So presently the three men sat do'. Il
to supper that the young lady quickly
prepared for them. And while they
were eating, she herself, at be- fathei 5
bidding, went out to take the saddle OIL
Bueno. his horse, and give him his
feed. AS she approached the dot
once more few minutes later she hearu
words which caused her to stop and
listen.
at don't like to say anthing against
that kid O yourn, ne.ghbor,' one OF the
men was saying, "but it he's kinder
seemed to me all ther while's though
she sorter had some'at on her mind
like. Ye don't suppose she knows any
thing bout that young :eller, arter al! Z!
Sacramento's father laughed at this
as though it was too absurd to be con-
sidered.
"The other, however, was not to be
laughed out of his suspicious.
eur all we know" persis edhe she
may hev hid him somewhere on the
premysis."
"It's easy enough to see" returned
the proprietor of the said "premysis, !"
testify. "Where dye think she's hi'
him? In her bedIoom?"
As he said this Sacramento, who was
now near enough to see into the kltch-
en-. saw her father rise from his chair
and step to the door of her room, where
she had concealed the fugitive. Her
heart almost stopped beating as she
SOW him push open the door and ercer
the room, followed by his companions.
"Well make clus search of it while
we're about it," she heard him say
within.
And then she stood there in terrible
suspense upon the porch, expecting
every instant to hear the shout that
would follow the discovery of the fugi-
tive.
But no such shout was heard; and
instead of it, momert after, the two
men came out again, her father still
laugh rg at bis friend.
Wfaj could it mean? Had the young
man been able to co lceal himself in the
room ard to evade their search? That
was not possible. Then she thought of
the window. Gould he have escaped
from the room by that? The window
was so small she could scarcely believe
pe could have crept through it; and
~ l. ,,,,,et houo Iona
She went hurriedly to the back OF
he house and then down beyond the
lorse sheds. No one COLD be seen,
She halted moment under live-oak
rec Just at the edge of the garden.
The evening was very calm and still
md the twilight shadows were deepe l.
ng fast. Was it the rustling of the
wind in the boughs overhead that
caught her ear? She listened.
Hist! am herein the tree"
The words came in distinct whisper
rom directly above her.
She stood and thought single mo-
nent before replying. /
"You must get away from here at
,nce," she said in an eager whisper.
One of the men suspects something,
md they may at any moment make
search of the place. | sm going into
i e house minute. Get down at opce
md go through the garden and &C oss
4 trail to a spring You will find there.
It's at the foot of a Dig cottonwood
tree. Stay there until come"
Then s went back hurriedly to the
house. The three men were still siG-
ing at the table, and Sacramento felt
rather than saw that one o; them still
-egarded her suspiciously as she came
10. She did not speak to them at all,
put went directly through the kitchen
20 her own room, and in a moment
zane out, went about her work in the
kitchen, and took up pail, apparently
10 go to the spring for water.
Ten minutes later, standing in the