Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-08

give Mir. Vance that list of things I want fl om down in Crystal City. and he's going to start for there before breakfast in the morn ing and breakfast at the stage office. I'll just run down to the shaft house and hand the list to Tom Dolan and he can give it to Mir. Vance in the morning."
 Tom Dolan was the engineer of the Little Christabel. The shaft house was but u short distance from the boarding house. Throwing a shawl over her head Miss Milicent went out hurriedly, stepping lightly down the trail made in 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 arother man, unaware of her approach were talking. A name they spoke caused her to stop suddenly, with her hand to her heart and a strange look ill her face.
 q feel sure it is Silas Hover," the engineer was saying. "He changes his name bout ev'ry camp he goes to, and 1 reckon Doe. Grigson' suited him bout as we'll as any other name while he was here."
 "Well, he won't change it again very soon." Sald the other man with Q short laugh. "The next time the rolls called he'll answer up to his own name, I'm thinkin."
 "Hover may Le h s real name, 1" the engineer said "He swore it was when knowed him two years ago over in Paradise Gulch But he was scoundrel there and just got away with his neck 1 knowed him soon us 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 hima"
 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
 "AEd 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 tue engine room door. Could they have seen her face ill the moonlight they would have scen 1t drawn and old and ghastly ill its terror and agony. Her limbs trembled under her, and her bloodless lips moved in silent prayer
 For a 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 almosl l stop it's 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 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 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 em- l treaty and commands; "Waitl waitt waitr' A mom.ut later she stood in their midst. gas: ing for breath, white aud terrified. Ut is l, ," she sad; Miss Mllicent." "Yes," said one of the men gravely, "bui what do you want here7 This is no place fol l a woman."
 Her answer was:
 "Where is he-tl,slt mani"
 "What mana" said one of the men eva | sively.
 "rhe man whose life you were going to talk, here to-nighta"
 A groan from the edge of the pines came ir reply to her ears. She ran toward the spo. from whence the sound came, the men seek ing to detain her. Among a little group of men there stood one, trembling and ghastly, rope already around his neck and the other end of it thrown ovsr tbe branches of a tree. The man was moaning and protesting pitt fully.
 Going close to him she said in choked and fearful voice;
 "Let him go."
 There was a murmur of disapproval and | refusal among the men 1 "Come, come, Miss Millicent, this is nc place for you." said one of the men. "Le, n,e 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 hoarsey:
 "Save me, woman, whoever you are; save me if you can."
 She took lantern from the ground and held it up to her white face. She threw tlie shawl back from her head, and said:
 "Don't you know me, SilasT'
 He lifted his bowed head quickly, gave one glance at her face and covered his own guilty face with his hands, crying out:
 "Milly! MillicentI"
 The men looked on in amazement; an angry murmur of disapproval was heard when tn, man spoke Miss Millicents name in tones tha 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 a moment TheI the leader of the mob stepped softly into th moonlight and started in silence down tn gulch in the direction of Little Christabel.
 One by one the men followed him in si lence. In ten minutes Mil icent was alon with her husband. He turned toward he and said ill a cholsed and broken voice:
 "Millicent."
 "Well, Silas."
 She held out ore hand toward him. H grasped it in both his own and fell on hi knees before her with her trembling han, held to his lips
 An hour later they came forth from tn shadows of the forest and walked down tn trail ill the moonlight, and were seen no nor in Fairplay Gulch.
 The outgoing stage took up man and woman passenger next day, ten miles fror Hanging Rock. --..-
 "They was mighty sober passengers" sai the stage driver afterward. Both on 'er looked as if they'd cried all night, and the hadn't much to say; but they seemed might fly tuk up with each other. He called he sMilly,' an' she called him 'Silas.' I thin they was bound for Denver, and expected t go farther on west from there."