West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-01-04

I rope; some held the horses of the
others beyond the bridge. The men
were masked now, and could see by
the lighted torches that their number
was increased. Jack wLs very white
and sad, but lac showed no fear.
81 am innocent gentlemen. he said.
slowly, but / refuse TO tell you Of
! whom / bought thehides."
understood him. Could Harry
White be a cattlc-thief? | felt as if /
were growing mad.
What shall we doP' whispered Ted,
| cooking his revolver
Suddenly n fright red light illumi-
mated the heavens followed by clouds of
black smoke and queer. cracking
noise. A yell from the mcneil
Mead voice above the rest. The hay
stack was on fire. II seemed to me in
the glare around it that | could sec "A
foreign-looking human vanishing across
the plain
The men mounted their horses, Gil
Mead ut the head, and set off across tho
fields ut a mad gal OPP. They must save
the stack. They left Jack, bound hand
and foot, and guarded by one man.
Shep, the wonderful dog. had kept by
us until now, sinking in the dark
shadows. Now, gliding sideways and
still, he reached the man on guard
whose back was TO us, and with no
warning growl caught him by the throat
with strong white teeth that could
choke coyote in n second. The man,
who was in sitting posture, fell back
with "A groan Ted struck him over the
head with the butt of the revolver. and
pulled oil the dog. | cut Jacks bonds
with knife. He looked at us wonder
ingiy, and staggered to his feet
Never mind how we came, Jack"
SAID: quick, mount the horse beyond
the bridge, and ride to Denver for your
life. They viii not harm woman and
child"
Harry White" he muttcred, the
loyal soul that even now could think OF
anothcr's danger,
Il will tell him"
mo, no; not Of ths-only say, il he
stole the cattle. oily the country. They
will find out, sooner or later"
He galloped down TIE road Ted and
] mounted calling III Shcp. who sat on
his Launches watching the unconscious
man, and ten we, too, sped down the
road. The hay-s'ack was giving ont
great columns of black smoke, but tho
fire was dead
Ahead of us was n ridcrleSs horse.
Dolly, who greeted her master with n
joyful whinny Where was Yik Kee?
Then Dot, my horse, SHE'D from the road
at recumIcnt black figure. 1t was tho
indomitable Gik kcc, who had crawled
all tie way from the stack on his
stomach, so that he could not be seen,
after lying in the ditch till the blaze had
faded ont. Hump. no catchce
Chincc; heap sore, he said, laconically,
rubbing hi, stomach
He mounted Dolly, and we rode on TO
/ Whites ranch. Harry rushed out at
the sound of horses feet, at midnight
There under the twinkling stars looked
into his eyes. and told him the whole
story. lie showed no guilt, but only
said we must stay the niAht at his
ranch. for the men would come back TO
Jack for him, and then mounting his
tleet colt rode oil down the road.
comforted his mother aS best [ could.
AT daybrcak we rode home.
Mary was i'm a wild state of alarm.
Where had we becnP Where was JackP
end how cruel we were TO leave her
alone, She said that mt one o'clock
three masked men had come to the
house and searched it and the premises,
but had not mOlcsted her or the chill
dren, only asking where Jack was. very
sternly and sharply.
At noon Jack, Harry, the Sheriff and
party OF armed men from Denver rode
up, stopping only moment to tell me
they would be back at night / dared
not tell Mary. and she worried all the
afternoon ut their strange conduct. AZ
night Jack and Harry came home,
looking tired but happy. Then Jack
told Mary, and she cried and chung to
him as though she could never let him
90.
1t seemed the pleasing ranchman
from Chicago was one of a band of cat
tlc-thieves. He sold the hides to Harry.
who. honest and open himself, was slow
to suspect wrong dealings i'm others.
| The Sheriff had caught the men skin
ming cow that belonged to Mead. and
had captured the gang and taken them
TO Denver.
The men concerned i'm the attempt to
/ lynch Jack were sincerely sorry. Their
regrets would not have availed much.
however, II they had succeeded in their
purpose. They gave each of the chill.
dren ten acres OF land they gave Ted
siNty-iiye, and me. whom they pleased
| to consider very plucky. one hundred
and fifty acres felt rich enough. and
| time has made it very valuable land.
/ The man on guard was our warmest adj
mircr He thought Ted Shop and 7
I wonders of courage He said when I
/ came down on the bridge with the omen
| knife he thought his last hour had come.
Gl Mead committed suicide not long
after this He was always queer. No
one ever knew that Yik Kec set the
stack aiire. tell You Jack rewarded
/ the faithful fellow gave him a GOOD
farm, taught him 10 work il. and built
/ him % house. The funniest thing was
/ flk Rec had wife and three queer
| little children back ~ China. and Jack
sent for them, and Yik Kee and his fam
bly, are rs happy as they can be. The
children play with Jack Che has twelve
now and get along finely together.
In 80 ] married Harry White. which.
] ~upposc.was forc-con from the BEGIN
n.ug at least Jack says ANYBODY could
.havo seen b. The most serene and sat
isi'oi face 700 the wedding was that Of
iuc Celestial Zoo my inner conscious
ness notwithstanding he Is % "hcathcn
Oh nee. ] have the conviction that rs
great hero as i- seen in modern times
Is the man of few words Xix Ecc