The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-29

must be left for the operation of both the
Gray Peak and Eagle mines, until such o
time US O general manager could be sent
from the East, and he had been unable to
begin this work until almost night. He
hoped to complete IL by nne o'clock, then
he could reach Hartman's by eleven, per-
haps, and they would start He had ex-
pectcd to be at Trean's sido just after
darkness gathered, but found thet impossi-
ble He thought Of her now with a feeling
Of unee5iness, and wrote ON hurriedly and
eager for tho close. Ho had told no one OF
his intentions, and tho men had all gone
down to the bunk-housoe that stood upon
Ettlo plateau a half mile farther round
the mountain. 1t was still and lonely about
the office, and he drew q revolver out Of o
drawer Of h 8 desk and laid 1t beside him.
He seemed to feel indcfnably the approach
Of danger. 1t may have been only the gen.
eral spirit Of his situation that bred this
uneasiness about his heart, but it still re-
mains true that his sensitive life In that
hour was Fixed point, toward which the
clements Of death were moving.
At four o'clock in the afternoon three
horsemen had ridden ont Of Salt Lake City
along the broad road that leads toward the
west. Their destination seemed any point
other than Eagle mountain, for they were
riding almost directly away from 1t, but
after proceeding some half dozen miles in
that direction they turned, and describing
| large half circlo woro at the base of the
mountains on tho cast by dusk. Just after
night had begun to gather another horseman
rodo swiftly out Of tho city toward Eagle
| mountain. For days he had been watching
for this movement, and it had oil but escaped
him. His heart was burning; perhaps he
was too late and would not succeed. Each
time the thought occurred to him it seemed
| to bend him forward in tho saddle like
wave unseen, but ponderably driving him
onward. Yet he dared not ride too rashly,
| for should he be discovered by tho others
the loss of his own lifc might prove the only
result of his attempt to rescue the man who
was writing in tho little Office upon the
mountain. He had no means Of know
| ing If they had passed on into the
range, or, riding on that half circle, had
not yet arrived at the foot Of tho mountains.
| But until the range was reached he rode
swiftly, urging his horse with low but
sharp and impatient words. Then he paused
and listened, but could hear nothing. Per-
haps they had not yet entered the main
highway from tho side road, and if he
pressed forward he might warn Elchard be-
fore they arrived. The thought made his
blood leap, and he galloped up over the
bench and onward into the long gorge that
|
Hundreds Of times he had passed through
the great defle, and now he let his horse go
freely in the darkness. But presently he
bethought him how, in any case, these men
commissioned to do deed Of blood would
ride slowly; even if they were behind him
he need not hasten, and if they had preced-
ed him by haste he might defeat himself, so
he subdued his eagerness and took more
cautious pace.
At length ho reached the eastern end Of
the great canyon, and passed down into q
hollow. Just beyond it tho vast bulk Of
Eagle mountain loomed against the spangled
sky, with only two Of its grand steeples
visible, owing to his nearness. Suddenly
he refined his horse back and stopped; not q
half mile before him, carried by the road up
over q point On the mountain side, three
horsemcn like dim statues were standing
against background of stars. Evidently
they were listening. He stood still awhile,
with throbbing pulse, and presently they
passed away. All, then his mission would
prove more difficult than he had thought
There was no other road than this, down
which the ores wcre hauled TO the smeltcrs
in the Great Basin. 1t wound around tho
lower part of Eagle mountain snd some dis
tancc down Eaglo canyon, then turned to
the right through gorge, and presently
|
ward half way around tho mountain to tho
mines.
II he followed the horsemen he might be
discovered, and even il he should escape
that misfortune the assassination might bo
consummated before he could interfere. He
looked up at tho hugo looming face Of the
mountain. Oh, that he might mount direct
ly to the miRcsl But that seemed impossi-
bic. No, he must follow and DO close upon
them at tho end. He dismountcd, led his
horse into some underground and tied it,
then pulling off his boots ,and taking them in
one hand and his revolver in tho other, he
pressed forward noiselessly through the
gloom. But when ho came to the elevated
point where the horscmcn had stopped and
listened he looked up at the great looming
mass again. Suddenly he drew on his
boots, threw of his coat and hat, placed the
revolver in it's holder, and started up the
mountain side. Up, up through the stunted
tangle and stones he went, swinging over
lodges, plowing through stretches Of yield.
ing gravel then again fighting through the
stuntcd tangle. He wns strong young
fellow, but his brow was quickly dripping,
80 great was the strain. In little time he
came to wall of shattered stone that
scared two hundred feet above his head.
He paused moment before it with all his
PuioCo OCetlAk lOuuiyS VAOh uo OC5ou VI
climb Often from the valley below he had
marked how this great belt Of granite gir-
died half tho mountain, and knew it must
be scaled or his mission prove abortivo
! Perhaps no human foot had ever mounted
1t, but he did not care, he must gain the
summit, and painting and half dizzy with
the heady condition Of his blood, no fought
his way upward. At points huge knots
protrudcd like knuckles Of fist and around
these stono contortions he crept on narrow
lodges, then on up splintered slides, and
over holes and furrows and gaping erev-
ices, until at length he came out upon q
broad shelf and looked upward. Tho wall
still hung above him like scanned and
jutting forehead; ho looked downward, all
was faint and formlcss with shadow. He
felt tremulous and exhausted, but he could
not wait to rest 1t seemed to his excited
consciousness that he could see tho enc
mics of Richards life stealing up tho dark
gorge beyond the mines; but no, they could
not havc reached that yet; still he must
hastenl and he dashed the sweat from his
brow and hurried toward the right in search
of foothold. But none could DO found
Then away to the left and over some rugged
points, and up chaotic slide Of rock he
went again. Up, up out Of the dim gulf,
with laboring breath, with tmobbing tenn
pies, straining and struggling toward
heart-light and the sweet kingship of him
self
At last he lay on the summit Of the great
ledge, gasping for breath and with the