Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-10-04

- lile WOODS again. hope may get
clear away. II I don't" his voice
tremhle'i md tears came into his eyes. ]
''If don't / shall get a hanging, I sup
pose. Oh. what foo | was not to pre-
fer nome to this sort Of thing And yet.
! wOn.dn't care SO much, either. II il
! wasn't for nv poor father and mother
ana th@ie the poor fellow fairly broae
/ down.
"Hark = Sacramento exclaimed. She
! had been crying, too.
They both listened. In a moment
they both heard plainly the sound Of
horses coming down the trail The girl
turned with instant self-possession:
Go in there Qaick Quick There
IS not moment to lose. Here, take
your hat T.
After handing his hat to him she half
/ pushed him across the room and into
her own little room that led off from it.
Then she lurriedly finished clearing the
table again, lssfely finishing the task
Is the horsemen halted at the door
istlere were three of them One was
her father. Sacramento knew the other
wo men by sight. They were rough.
ont of the better sort of those who made
ap the dwellers of Kelly Gulch. The
ISSfaces OF all three were hard and forbid
ding and they evidently had been rid
ing hard They dismounted together.
Sac" began her father, as he entered
the door, 'hev you seen anything Of
Young chap afoot or horseback coming
this way %
Sacramento had expected the question
a.,l was really for it. And she meant. g
possible, to answer without a lie.
"a young chap about eighteen , ears
of age, ana a'.out five feet and a h;.lF
high, rather good looking. and with re1
top boots % replied she.
Yes yesl That's ,aim p crie! one
ii l.a other men. "Hts he been here -
81 WAS only quoting from this hand
bill sai,. Sacramento, taking the paper
erou the shelf where she had laid it
'tsThcn You hain't seen him at all ?"
asked her father
Il have been right hera all day. and
nobody has gone by except Pete Lara
bee. 1t was he VINO gave me the bill.
Are You sure that he came this way
the--the horse thief?'
NO; but we didn't know but he
might. The chances is that he is sloped
off to the mountains, meanin' to go
through Stovepipe pass. They'll get
him though, afore sundown."
"It's sundown now," observed Sacra-
mento.
''Then they've got him now," was
the sententious response. "And we
shall be too late for the hangin' cf We
sh'd go back. Leastways" was
added to his companions-''you'd better
come IN and have bite afore You CO."
50 presently the three men sat down
70 the supper that the young girl quickly
prepared for them. And while they
We're eating, she herself, at her fathers
bidding, went ont to take the saddle off
Bueno, his horse, and give him feed.
rs she approached the door once more,
i few minutes after, she heard words
which caused her to stop and listen.
Il don't like ter say anything against
thct kid O yourn. neighbor,' one of the
men was saying, ''but it hez kinder
eeme1 TO me all ther while's though she
sorter he'd some'at on her mind like
Ye doat s'pose she knows anything
5bout that Young feller arter all =
rSacramento's father laughed at this,
as though 1t was too absurd to be con-
sidered. i
The other, however, was not to be
laughed out of his suspicious.
For all we know, she may hev hid
him somewhere on the premmysls.
ats easy enough to see," said the
proprietor Of the said "premmysis, :"
testify. Where dye think she's hid
him? In her bed %
AS he said this, Sacramento, who was
now near enough to see into the kitchen,
saw her father rise from his chair and
step to the door of the room where she
had concealed the fugitive Her heart
almost stopped beating as sne saw nim
push open the door and enter the room,
followed by his companion.
Well make a clus search of it while
we're about il" she heard him say with
in.
J. And then she stood~theYe in terrible
suspense on the porch, expecting every
instant to hear the shout that would fol-
low the discovery Of the fugitive.
But no such shout was heard, and IL
stead Of it, moment later the two men
came ont again, her father still laughing
at his friends.
Wha. could i. mean Had the yonL 6
man been able 10 conceal himself in the
room and so evafe their search? Tia;
@as not possible. Then she thought o.
the window. Con.l be have escare<l