Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-07-11

depths, she observed q couple Of rough
looking fellows leaning against the curb
ing. his was not q sufficiently qncom
mon occurrence To attract her attention,
but s few words she caught arrested
her 81. [. 4 81 N
Going out to zee the fun :" VI 5 s5#
''S1V hats up r. {ss
Don't yon know The boys have
got Honghton out in the hollow back Of
the Two mile House, and they say
they II roast him alive s58 IS s5 Is.
The men had given no more attention
to the sWarthy little woman, slowly and
painfully drawing the heavy bucket
from the daep well, than if she were one
of the dogs that roamed the streets.
They did not observe how her hand
shook as she enptied its contents into
her tin pail, nor how she tottered and
swayed as if from some deadly physical
weakness as she made her way across the
street and disappeared around a corner.
Once out Of their sight, she dropped
the pail on the ground and flew as ii
with winged feet to where she knew
the county officers were located, hith-
erto forbidden ground toher feet. She
caught at the arm Of the first man she
met. e
ssOh, for the love Of God she used
an expression whose meaning she had
never grasped until that moment
fssave him." y
The man was stranger, just arrived
from the East. He looked down upon
her as upon some new and curious cree
alton, whose type had failed to DO pre-
sented to him heretofore. He turned
to friend who had just left his side:
"Look here, sBurnham. What does
all this mean 2" s.:5. K a i, 6*s N
The gentleman he addressed was one
OF the county officials. He came quick
" to the spot. \ sz Se5.s
TT is your sheriff they have him
down by the Two-mile Housedo not
wait, or it will be too late. - She wrung
her hands in a fearless anguish. a
Fact, Cap" asserted a bystander.
NNot ten minutes ago some one came
ard told Houghton there was row at
the Two mile House, and he went of
alone-the crazy fool" In his excite
ment he sought the most natural relief
that Of abusing the subject of his
anxiety. ( Sd 5$%sE 4. f I'd $ 5ft55
The eastern man, secretly somewhat
elated at the opportunity thus afforded
him by with ssing what promised to be
SO stirring q specimen Of the tragical
episodes Of frontier life, insisted upon
accompanying the posse Of men who
speedily organized for the rescue. He
witnessed with exnl tation the short,
sharp, decisive contest, and admired
the cool courage Of the man whom they
found helpIessly awaiting his fate at the
hands of these modern brigands., The
sun had long sank below the southwest
ern horizon, but q glow in the western
sky that was like d lurid fame, cleaved
the gathering darkness and touched
with nlischievols fingers :: the various
physiognomies of the captured roughs.
There were faces which, in their dusky
tones and abandoned villainy, reminded
an observer of q canvas of Velasquez;
others partook of certain rugged type
which only missed the heroic by having
too great an infusion of the brute
while few would have been fair ard
prepossessing, but for certain tell-tale
penciings about the eyes, Fooled in a
serious purpose, they were ready to
treat the whole affair as huge joke. 81
/ MI As some Of the men prepared pinon
torches to light their way back to town.
and the prisoners were nlarshaled9 into
line, the Eastern man turned to his
! friend: "Who is the woman !? his wife ?"
! a Not much" The speaker laughed
carelessly, then added, in 4 q graver
tone, ssOne OF those unfortunate ALI
ances SO common throughout New Mexi-
| co-unhallowed by either marriage,
sacrament, or priest, which prevent q
man from asking an honest woman
hand in Wedlock, and cut him entirely
aloft from family and friends. . 4 Fan
I An undertone of irritation might have
been detected in the gentleman's voice.
"a fine impression the event Of this day
would leave on the mind of this friend.
d man Of inhuenc e, whose good Will he
| had been striving to enlist In the inter
! est Of their little town. III III
Another ear caught the words. The
color leaped like q fame into the WON.
ans cheek, and burned there q con.
Stunning fire. For the first time III hel
life, a sense Of what she had forfeited
swept over her IL one great wave 81
agony She drew her shawl about hel
head, half hiding her face il the folds,
and was stealing away when a hand
detained her, and q voice, altered from
Its customary tone of command into /
certain inde6nab lie tenderness checked
her Ss54
Tom Houghton had been doing some
hard thinking in; the last hour. Out
Wardly calm and collected and resigned
to the wretehed fate before him. the
glimpse of his dnsky face & oyer the
bank Sof the ravine had appeared Z
him like q symbol of hope.
DON'T go home yet. shall be I eadJ
in q moment s. s 81
| OF home. II is not there T am 60.
ing. n 33 4, 3.3lss
She spoke with the quaint precision
acquired III the use Of . foreign tongue,
but the md ertone Of pain did not es
caps his attent ton, q II,
What does this mean Would you
leave me ?n
They had passed out 81 hearing 81
the rest, and stood two dark figures,
silhouatted q ainst the sunset III
Oh, Tom, yon know you 5s mus
knew naoaned the girl drawing hel
breath IN short hard gas Es, ike SONS
hurt creature pan ting away its life
blood She he'd ont her hand and
lsgrasped the l,oueh of a ltoNs spreading