, 1889-01-24

bein' dead gone on Ed's girl. Fine girl
| too, she 10; not many like her in tbes
parts. Old Mcleod. the girls grandfather
be favored Ed, ~ most anybody would o.
had any sense. The old man was the fire
settler hereabout. Twas him that named
that rock by the station Duuean's Head
minded him OF something In Scotland
have any kindly feelin' for this Californi,
fellow. Allen, bis name was, and he toit
him 90 fiat one day when he was comm
from the ssw.miil. and he come scrost hin
right on the brink by the bank yov'll ss,
the placd, where the creek Roes through
the cutj powerful deep, too, it Is. HI
gave the old man some sass and he Nm
swered him kinder coDtemptuous. and tht
coward up and hit him. McLeod's up
ward OF 30 years old. Ed he happened
along just then. and he called out and told
him II he wanted to feht to take some ont
that was a match, for him. aud II he hil
the old man again he'd throw him over
the cliff. At that the Csliioruy fellow
and gave him an ugly cut; but Ed he just
give him one with his ist and he stag.
gered back and fell right OF into the
creek bottom. Killed him dead. They
fshed around some for him, but they
didn I find his body. Guess nobody cared
much; he didn't have friend nowhere.
Nobody ever mentioned such thing ss
having Ed took up sor It,"
"And, l suppose, he married and lived
happy ever afterward, as all the stories
wind np, on paperP" said Marcoe, who by
this time eyinced a lazy interest.
comes in. The girl she got some sort OF
cranky notion In her head that she
wouldn't marry man as had killed any
body; and though the old man has done
his best to change her mind. and Ed has,
too, she says she'll never marry any body /;
and low she won't neither. She's one O.
the kind that holds on to an idea like grim
death, and don't change her mind for
nobody. An these sin't the only queer
doin's there. Some folks low there's u
rendyvoo or thieves thereabouts, and
others are certain there's somethin' super
natural about 1t. It's a fact. though, that
there's been considerable petty stealth
mostly provisions and such, but nobody's
ever been ketched. A man has been seen
prowlin' around on dark nights, and some
claim TO have seen O Rhostly somethin'
about tne big rock. but ain Z got much
faith in spooks. ! had a strange thing
happen to me though. when was livin'
at Salt Lake. was ridin' along late one
night, when all TO oncet-"
At this moment small
boy appeared and announced
that "the black hoss was shod," and Mar.
coe was soon Ralloping over the future site
Of Empire City. while the tall chimney of
the Metropolitan house speedily disap-
peared from, view.
The western sky was clear
and the sun shone brightly,
but the dark line above the hills and the
gray shadows on the snow fields of the
mountain portended rain. The roads
were smooth and hard and gave hack q
pleasant sound beneath the swift feet OF
the black and the subtle intoxication Of
the fresh pure air soon cleared the brain
of his rider of its impatience, and both
felt keen thrill Of pleasure in the mere
fact of being alive.
The dying foliage of the willow massed
itself in banks Of glowing yellow against
the sombre green of the frs, and millions
of creeping green things, reused from
their summer letharRy bv the autumn
rains, pushed their way defiantly through
the carpet of pine and tamarack needles
which strove to cover them. So
fair, indeed, was the whole shin.
ing landscape, that the traveller enjoyed
every step of his ride, and rode into the
little station at dusk in the best possible
humor with himself and the world in gen.
eral.
He had forgotten all about the story
told by the future fonnder of the Empire
City. until ho noticed the upcarny crag,
which looked remarkably life.like in the
gathering gloom, and as he greeted the
tall. broad.ehouldered young fellow who
came out of the stage stable. it suddenly
occurred to him that he must be speaking
to the hero of the Duncan Head tragedy.
People rarely stop here over night"
was the reply to his request for lodging;
''the stage only changes horses here for the
long hill, and passengers don't often stop.
II you can put up with what accommoda.
tions can offer you. you're welcome to
stop with me, I'm sure"
Mareoe felt an instructive liking, ut first
sight. for this pleasant-faced mountaineer
who had such dark page in his history,
and the feeling deepened as he talked to
him, ate at his hospisable bschelor board
and spread his blankets for the night be.
fore his glowing Fireplace. A dozen times
it was on his tongues end to ask him some
leading question. but the fear of being
restrained him, aud as he met
the earnest, kindly gaze, as open as that of
a child, there seemed cruel
irony in fate that would compel such
a man to 90 through life under the
ban OF q murderer. Musin9 thus he drop
ped to sleep. II must have been about 10
o'clock when two pistol shots, fred in rapid
succession, reused him. Almost before be
realized where he was, he had dressed and
started for the door. but Hexter was there
before him. As it opened he saw that it
was storming, for gust of wind carried
the cold rain across the cabin and scattered
the embers upon the hearth. Silently. but
with foreboding sense of some calamity.
they ran across the road to the cabin oppo.
site, whence the sound had seemed 10
come. Entf ring without ceremony the
scene before them seemed to Marcoe 40
horrible that 1t must be creation OF his
half reused brain and he would awake to
find 1t a hideous dream. Upon the floor