Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1884-02-15

h, here was uproar enough The oral'
,sas fru "a tho vory tormost the Il
b;s, of e,.;,o .,ro, strncl, the !
, sharply in the face; but he gave
heed to the ice-cCld drops that ~
ng to his forehead no
That strange, promonitory haunting rdi
,ling had cnwrappel his every SENSE snh
linton felt rather than thought, that hoo
out in this cool darkness orr
rked danger, and he knew not how or ~
what shape it was to come. an
lie hal walked a long distance down &,
' the side Of the 0ume, when he tn
card sharp clatter among the rocks ay
f the dry riyer.bed as of some one tn
heavily, followed by a NUT it
.ered curse. o
THAT voice He knew it. and he n
shut his teeth sharply to keep back an t
exclamation Of horror. &
Sam Lomax, the road agent, the Ter
ror Of the honest, handwriting miner
in whatsoever mine, together with ms
uereiless band Of renegades and IN
dians, was creeping up this FiYeF-.ea'
and this midnight raid meant death TO
the four partners Of the Clear Nl'ei
Nine nd
Rallging every energy he turned anu
eod m the riyer-bed as for dear lile'
Not ofhis own danger was he think
;nr but rather Of the peril of the un-
armfd men in the little cabin yonder-
his an.rls'' who had become endearea
- him through the many months q
weary privaton and toll, 50 eheerhS
; shared together, his comrades un''
whom his soul Glove with love "' SUM
:, : as thataf brother ,oeo,
: why dtd objects beside him. 1slol %1a
$ him, become 50 distinct? lie 'nrS
\ up hisfead as he ran. ane =,
= = TAcs.l.s were parting, and ne Y 7
he he ocisss .A-l1-.s taomes-Ttr:s'- = :
&c frien9 aid would be withdrawn.
ht moon wonld burn like some gr
oh watAfe ii the heavens, and his fiji
woui0e revealed to those mereil
90 eye5la apistol shot away.
n Teodds were all against him. Str
cd evermergy, every nerve as he mig
he to-mrow's sun would look down
Ike fourictims to Lomax and his ba
90 andae dear folks at home would |,
it. in vain for those whose bones W
ill whitling by a rotting dam in tn
it. we5gn wilds.
Gle daml An inspiration, born
he dire necessity, leaped into his mi
,r- and light famed forth in his e,
IN Thsarength of hope sprang up in
nd heat and swung every nerve, and
st, he ?sd.
k Te dam loomed up before him.
cd sprag to little locker, built for c.
yenFnce sake, close by the end of
ed dan threw up the cover, seized a
lie. of lasting powder, thrust it under
g of he projecting supports of
m dan lighted short fuse, thrust
n enlin the keg, and then turned
fled
D. md the moon burst forth from
hind the clouds. her calm, pale Ii
is falling softly over all that the darkr
had MD.
IS, 'EIa, ha, hal" laughed the ha
It trio still sitting round the cabin ia
a as one of their number finished rel
er ing some anecdote of his rollicking
| lege days; and the laugh was still &c
ing when the door was suddenly bl
"a open, and Upton, with face as whit
II death mark, stood on the thresh
r. He made a reckoning motion. and t
/ disappeared.
t. The miners sprang to their feet,
even as they did so, loud explos
& deafened their ears, and terrible IL
IS rocked the little cabin like era
e With one impulse they leaped to
door.
/, They saw the whole front of the {
r, move out in one mass, one inst
z, transfigured by the light of the m
. into stately wall of FURNISHED sill
the next broken and sheathed in a
T rious sheeting spray.
o And then a torrent with foam
c crest leaped down over its own hi
D way, from which it had been shut
. SO long, stripping bare the foundat
T Of the dam and driving the nume
e fore it.
. The miners on the bank stood du
but the men in the path Of the ope
b hoodgates uttered one cry as the d
e death touched them; and then all
e silent save for the mighty song of
waters, which rang up to the me
. tain tor.
The miners heard that last cry of
] spair, and their hearts seemed to
IN horror. They turned to Upton,
! was standing near them, and saw
he was staggering like one benC
whose feet the solid earth was r
ing.
Strong arms knit round him, ant
was supported into the cabin.