The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-16

I. lsSNAO1INlAys 1INA Y INA
,you do y she suddsnIy exclaimed,
her voios quite full os what teshs felt.
Hs hooked up se her = wonder, but
- his eyes met hers he unds1stood her.
j l didat do y: Upon M honor
did net he said. 's1t was That man
sscramento breathsd j gra1 i sigh Of
relief. Demonstrating ~ lsad ID that
section TO be crime worse thAn muir
der, and she was byno means FREQ from
the popular estimate of IL Gfaye nature.
"Oh, I ann glad Of thatl cried abe,
aBut-" she hesitated, and then went
on doubtfully. "But, then, howwas it?
Why did you run swsyf
1T was Dennis doings, their laying
tito me. He did that to caear himself.
And after that You know a. we'll asI do
that there would have been NO use in.
trying TO provemyself innocent. They
always hang . horse thief hrst and then
consider his guilt afterwards. I had to
run to ssve my life"
DO yop know that there is q reward
offered for your capture?n :s5zei .
know that the Regulators are after
me, "answered the young fellow, sullen-
". They came pretty near catching
me, too. this noon. I just escaped
them aud came down the cannon by. the
mountain trail. Ihsva had q hard run.
for It, and what with no sleep for "a
hours. am about used up. feel ss
though I could not 60 another step when
saw your house. You-you have been
very good tome. I shall never for
Get" .
"But what are you going to do now?"
interrupted Sacramento. lyon are not
safe here"
II know il. But I threw them off
the track this noon, and do not think
they are within five miles of me. Now,
have had something to cat. I will
take to the woods again. I hope may
get clear away. II I don't" his voice
trembled and tears came into his eyes.
If I don't shall get . hanging,
suppose. Oh, what fool was not
to prefer home to this sort of thing!
And yet, I wouldn't care much, either,
il it wasn't for my father and mother"
And there the poor fellow fairly broke
down.
''Hark!" Sacramento exclaimed.
She had been crying, too; she could
not help it.
They both listened. In moment
they heard plainly the sound of horses
coming down the trail. The girl turned
with instant self-possession.
"Go in there! Quick! Quick! There
is not q moment to lose! Here take
your haiti"
And handing his hat to him, she
pushed him across the room and into
her own little room that led off from it.
Then she burriedly cleared the table
again, barely finishing the task as the
horsemen halted at the door.
There were three Of them. One was
her father. Sacramento knew the 9th.
or two men by sight. They were rough,
but of the better sort of those wlt
made up the dwellers of Kelly. Gulch.
The faces of all three were stern
and forbidding, and they evidently had
been riding hard. They dismounted
together.
"Sac," began her father, as he en-
tered the door, "hev 20 seen anything
of young chap, afoot or q horseback,
coming this way?"
Sacramento had expected the ques-
tion, and was ready for it. And she
meant, If possible, to answer without
lie.
"A young chap, about eighteen years,
and five feet and half high, rather
good looking, and with red-top boots
on 2" replied she,
"Yesi yesl That's him n cried one of
the other men. Has he been here?"
Il was only quoting him from this
handbill," said Sacramento, taking the
paper from the shelf where she had laid
&. '- '' ''''|% "-'%' '''e ''''>' ''''
"Then you haint seen him at all?"
asked her father.
II have been right here all day, and
nobody has gone by except Pete LARA
bee. It was he who gave me the bill.
Are you sure that lie came this way, the
-the-horsethief?"
"No; but we didn't know but he
might. The chances is that he sloped
off to the mountains, meanin' to go
through Stovepipe pass. They'll git
him, though, afore sundown."
cts sundown now," observed Sacra-
mento.
"Then they've got him now," was the
sententions response. "And we should
be late for the hangin' eff we sh'd go
back. Leastways" this was added to
his ompanions-"y you'd better come in
and have bite afore you CO."
So presently the three men sat down
to the supper that the young girl quick
ly prepared for them. And while they
were eating, she herself at her fathers
bidding, went out to take the saddle off
Bueno, his horse, and give him feed.
As she approached the door once more,
few minutes after, she heard words
which caused her to stop and listen.
"Idon't like ter say anything against
thet kid O yourn, neighbor," one Of the
men was saying, "but it hez kinder
seemed ter me all ther whiles' though
she sorter he'd some at on her mind
like. Ye don't 'spose she knows any
thing bout thet young feller arter all?"
Sacramentos father laughed at this
as though it was too absurd to be con-
sidered.
The other, however, was not to be
AhuSAcW Ouv VI us bllslAClOnb. Ut Ill
we know" persisted he, t'she may hev
hid him here somewhere on the premmy-
ses." "It's easy enough to see, returned
the proprietor of the said "premmysis,
testify. "Where dye think she's hid
him? In her bedroom?"
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 she saw him
push open the door and enter the room
followed by his companion.
"We1l make clus search of it while
were about it." she heard him say with
in.
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 in
stead of it, moment later, the two men
came out again, her father laughing at
his friend.
What could it mean? Had the young
man been able to conceal himself in the