Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-05-03

SIS this the right road?" he said, his
eyes upon my face.
This is the right road"
Right, yes-but hardly for Caramore
"Where does the other lead?"
l felt that defiance was my only course
now. pulled up the mare, faced him
full and square.
"I'll drive the other road if you like"
"Get upl' he called the mare. LET
her go, do you hear?"
He glared at me iercely; his hand
leaped up to his breast, lifted the flap of
his coat Dimly l saw the hilt of
sheath knife under the fold.
"YOung man," he said, ''if you play
me false I'll put my knife through your
heart"
| gave him no answer. 1 gave him
glance for glance, turned my face and
drove on. | understood him. He had
made sure of finding the money upon me.
Failing that, he had thought that might
possibly drive him right. There was lit
tie danger to him at least, and it was his
only chance. He knew that the money
would be put beyond reach tomorrow,
if he should not get his hands upon it
that night. But he was a fool for his
pains for all that.
knew | could not deceive him much
longer He was plainly suspicious now.
The mare was beginning to fag little.
She kept her long, rolling gait well up on
the levels yet. But she had not the same
grit at taking the hills, and she sham
hIad n uOOd dooI croiD0 down Oavr fbaf
she was tired, that only her tireless mettle
kept herlegs up to the pace, and hated
to force her on. But l saw no way out
of it yet; so / kept her up to the work.
| struck her in for Burrow Flat. If you
have ever driven through that region,
you know what labyrinth of roads and
lanes centers and diverges at Burrows.
They cross and wind and interlace in ey-
cry way, and of all sorts of curves and
angles. struck for this point in through
Bracken Hollow, and then southwest by
Poulter's blacksmith shop. l knew ev-
cry turn and lane, and used them with
all my skill. 1 curved this way and that,
wound and crossed till l had twisted
him out of all sense of direction, edging
round all the while farther and farther
west and north At 1890 we struck
the Caramore road at last, and rolled
along it, heading for home.
The parsOn was plainly uneasy; l
heard the bay horse still galloping be-
hind. The mare was getting much
distressed; her breathing sounded plain
ly, quick and hard. as this the Cara
more road?" His face had a baffled,
murderous look.
"This is the Caramore road"
"How far is it now?"
'Four miles and half"
-Four miles and half behindl
He leaned forward and looked in my
face. l gave him back as good. Again
his hand stole back to his breast.
'You said it was seventeen miles.
We've come twenty and more What
do you mean?"
81 mean it's five miles to Caramore."
/ looked him straight in the eyes
straight and defiant. | never saw such
look in another face as he gave me then.
His hand was in his breast
"If we're not in Caramore in half an
hour words came slow and wick
edly calm-"I'u put you out of trouble"
He leaned back and drove on Inev-
er wanted to kill but one man. / think
[ know how a murderer feels who beats
and tramples mans life out in sud-
den fury of hate. | hated that white
faced villain with murderous hate. I
longed to have him alone in some wild
place, with only my hands and his for
armor, and none between us two.
The end was near. But it was not yet.
Concluded next week.