Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-15

haoan leaytnZ ti,e cabin on various pre- lenses. and ill n short time Miss Millicent was aloae. This was all unusual proceeding on the part of the men, but Miss Mllilcent was wholly unsuspciCds of it's import. An hour later, while sitting before the fire | mending a coat belonging to one of the men, Miss AiAlicent suddenly threw aside her work 1 and said: ~e 1l'here! if I haven't ttiarely forgotten to l give Mir. Vanee that list of things want l fl om :ieWn in Crystal City, and he's going to i start for there before breakfast in the morn ing and breakfast at the stage office I'll inst run down to the shaft house and h nd the list to Tom Dolan and he can give it to Mir. Vance ill the morning"
 Tom Dolan was the engineer of the Little l Chrstabel. The shaft house was but short distance from the boarding house. Throwing a shawl over her head Miss Millcent went out hurriedly, stepping lightly down the trail made ill the deep snow. The night was cloudless and made wondrous fair by full moon and thousands of shining stars. She reached the shaft house door. The engineer and another man, unaware of her approach, were talking. A name they spoke caused her to stop suddenly, with her hand to i her heart and q strange look in her face. "l feel sure it is Silas Hover," the engineer was saying. He changes his name bout ev'ry camp he goes to, and 1 reckon Doc. Grigson' suited him bout as well as any other name while he was here"
 "Wel, he won't change it again very soon," sail the other man with short laugh. "The next time the rolls called he'll answer up to his own name, I'm thinkin."
 "Hover may be his real name" the engineer said. "He swore it was when I knowed him two years ago over ill Paradise Gulch. But he was scoundrel there and just got away with his neck. knowed him soon as I see him down ill Crystal City one day last fall But never told anybody his name wasn't Grigson. Where did you say the boys in- tended fixing him9"
 "Down the gulch here bout two miles, at that place where the big powder is that they call Hanging Rock.' reckon they'll make short work of him."
 "Oh, sure" said the engineer with laugh, they'll hang him, as he deserves, without hardly time for his prayers"
 The other man glanced carelessly at his watch and said:
 ! And it's almost time they went at it. Ten o'clock was the hour agreed on, and it's after nine now."
 Neither of them heard the half-suppressed cry of the woman Standing just outside of the engine room door. Could they have seen her i face ill the moonlight they would have seen it drawn and old and ghastly in its terror and agony. Her limbs trenlbled under her, and her bloodless lips moved ill silent prayer ] For moment she stood so, and then, still praying for courage and strength, she ran silently but with all speed down the trail lead ing from the camp and toward the gulch. The trail was rough, and she stumbled and fell again and again. She ran with all speed when she could do 20, and the fear that she might be too late caused her heart to almos, stop its furious beating.
 She could see the Hanging Rock ahead of her some moments betore she reached it. Dark forms were moving around, going to and from the mighty rock, and the pines a few yards from it.
 The light of one or two lanterns flashed in the dark depths of the forest. She heard the shouts of the men as they assembled from all directions, fendish shouts they seemed to her.
 When near enough to make her voice heard it rang out in loud, sharp tones of en- treaty and commando: .- | "Wait! waitl waitl"
 A moment later she stood in their midst. gas!'ing for breath, white and terrified. Ut is l, she sad; Miss Millicent" "Yes," said one of the men gravely "but what do you want herea This is no place for woman."
 Her answer was: "Where is he-thsit manf
 "What mani" said one of the men eva sively.
 "rhe man whose life you were going to take | here to-nightl" .... A groan from the edge of the pines came in reply to her ears. She ran toward the spot from whence the sound came, the men seek | ing to detain her. Among little group of | men there stood one, trembling and ghastly rope already around his neck and the other | end of it thrown over the branches of tree The man was moaning and protesting pitt l fully. Going close to him she said in a choked and fearful voice:
 'Let him go."
 There was murnur of disapproval and refusal among the men "Come, come, Miss Millicent, this is no place for you." said one of the men. '.Let 1 me help you back to the camp"
 'No," she said, going close to the trembling culprit and laying her hand on his arm. He grasped her hand and said hoarsely: "Save me, woman, whoever you are; save me if you can."
 She took a lantern from the ground and held it up to her white face. She threw the shawl back from her head, and said; "Don't you know me, Silasa" He lifted his bowed head quickly, gave one glance at her face and covered his own guilty face with his hands, crying out:
 "Millyl Mllicentl" The men looked on in amazement; an angry mu1mur of disapproval was heard when the man spoke Miss Millicent's name in tones that seemed endearing.
 She turned toward them and said slowly and distinctly with painful effort:
 "Let him go He is my husband!"
 There was dead silence for moment. Then the leader of the mob stepped softly into the moonlight and started in silence down the gulch in the direction of Little Christabel. One by one the men followed him in si- lence. In ten minutes Mil icent was alone with her husband. He turned toward her and said in a choked and broken voice: @Millicent."
 "Well, Silas"
 She held out one hand toward him. He grasped it in both his own and fell on his knees before her with her trembling hand held to his lips.
 An hour later they came forth from the shadows of the forest and walked down the trail in the moonlight and were seen no more in Fairplay Gulch. The outgoing stage took upa man and woman passenger next day, ten miles from Banging Rock