Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-20
The road from Rattlesnake creek ID Rcd

bucked, but 1t was frDsn force of habit: once
she SHE'D, but it was from a new, freshly
painted meeting house at the crossing of the
country road. Hollows, bitches. grayely
deposits, patches of freshly springing grasses,
flew from beneath her rafting hoofs. She
began to smell unpleasantly, once or twice
she coaghed slightly, but there was no abate-
lnent OF her strength or speed By . o'clock
he had passed Red mountain and begun the
descent to the plain. Ten minutes later the
driver of the fast Pioneer coach was overtal.
On and passed by imam on Pinto hossr--an
event sufficiently notable for remark. At
$50 Dick rose in lis stirrups with a great
shout. Stars were glittering through the
Sifted clouds, and beyond him, out of the
plain, rose two spires, a flagstaff and a stray
Cling line of black objects. Dick jingled his
spurs and swung his RATA, Jovita bounded
forward, and in another moment they swept
anto Tuttleyille and drew up before the
wooden piazza of the Hotel of All Ma
tions.
What TRANSFERRED that night at Tuttleville
As not strictly part OF this record Briefly
may safe, however, that after Jovita had
been handed over to sleepy hostler, whom
she at once kicked into unpleasant uncon-
seriousness, Dick sailed out with the bar
keeper for a tour of the sleeping town. Lights
still cleaned from few saloons and gam
bling houses; but avoiding these, they stopped
before several closed shops, and by per-
sistent tapping and iudicious cutlery reused
ix,f1 tl..s.. A.. Il.
them unbar the doors of their magazines and
expose their wares. Sometimes they were
met by curses, but ostener by interest and
some concern in their needs, and the inter-
view was invariably concluded by a drink
1t was o'clock before this pleasantly was
given over, and with small waterproof bag
of india rubber strapped on his shoulders
Dick returned to the hotel But here he
was waylaid by Beauty-Beauty opulent in
charms, afiiuent in dress, persuasive in speech,
and Spanish iii accent In vain she repeated
the invitation in Excelsior" happily scorned
by all Alpine climbing youth, and rejected
by this child OF the Sierras-a rejection
softened IN this instance bya laugh and his
last gold coin. And then he sprang to the
saddle and dashed down the lonely street and
out into the lonelier plain, where presently
the lights, the black line of houses, the spires
ana the flagstaff sank into the earth behind
him again and were lost in the distance.
The storm had cleared away, the air was
brisk and cold, the outlines of adjacent land
marks were distinct, but it was 4:30 before
Dick reached the meeting house and the crocs-
ing of the country road. To avoid the rising
grade lie had taken a longer and more cir
cutous road, in whose viscid mud Jovita
sank fetlock deep at every bound 1t was =
poor preparation for steady ascent of five
miles more; but Jovita, gathering her legs
nnder her, took it with her usual blind, un-
reasoning fury, and half hour later reached
the long level that led to Rattlesnake creek.
Another half hour would bring him to the
creek He threw the reins lightly upon the
neck of the mare, chirruped to her, and be-
gan to sing
Suddenly Jovita SHE'D with bound that
would have unseated a less practiced rider.
Hanging to her rein was figure that had
lcaped from the bank, and at the same time
from the road before her arose a shadovy
horse and rider Throw up your hands, >
commanded the second apparition with an
oath
Dick felt the mare tremble, culver and
apparently sink under him. He knew what
it meant and was prepared
stand aside, Jack Simpson, / know Yea
you id thief. Let me pass orr
he did not finish the sentence, Jovita rose
straight in the air with a terrific bound.
throwing the figure from her bit with a
single shake of her vicious head and charged
with deadly maievolence down on the inn
pediment before her An oath, q pistol shot.
horse and highwayman rolled over in the
road, and the next moment Jovita was a
hundred yards away. But the good right
arm of her rider, shattered by a bullet,
dropped helplessly at his side
Without Stacking his speed he shifted the
reins to his left hand. But few moments
later he was obliged to halt and tighten the
saddle girths that had slipped in the onset.
This, in his crippled condition, took some
time. lie had no fear of pursuit but look
ing up he saw that the eastern stars were al
ready paling, and that the distant peaks had
lost their ghostly wilderness, and now stood
out blackly against lighter sky Day was
upon him. Then completely absorbed in {,
single idea, he forgot the pain of his wound,
and mounting again, dashed on toward Rat
tlesnake creek But now Jovita's breath
came broken by gasps, Dick rceled in his
saddle, and brighter and brighter grew the
sky
Ride, Richard; run, Jovita; linger o day
For the last few rods there was roaring in
his ears. Was it exhaustion from loss of
blood, or what? He was dazed and giddy as
he swept down the hill, and did not recog-
nize his surroundings. Had he taken the
wrong road, or was this Rattlesnake creek2
1t was But the brawling creek he had
swan few hours before had risen, more
than doubled its volume, and now rolled n
swift and resistless river between him and
Rattlesnake hill. For the first time that
night Richards heart sank within him. The
river, the mountain, the quickening east,
swan before his eyes. He shut them to re-
cover his self control In that brief interval,
by some fantastic mental process, the little
room at Simpsons Bar and the figures of the
sleeping father and son rose upon him He
opened his eyes wildly, cast off his coat, pis-
tol, boots and saddle, bound his precious pack
tightly to his shoulders, grasped the bare
TANKS of Jovita with his barred knees, and
with shout dashed into the yellow water.
A cry arose from the opposite bank as the
head of a man and horse struggled for q
few moments against the battling current,
and then were swept away amidst uprooted
trees and whirling driftwood.
= +
The old man started and woke The fire
on the hearth was dead, the candle in the
outer room Pickering in its socket, and some
body was rapping at the door. He opened it,
but fell back with cry before the dripping,
half naked figure that rolled against the door
post
"Dick!n
Hush! Is he awake yetfi
"No-but, Dicks,
aDry up, you old fool Get me some
whisky quick!' The Old Man flew and re-
turned withan empty bottlei Dick would
have sworn, but his strength was not equal to
the occasion. He staggered, caught at the
handle of the door, and motioned to the Old
Man.
"Thar's suthin' in my pack yer for Johnny.
Take it Off. I can't"
The Old Man unstrapped the pack and laid